Harmony Day in Australia

What is Harmony Day?

People all over Australia celebrate and observe harmony day on the 21st of March. They do it to demonstrate cultural unity and promote ethnic inclusiveness. It provides an opportunity to honor the Indigenous Australians, the nation's original residents.

What Countries Observe Harmony Day?

Mainly Australia observes Harmony Day.

History and Significance of Harmony Day

In 1783, as a direct consequence of the American Revolutionary War, British Rule was stripped of its control over the American lands. In England, all of the available prison space was being used. On the 26th of January 1788, eleven British ships with prisoners, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, arrived at Sydney Cove, New South Wales, Australia. The term for this group of ships is the "First Fleet." The primary purpose of the ships' arrival was to create prison colonies for the British in Australia.

The British ships continued to arrive with additional detainees and medical personnel, military personnel, and other personnel. Even though there was a considerable gap in terms of culture between the locals and the British, the native culture was gradually supplanted by the British civilization. The conflicts between the British and the indigenous inhabitants of the land ultimately resulted in the wholesale slaughter of the Aboriginals. 

As the number of people living in the area dramatically rose, many passed away for various medical reasons, including spreading foreign illnesses, territorial disputes, and a lack of food.

The country was expanding, but its civilizations were becoming increasingly fractured due to racism. Even in the latter part of the 20th century, many individuals were the targets of racial assaults. In the 1990s, the conservative Liberal Party opposition put out an alternative to the Labor Party's plan to criminalize racism and acts of racism. 

The Liberal Party won the 1996 election, and they implemented their approach. The strategy included fostering multiethnic togetherness and educating people about the dangers of racism and hatred based on social distinctions or ethnicity. The festivities for Harmony Day had officially begun at this point. It wasn't until 1999 that the holiday was first observed.

The celebration of Harmony Day started with the intention of recognizing and appreciating the many different cultures that exist in the world. During the past ten years, the government of Australia commissioned research to investigate people's opinions of diversity and racism in the country. According to the study's findings, a significant fraction of the general public has unfavorable and biased perceptions of the various components of society.

How is Harmony Day Celebrated?

The main takeaway of Harmony Day is "Everyone Belongs." This day is about involving the community, being inclusive, recognizing, and respecting differences, and giving everyone a sense of belonging.

Australians are urged to wear orange clothing on Harmony Day. People support all the cultures that makeup Australia by wearing orange. School-going children go to school wearing orange.

Since 1999, Harmony week has been hosted by all sorts of organizations for an estimated sum exceeding 80000 times. It includes schools, churches, healthcare facilities, and local, state, and federal government organizations. 

Harmony Day events also include Food festivals, public concerts, and performances.

The government implements mass and social media, anti-racism campaigns, and educational or promotional materials to acknowledge the public and decrease racism throughout the country.

Host a Harmony Day dinner or a Morning Coffee/Tea with your neighbors to get the best of Harmony Day. Neighbors can bring a dish of their own culture's recipe, and everyone involved can develop deeper bonding.

Harmony Day Celebration for Kids

The children must learn about cultural diversity and social inclusivity. The best day to teach them is Harmony Day. Through reading and fun activities, the children will be aware of the diverse community in the 'Land Down Under.'

Some ideas are mentioned below:

1. Reading Books

A guardian, who might be a teacher or a parent, can recommend a book or two about Harmony Day to the children.

2. Inviting Families to Share Stories 

Families with different ancestry or ethnic backgrounds can be invited to schools and share their culture and stories of how they or their roots came to Australia.

3. Watching Videos

Informational children-friendly videos can be shown to the children to learn about Harmony Day and its importance.

4. Learning Through Playing

Children can be assigned to make foods from other communities with play dough. Also, they can make paper cut-outs of the things they find interesting in other countries. Another fun way of teaching them about diversity is with Multicultural Dolls. Each student will be given a doll of different ethnicity, and the children have to discuss what they know about the doll. If someone mistakes a fact, it can be corrected with real information about that doll.

Interesting Facts about Harmony Day

Here are some interesting facts regarding Harmony Day:

• Australia observed and celebrated its first Harmony Day on the 21st of March, 1999.
• Harmony Day and the International day for Eliminating Racial Discrimination are on the same day.
• Harmony Day soon became Harmony Week.

Harmony Day Quotes

Here are some Harmony Day Quotes:

"The first President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, said: "If we want to live together in harmony, we must learn to respect each other's differences."

"The great Dalai Lama said to his Holiness: "We all live on the same planet, so we are all equal. There should be no difference between rich and poor, black or white."

"Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, said: "Racism is an affront to human dignity. It seeks to dehumanize its victims and divert attention from its miserable failure to uphold the values it purports to defend."

"When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you see is the person who doesn't." - Jodi Picoult

Harmony Day Wishes

• We must work together on Harmony Day to instill in our kids the value of cultural diversity. Greetings from all of us on this memorable day.
• I'd want to wish everyone a very happy Harmony Day. Don't let our cultural differences drive a wedge between us; instead, let them strengthen us.
• Harmony Day is a reminder always to respect diversity and value all cultures. Sincere greetings to everyone on Harmony Day.

Conclusion

Harmony Day celebrates diversity and the indigenous people of Australia. In today's world, one should always be aware of sensitive matters like this, and so I hope reading this article has given you a better understanding of the cause for observing Harmony Day.