ANZAC day – National Day of Australia and New Zealand

Australia also has a national holiday, and not just theirs, as they “share” it with New Zealand! What is ANZAC day all about? Why is poppy everywhere and why does everyone bake ANZAC biscuits?

written by: Niki – Continent Surfer

The meaning and origin of ANZAC

The abbreviation stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, which was given to the New Zealand and Australian Army Corps shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. This force fought ashore at Gallipoli, and as it was the first major operation in the history of the two countries. Since 1916, the soldiers of the corps who returned home from combat have been celebrated and those who died in battle commemorated on 25 April each year. This is ANZAC Day. And since the 1920s, 25 April has officially been a national holiday in Australia and New Zealand, with a number of commemorations, parades, and events taking place.

Despite the fact that many lives were lost in the fighting and the objective was not achieved, Operation Gallipoli is still an important chapter in today’s history books.

When the First World War broke out, Australia had only 13 years to gain independence and become a federal state. In 1914, Britain declared war, so the two ‘young’ countries, still very much at the embryonic stage, went to war and fought to take the Gallipoli Peninsula. Thousands of Australian soldiers lost their lives in the eight months of fighting, but the operation resulted in much suffering and loss of life on both sides. On 25 April 1915, ANZAC troops landed in an unnamed cove and the place was officially named ANZAC Bay. Following the landing, this bay was the main base of support for Australian and New Zealand troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula for the eight months of the battle.

ANZAC Day today

Dawn vigils, parades, memorial wreath-laying are all part and parcel of the national holiday. The landing at Gallipoli was at dawn, which is why the national holiday begins with a dawn vigil. The commemorative ceremonies were simple at first, but recently more and more families and young people have taken part in these dawn commemorations, so that hymns, readings, bagpipes and memorial fires have become part of the celebration and various programmes are held at war memorials across the country.

ANZAC game

One of the most popular traditional games associated with the national holiday is the so-called “2-up”. Its origins date back to the 1850s, and by the First World War it had become a common game among Australian soldiers. Remembrance Day is the only day of the year when gambling is allowed outside designated areas in Australia. The game involves the appointment of a ‘tosser’ who tosses two coins into the air at the same time. Players then bet on which side the coins will fall. To participate in the game, players must be 18 years of age or older and must donate any winnings to charity.

Poppies and rosemary

The traditional symbol of the holiday is the rosemary, which is widespread in Gallipoli. A rosemary stalk is still displayed today.

Wreaths made of poppies are placed at memorials, and family members also place a poppy next to the names of relatives who have died in war. In the military folklore of the First World War, the bright red colour of the poppy symbolised the blood of comrades on the ground, meaning “blood sacrifice”, and this has remained true to this day. Another significance of the poppy is that it was one of the first plants to flower in spring.

ANZAC biscuit – or festive biscuit

The biscuit was eaten by ANZAC soldiers in place of bread, but of course today it is far from the original. Durability was very much needed during the war, so the original recipe was for a very hard, dry biscuit, also known to soldiers at the time as a “bullet catcher”. Whether this was an Australian or New Zealand recipe is, of course, a matter of disagreement between the two countries. In any case, the delicacy that unites the two countries is delicious, and everyone is proud to eat the most delicious versions.

Let’s bake ‘soldier biscuits’!

The term ‘ANZAC’ is protected by Australian law, prohibiting the use of the term without the permission of the Australian Minister for Veterans Affairs, and New Zealand has similar restrictions. However, the only one fairness exemption relates to ANZAC biscuits, as they must ‘remain true to the original recipe’ and ‘be referred to and sold as ANZAC biscuits’, never as cookies.

Ready, set, bake! >>>

ANZAC biscuit recipe

Ingredients:

10 dkg butter

2 tablespoons of golden syrup or honey

12 dkg flour

8 dkg oatmeal

8 dkg coconut flakes

5 dkg sugar

1 teaspoon of baking soda

grated orange zest

vanilla extract to taste

Preparation: Measure the dry ingredients – flour, oatmeal, coconut flakes and sugar – into a mixing bowl and mix together, then add the butter mixture, season with a little grated orange zest and vanilla extract – and mix well. Don’t be surprised, you will get a crumbly dough.

Use your hands to form 12-13 flat biscuits in the palm of your hand, place them on baking paper, slightly apart, and bake in a 180-degree oven for 12–15 minutes until golden. Leave to cool when out of the oven, they will stay fresh and crumbly for a long time if sealed in a box!

Everything tastes better when eaten on the spot!

If you’re heading to Australia, >>> check out whom you can count on <<<!

Did you know?

A perennial debate among both Australians and New Zealanders is whether ANZAC biscuits should be softer or harder. The good news is that if you try the recipe, you can easily test this by removing the biscuits from half the pan and putting the other halfback to bake for a few minutes!

Like what we do?

If so, please support us, every little counts and is much appreciated!

You will help us to come up with useful information regularly, so please support us every once in a while or even monthly! Thank you!

Join the Continent Surfer community! 

Subscribe to our newsletter and be the first to receive the latest news, useful tips, and exclusive offers!