AUSTRALIAN CULTURE: TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, GASTRONOMY - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The culture of Australia is a mixture of British influence, the presence of aboriginal ethnic groups originating from the place and the migrations from different parts of the world, which make this country a place of unparalleled characteristics.

Over time, its inhabitants have established their own customs and traditions, also adopting the most popular cultural practices of the Western world.

City of Sydney during the Australia Day celebration.

Phil Whitehouse from London, UK, aka Phillie Casablanca on Flickr

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Located south of the Pacific Ocean, Australia occupies most of the continental plate of Oceania, and its name comes from the Latin australis which means southern or relative to the south.

It is estimated that it has been populated by aboriginal ethnic groups for approximately forty-six thousand years, but it was only in the seventeenth century when it began to be visited by European explorers from Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.

In the 18th century it was finally claimed by the United Kingdom, after the explorations of the British navigator James Cook, who in 1769 arrived in what is now known as New Zealand and in 1770 in Australia.

Currently Australia is a sovereign country made up of six states, two continental territories and other smaller territories, ruled by a federal constitutional parliamentary monarchy.

This system of government includes the Queen of England Elizabeth II as head of state and the Australian Parliament; which in turn is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, from which the figure of the Prime Minister arises.

Australian traditions

Australia's day

It is celebrated every January 26 and is one of the most important dates in this country. That day they commemorate Australia's anniversary as an English colony, after the arrival of the eleven ships that landed in 1788 from the United Kingdom.

As a curious fact, the passengers of these boats were mainly prisoners who would be imprisoned in this country, initially considered to be a colony for penal use.

Australia Day is a holiday characterized by family gatherings, civic events, outdoor activities and even massive purchases, as stores make attractive offers on the occasion of this special occasion.

ANZAC Day

It is a tribute originally made on April 25 to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Armed Forces (ANZAC) soldiers who served during World War I in Gallipoli, Turkey.

Over time, the commemoration spread to the servicemen who died in wars in which Australians participated and is traditionally a day of national pride.

The activities include tributes at dawn, exactly at the time of the landing of the troops in Gallipoli; military parades, speeches and floral offerings.

Christmas

Like most in the western world, Australians also have important Christmas traditions, even if it is not a 'white' Christmas, since at that time it is summer in the southern hemisphere.

This does not prevent having beautiful traditions such as the carols by candlelight performed in Melbourne since 1937 and which brings together people who sing in the open air in honor of Christmas.

The main cities of Australia are adorned and actively celebrate this important date.

New Year

Due to its geographical location, Australia is one of the first countries to welcome the new year and they celebrate it with great enthusiasm.

Its summery climate allows you to enjoy a pleasant night in the coastal area and witness fireworks displays.

One of the favorable places to welcome the year is Sydney, but other cities such as Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Perth or Byron Bay, whose skies are filled with lights to the excitement of millions of Australians, are not far behind.

Melbourne Film Festival

It is one of the oldest and most respected cinematographic encounters. It was founded in 1952 and for three weeks makes the city of Melbourne the epicenter of the local and international film industry.

The event awards shorts and feature films that are evaluated by a jury and screened by a network of theaters throughout the city.

Australian Mardi Gras

This party, which emulates the famous New Orleans carnival in the United States, has been celebrated in Sydney since 1978.

Originally started as a parade to defend gay rights, it became so famous that it soon began to receive attendees of all sexual preferences.

Australian customs

When communicating

Australians are carefree, they can sometimes be called informal, but not rude; they give thanks, ask for things please, say hello and smile frequently.

The way you greet will depend on how well you know the person. If there is closeness they could give a kiss on the cheek, otherwise they will offer the traditional handshake.

Love for the outdoors

They are fans of grills or barbecues. Their sunny climate most of the year allows them to bond socially outdoors and is an option they take very often.

They are extremely respectful of nature, especially in a country where there is a high percentage of native animal species.

For some Australians it is totally natural to go barefoot on the street, especially in coastal areas. It is not so common in large cities, but it can also be seen in them.

A passion for sports

Australians like sports and being active all the time. That is why they are fans of various disciplines, whose competitions keep them very entertained throughout the year.

Rugby is one of the most followed sports, in addition to tennis, that has the Australian Open, held every January in the city of Melbourne.

They are also fans of golf, Formula 1, scuba diving, yacht racing, surfing, cricket and even Australian football; a local variety characterized by the use of a ball in the shape of a sphere on an oval field.

Performing arts

Australians have a true love for their culture and have dedicated themselves to creating spaces across the country to appreciate art in all its expressions, including indigenous representations.

They have a deep-rooted tradition of music, ballet and theater, with an orchestra in each capital and a national opera company, whose headquarters are located in the iconic Sydney Opera House building, a world reference for Australian art and culture.

Curiosities

Young people leave their parents' home early, usually after finishing high school.

They tend to give away a bottle of wine, chocolates, or flowers when they are invited to a home gathering.

They get up very early, they take lunch at approximately 12:30 p.m. and this is usually an aperitif, since for them dinner is the most important meal of the day, which they eat promptly at 7:00 p.m.

Gastronomy

The extensive coastline and its wide plains make Australia famous for the use of fish and cuts of cattle in its typical dishes, which are usually accompanied by local wine produced in the south of the country.

We mention below some of the typical Australian dishes.

Vegemite

This is not a dish, but it is considered the national food. It is a dark brown spread with a salty flavor that is used on bread and toast.

It is made with the yeast extract that remains after beer production, to which vegetables and spices are added. Many mothers consider it the key food for their children to grow strong and healthy.

Vegemite is considered one of the national foods of Australia.

Source: foodwatch.com.au

Meatloaf

It is a dish with a dough made of flour and stuffed with ground meat. It is similar to a salty pie, since its base is made with the same ingredients.

Kangaroo meat

In Australia, kangaroo meat is sold openly, as in other countries it could be the case with beef.

It is a meat highly appreciated for being low in fat and is consumed in different ways: in grilled, grilled or baked steaks, in hamburgers, skewers or as sausages.

Crocodile meat

This is another exotic option, which sometimes amazes tourists who come across it on a menu. Those who have tried it say that it has a flavor between chicken and fish.

Like kangaroo, crocodile meat can also be found on grills, hamburgers, and even in famous Australian meat pies.

Chiko roll

It is made up of a dough filled with beef, cabbage, carrots, figs, barley, celery and onion.

Beetroot burger

Perhaps the burger is not originally from Australia, but the custom of adding beets to it probably is.

Barrabundi

This is a fish from the northern waters that is very frequently found on the Australian food menu. It has a mild flavor and is usually served with vegetables.

Plum pudding

It is the quintessential Christmas dessert, cooked with dehydrated plums.

Fairy bread

In this way they call the children's birthday cake, made of white dough with colored sprinkles as topping.

Pavlova

It is a dessert of great fame in the country, very colorful and made from white meringue covered with fruits and cream.

Pavlova

Source: 123.rf.com

Ginger beer

This is a sweet drink, and contrary to what it seems from its name, it does not contain alcohol.

Australian pizza

It consists of the typical Italian pizza base, only it includes bacon and egg.

ANZAC cookies

Named after their military, these cookies are made with coconut, brown sugar syrup and oatmeal.

Lamingstons

It is a very popular sponge cake topped with chocolate sauce and grated coconut.

Australia in detail

Political situation

- Before the British officially claimed it, Australia was called New Holland, due to the Dutch who came to their lands in 1644.

- Australia belongs to the Commonwealth, a community of nations historically and economically linked to the United Kingdom.

- Canberra is its capital, but Sydney is the most populous city in the country, followed by Melbourne. Other major cities are Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide

- It has at least 38 universities, five of these are among the 50 best in the world.

Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia

Source: pixabay.com

Geography, flora, fauna

- It is the sixth largest country in the world, with an area of ​​7,741,220 km ². One third is desert.

- Australia has the most extensive coral reef in the world, the so-called Great Barrier Reef, which reaches two thousand kilometers.

- The isolation from the rest of the continents made Australia a country rich in flora and fauna. 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds and 90% of fish are native to the area.

- Australia has more animals than people, with a proportion of more than 100 million sheep, 40 million kangaroos and only 20 million humans.

- 90% of Australians live near the coast and it is the country with the lowest population density, of only two people per ^km². In that group of humans, the aborigines only occupy 2% of the population.

- They have 1500 species of spiders, including one of the most dangerous in the world, the funnel-web spider, whose venom can kill a person in less than two hours. They also feature the world's most dangerous jellyfish, the boxjellyfish, as well as twenty of the world's deadliest snakes.

About the name of the kangaroos

It is thought that the word gangurru, which derived from kangaroo, comes from a confusion when the natives were asked what the famous marsupials were called and they responded with that word, which supposedly means "I don't understand."

However, specialists reject this theory, assuring that gangurru is a word that comes from the aboriginal language. Guugu Yimidhirr and it is simply the one assigned to a species of gray kangaroo, which shows that the indigenous people did understand the question.

There are at least 40 million kangaroos in Australia

Source: pexels.com

Koalas are not bears

Like kangaroos, koalas are also marsupials, so they also have a similar bag to carry their young.

These curious animals sleep more than 16 hours a day, do not consume water because they extract it from eucalyptus leaves and can live an average of 17 years.

References

1. JualianSwallow. (2013). Onthisday: Captain James Cook sets sail. Taken from australiangeographic.com.au
2. Australian customs. (2019). Taken from aussieyoutoo.com
3. Traditions and customs of Australia. (2019). Taken from vix.com
4. Australian customs and traditions. (2019). Taken from educ-universe.com
5. IconicAustralianfood. (2019). Taken from nomadsworld.com