Australia Day
Clink-clank-clink. Barefoot prisoners in chains trudge along the road. All around them are guards with guns.
These people aren’t really prisoners and guards. They’re part of a celebration that is held every year in Sydney, Australia’s oldest and largest city. The marchers are showing people what life was like in Australia more than 200 years ago.
On January 26, 1788, a fleet of ships anchored in a harbour off the coast of Australia at what is now Sydney. These ships brought 730 prisoners from Britain. The prisoners, or convicts, were the first Europeans to settle in Australia. Since then, millions of Europeans have chosen Australia as their homeland. Wherever they’re from, they all take part in celebrating Australia Day every year on the Monday closest to January 26.
On this national holiday, Australians enjoy folk dances and happy music from the many nations of people who now live in Australia. Dancers and musicians perform in the oldest part of Sydney, called the Rocks. This hilly area is near the harbour where the first Europeans landed.
Picture Credit : Google