Australian Culture. What is culture? -system of shared beliefs, values, and behaviors that members of society use to live with in their world and with.

Australian Culture

Australian Culture

What is culture?

-system of shared beliefs, values, and behaviors that members of society use to live with in their world and with one

another

Symbols1.Australian Flag

-has the British flag in the upper left corner

-7 pointed star: represents 6 states and the last point is for the 2 territories -small stars

stand for the southern cross: a group of stars you can see when you are south of the equator

Symbols2. Coat of Arms

-the official symbol of Australia

-used by the Australian government to make sure something is real

Consists of:-shield-seven-pointed star-wreath of Golden Wattle-kangaroo and emu

Monuments1. Uluru-also known as Ayers Rock-located in central Australia-what was left after a slowerosion of an original mountain range-known for changing color depending on how the light strikes it during different times of the day and year-is sacred to the Aboriginal people of that area

Monuments2. Sydney Opera House-located in New South

Wales

-a major tourist attraction in Australia

-one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world

Language1. English is the official language

2. There used to be several hundred aboriginal languages-there are only about 20 spoken today-some older Aboriginal natives are asked to come to school to teach children their language so they do not die with the people who know them

Language3.People in Australia often

use different words for everyday things than people in the United States do.

Examples-hello ---> g’day-friend ---> mate-man ---> bloke

-woman--> sheila -food ---> tucker

Celebrations/Holidays1. Anzac Day: April 25

-honors people who havefought in wars for their countries

-celebrated in Australiaand neighboring country of New Zealand

-stands for: AustralianAnd New Zealand Army Corps

Celebrations/Holidays2. Australia Day: January 26

-remembers the landingof the first Britishsettlers in Australia

-special ceremonies, parades, and firework shows take place on this day

-many newcomers to Australiabecome citizens in specialceremonies across the country

Celebrations/Holidays

3. Queen’s Birthday: June-celebrates the

birthday of Queen Elizabeth II

-Queen of the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand

-celebrated on the second Monday in June

Celebrations/Holidays4. Boxing Day: December 26

-celebrated the day after Christmas

-used as a day to relax and give gifts to those who work for you (in boxes of course)

-some exciting sport matches take place on this day (Boxing Day Cricket Test; Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race)

Celebrations/Holidays5. Melbourne Cup: November-celebrated on the firstTuesday in November

-traditional horse racesince 1861-everyone in Australia stops what they are doing to either listen to the race results on the radio or watch the race on t.v.

Celebrations/HolidaysChristmas, Easter, and New Year’s Day are also celebrated as they are in many countries around the world

Christmas in Australiais in the summer, so Santa is sometimes seen on the beach, swimming, surfing, or riding on a boat.

Education1. Children from ages 5-16 are required to attend school

2. Both public and private schools require children to wear

uniforms

3. Many students go on to colleges or

trade schools4. Since Australia’s seasons are

opposite of ours:

-summer vacation is from mid-December to January-school year begins in February-other vacations are 2-3 weeks several times during

the rest of the year

Education1. School of Air-In the Outback, children do not live close enough to attend public/private schools

-these children attend the “School of Air”-use computers to do their school work

-send tests and homework through the mail-listen to their teachers over the radio

Food1. Most Aussies eat a

lot of fruits and vegetables because they are grown in nearby cities and readily available.

-Australia grows its own bananas, pineapples, papayas, mangoes, passion fruit, quandong (a type of peach from the outback)

Food2. Meat is a big part of

the Aussie’s meals.-lamb, emu, and kangaroo

-these animals are not fed specific man made foods to fatten them up

-therefore, they are much healthier to eat than the meat we eat here in the U.S.

Food3. Aussie’s eat a big

breakfast (“brekkie”).-cereal, eggs and sometimes

meat

-toast with baked beans, spaghetti, or vegemite (a thick, salty, black spread

-farmers sometimes eat “snags” or “bangers” (types of sausages) to give them energy for the day

Food4. For lunch,

Australians eat “sangers” (sandwiches), fish and chips, meat pies, and sausage rolls.

-Australians put vinegar on their chips (french fries)-ketchup is called tomato sauce

Food5. Dinner commonly includes

potatoes, beef, lamb, or “chook” (what Australians call chicken)-people in Australia grill almost everything- “barbie” (barbeque)-cook using wood chips, instead of charcoal, which gives their food a smoky flavor-some restaurants have outside “barbies” where Australians will prepare their own foods

Food6. Foods native to Australia:

A. Vegemite: -a dark brown food paste-texture is smooth and sticky (similar to peanut butter)-taste may described as salty and slightly bitter-used as a spread on sandwiches and toast-used as a filling in pastries

B. Mutton:-older, mature sheep (lamb is young sheep)-cooked slowly for a long time-usually served for dinner

C. Billy tea:-a popular tea in Australia-to learn how billy tea is made click below:billy tea

• Pavlova:-a meringue dessert-crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the

inside-typically eaten during holiday meals, such as

Christmas

Foods native to Australia continued:E: Lamingtons:

-sponge cake in the shape of a cube-traditionally coated in chocolate

icing and coconut

F: Anzac Biscuits:-a sweet biscuit made from mainly

rolled oats, flour, coconut and sugar

-these ingredients do not spoil easily so they were commonly sent to soldiers from their loved ones

-today, hikers often pack Anzac biscuits to use as a last resort for nourishment

G: Damper:-a traditional Australian soda

bread-cooked over an open flame-used by those who would travel for

long periods at a time (because the ingredients were basic-flour, water, salt and sometimes milk)

-today, children throughout Australia eat damper during camping trips and as a special treat

Food7. Sweet Treats

-children in Australia eat many types of candy and sweets-candies and lollipops are called “lollies”-popsicles are called “icy poles”-Big M is a brand of milk that is flavored to taste like all sorts of things, including chocolate, mint, and oranges

Sports1. Rugby

-similar to football-Australians play rugby union and rugby league (each game has a different set of rules)-one of Australia’s most popular sports is called Australian Rules Football (“footie”)

2. Netball-a non-contact team sport that is

similar to basketball-players can pass but not dribble-they score by shooting a ball

through a hoop without a backboard

-is now prominently a women’s team sport in Australia

Sports3. Cricket-a bat-and-ball team sport-two teams of 11 players

each-one team bats: trying to

score as many runs as possible

-other team bowls and fields: trying to stop the other team from scoring runs

-there are many different kinds of cricket games (different rules)

-some cricket games can last for 5 days

Animals

Australia has been isolated from the other continents for millions of years. Its animals have adapted to island life and are quite different from animals in other parts of the world.

-What does the word adapt mean?

Animals1. Monotremes: mammals that lay eggs

instead of giving birth to live young

A. platypus: egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal-one of the few venomous mammals: the male has a spur on his hind foot that delivers venom that is extremely harmful to humans

B. Echidna: small mammals that are covered with coarse hair and spines-resemble an anteater or porcupine-have snouts that function as a nose and mouth

Animals2. Marsupial: a mammal characterized by

its distinctive pouch in which mothers carry their young inA. Kangaroo-a national symbol of Australia-its emblem is used on the Coat of Arms-male kangaroos are called “jacks”, female kangaroos are called “jills”, and young kangaroos are called “joeys”B. Koala-found in coastal regions in eastern/southern Australia-have sharp claws to help them climb-herbivore (eat mostly eucalyptus leaves)-rest up to 18 hours a day (spend most of that time sleeping)C. Wombat-short-legged marsupial with a very short tail-found in forested areas in south-eastern Australia and Tasmania-herbivores

Animals3. Dingo

-once a domestic dog that has returned to living in the wild

-today, most dingoes live independent of humans

-have features in common with a wolf and modern dogs-may be found in Southeast Asia

Animals4. Birds

A. Laughing Kookaburra-an Australian carnivore-well-known for its laughing

call (which is used to greet its mate after long periods of absences

-found throughout eastern Australia

B. Emu-largest bird native to

Australia-long neck and legs-eat plants and insects

(including grasshoppers, ladybugs and crickets)