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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
Symbols
1. 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
Symbols
2. 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
Monuments
1.
Uluru
-also known as Ayers Rock
-located in central Australia
-what was left after a slow
erosion 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
Monuments
2. 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
Language
1. 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
Language
3. 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/Holidays
1. Anzac Day: April 25
-honors people who have
fought in wars for their
countries
-celebrated in Australia
and neighboring country of
New Zealand
-stands for: Australian
And New Zealand Army
Corps
Celebrations/Holidays
2. Australia Day: January 26
-remembers the landing
of the first British
settlers in Australia
-special ceremonies, parades,
and firework shows take place on
this day
-many newcomers to Australia
become citizens in special
ceremonies 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/Holidays
4. 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/Holidays
5. Melbourne Cup: November
-celebrated on the first
Tuesday in November
-traditional horse race
since 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/Holidays
Christmas, Easter, and New Year’s Day are
also celebrated as they are in many
countries around the world
Christmas in Australia
is in the summer, so
Santa is sometimes seen on
the beach, swimming,
surfing, or riding on a boat.
Education
1. 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 schools
4. 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
Education
1. 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
Food
1. 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)
Food
2.
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.
Food
3. 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
Food
4. 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
Food
5.
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
6.
Food
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
D.
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
Food
7. 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
Sports
1.
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
Sports
3. 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?
Animals
1.
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
2.
Animals
Marsupial: a mammal characterized by its
distinctive pouch in which mothers carry their
young in
A. 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
Animals
3.
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
Animals
4. 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)