Articles
Anzac Day
First observed in 1916, Anzac Day - 25 April - commemorates those killed in war and honours returned servicemen and women. The ceremonies held at war memorials around the country, and in places overseas where New Zealanders gather, are rich in tradition and ritual.
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Page 3 – The ceremony
The Anzac Day ceremony of 25 April is a form of military funeral and follows a specific pattern. The day's ceremonies have two major parts: one at dawn and another later in the
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Page 5 – A sacred holiday
Anzac Day became a public holiday and took on new meaning in peacetime. It became a time to express sorrow, not glorify war, on a sacred day that had a secular tone.
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Page 7 – Modern Anzac Day
Each generation of New Zealanders redefines Anzac Day to suit the mood of the times, and the last 50 years has seen much redefinition.
Anzac Day in the Pacific
Armistice Day was the initial focal point for commemorations in the Cook Islands and Niue after the First World War. But because men from both countries had served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, observances gradually shifted to Anzac Day in April
- Page 3 - The growth of Anzac DayBy the end of the Second World War military commemorations in the Cook Islands and Niue centered around Anzac Day. Services in both countries followed the pattern of those in New
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Main image: Dawn service, Anzac Day, Auckland 1986
The dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, 25 April 1986. The dawn service was widely adopted in New Zealand in 1939 after a similar service was held in Sydney the previous year.