Straya Day or more commonly known as Australia Day is celebrated across the nation annually on January 26th.This big day is aimed to celebrate national pride and achievement as on the same day in 1788, the First Fleet of 11 convict ships arrived from Britain. A settlement was established at Sydney Cove under the command of Captain Arthur Philip.  

Some Australian celebrate this day by having BBQ with family and friends. In the morning, this day is marked by national flag raising, citizenship ceremony, parade and many cultural festivals. After a long celebration during the day, in the evening, the capital cities of each state in Australia conclude the celebration with a magnificent firework show.  

Straya day is not only about happy celebration as for many Australian people, especially the indigenous people of Australia, it is actually a painful reminder of colonialism. The indigenous population mourn since tens of thousands of people were killed due to disease and starvation during the colonialization. Not only that, there were many massacres of indigenous people during that darkest days. For that reason, many Australian think that January 26th should not be celebrated with beer and BBQs as for many it is actually an Invasion day.  

The controversial leads to a longstanding debate about changing the day to celebrate Australia Day. Many Australian believe, it shouldn’t be celebrated on January 26th due to the historical significance of the day for the indigenous people. Up to this year, on January 26th, in addition to the party and all the happy celebrations, many Australian people march to protest Australian Day and chant “Always Was, and Always Will Be Aboriginal Land”.