Surprises and similarities: Two nations celebrate on the 25th April
We have recently celebrated another ANZAC Day. The 25th April is the day Australians have set aside since 1916, to remember the many lives lost during wars. The letters in the word ANZAC stand for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, initially referring to those soldiers who fought in the First World War. In 1914, when England announced it was going to War, Australia and New Zealand joined forces with Britain. Being part of the Commonwealth, it was expected. After our young men set off to Gallipoli in 1915, a shocking moment in our history occurred. We now remember it, each year, in moving tributes on both sides of the Tasman Sea.
Lately, it has come to my attention that Italy has their own day of celebration on the 25th April. This is a new awareness. Being on social media brings these things to our attention and as a result, I kept seeing posts of planes flying with il tricolore trailing from its body. I kept seeing footage, which made no sense to me, of special ceremonies. Initially I didn’t pay attention to the reason for this celebration. It dawned on me that something special was happening in Italy on the 25th April, as it does here and I had a yearning to learn more about it. Then my theory came into play, which is, if I need to know, there are others out there who need to know. If you are reading this then you are most likely one of them 😊
As it turns out Italy celebrates La Festa della Liberazione or Anniversario della Resistenza on the 25th April. The similarities between Italy’s Festa della Liberazione and ANZAC Day astound me. Yes, we celebrate on the same day but how do we celebrate?
Remembering Our Fallen
Australia commemorates the Fallen soldiers from WWI and those who lost their lives in other wars before and after. Italy commemorates the end of Nazi Germany’s occupation of Italy during World War II. They also honour the combattenti, fighters who fought in wars other than that of WWII.
Beginnings - Australia
Adelaide was the accidental initiator of the ANZAC Day commemoration of today. They had celebrated a version of Labour Day until 1915 but after the war felt the need to acknowledge fallen soldiers by raising funds for and an awareness of the war effort. Later the Commonwealth Government accepted the acronym ANZAC, as the word to remember the fallen by, but it was separate state governments who organized celebrations in their own states around Australia. Later early dawn services in the style of one held in 1923 in W.A. became the forerunner of what we do today. In 1928 the first official ceremony was held at Sydney’s Cenotaph when returned soldiers were silent for 2 minutes. This continued until the 1960’s when the tradition had waned. It looked like it would not survive.
Initially it was only RSL Clubs who remembered the dead on this day. It wasn’t until the 1980’s and ‘90’s that these clubs became more lenient, finally reaching out to the broader community and with that the ANZAC tradition began its resurge. Today the day is a public holiday, a special day for most Australians. It begins with an emotional dawn ceremony with the solo bugler playing The Last Post. An emotional one minute silence follows. Parades with soldiers or family members proudly donning medals owned by their “passed on’ or “too frail” family member march down streets lined with people who also want to pay their respect. Rosemary is warn, remembering the Gallipoli Peninsula where this plant grows in abundance. It is followed by drinks at the local pub or home.
2020: This year, whilst in isolation, each household was invited to stand in front of their house and for one minute, quietly remember those who fought for this country.
Beginnings - Italy
On the 25th April, 1945, a radio announcement by the Italian National Liberation Committee was made telling all Italians that the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini and other fascist leaders was over. Mussolini was actually shot 3 days later. With this the end Fascism occurred. This day became known as the Anniversary of the Resistance (Anniversario della Resistenza) or Anniversary of Italy’s liberation. (Anniversario della Liberazione D’Italia). In Italy, like in Australia, it is a National day of celebration, a public holiday, il ponte, where special ceremonies occur including parades, waving of the flag and ringing of bells in cities and towns, the spectacular Italian Air Force and their tricolore display as they fly over Rome, towns holding fairs, concerts, food festivals, wreath laying at war monuments, political rallies and reenactments of what occurred back in 1945.
The Italian President usually pays a visit to the Ardeatine Caves Mausoleum, in respect of the 335 Romans who were killed by Nazis in 1944.
Museums and battlegrounds are open around Italy. Two of the most frequented are Montecassino, where one of the final big battles occurred just before the end of the WWII and the two American cemeteries, which honour the American soldiers who died whilst fighting for Italy during both World Wars.
The poppy is the flower worn on this day as a reminder of the western fronts where these flowers grew in abundance, and many died surrounded by these plants.
‘Bella Ciao’ is sung at these events. It became the anthem of the Italian resistance movement and today reminds listeners of the sacrifices made by those fighters.