Friday, April 22, 2005

Upside down and out of sync

We have a holiday on Monday for ANZAC Day to mark the landings of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) at Gallipoli eight months into the First World War. Being the day New Zealand remembers its war dead, it’s also Poppy Day. As a relative newcomer to the Southern Hemisphere I am fascinated by the upsidedownness of it all. Not only are winter and summer months oddly juxtaposed … giving us daffodils in September! … but public celebrations are too. Poppy Day in April, Mother’s Day in May, Father’s Day in September, Labour Day in October …. one event that couldn’t be meddled with is the Queen’s "official" birthday, a New Zealander public holiday in June. How weird is that?

Even Coronation Street is not exempt! Episodes of Coro (referred to in the North as The Street) are 6 months behind. This makes it all very credible as it is summer in Coronation Street when it is summer here and winter on the Street coincides nicely with our winter. There is a bit of a problem when the Street celebrates Christmas… in June! But we are very forgiving people we antipodes!

3 Comments:

Blogger granny p said...

Once went with my sister to a wildlife centre in NSW. We walked into the main hall at lunchtime to find approximately 80 wrinklies celebrating 'Christmas' complete with tree, father Christmas, decorations, carols and all. The same thing was inflicted on us in the evening (the turkey came from a preboned and sliced packet.) The staff said; oh we do this throughout June.' All this on top of kangaroos under the bed, rosellas lining up on the balcony railings and possums trying to snatch the phone out of your hand when you were trying to ring Sydney.

Weird place the Antipodes...

12:45 am  
Blogger Catherine Detweiler said...

I think Easter in the fall is what would really throw me for a loop.

4:32 am  
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