Anzac Day promotes a sense of unity more effectively than any other day on the national calendar. People whose politics, beliefs and aspirations are widely different can nevertheless share a genuine sorrow at the loss of so many lives in war. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand.
Anzac Day is a national holiday specific to New Zealand. In 1915, during World War I, soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) fought on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The purpose was to capture the Dardanelles and open a sea route to the Bosphorus and the Black Sea. At the end of the campaign, Gallipoli was still held by its Ottoman Turkish defenders.
Anzac Day both commemorates New Zealanders killed in war and honors returned and serving servicemen and women. Thousands lost their lives during the Gallipoli Campaign: 87,000 Ottoman Turks, 44,000 men from France and the British Empire, including 8,500 Australians. To this day, Australia also marks the events of April 25.
