HASS

Harmony Day is a day to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, based on the successful integration of migrants into our community. Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. 

We celebrated Harmony Day on Wednesday, the 23^rd of March.

Students were encouraged to wear their cultural outfits, whilst adhering to the Islamic dress code, and bring cultural food to share with their peers.

The day had started with the Australian National Anthem followed by an Islamic speech about Harmony in Islam and a recitation of a beautiful poem by Yara Soliman, year 11 ATAR student.

1. Egypt

• Sham El-Nessim which means “smell of the breeze” is an old spring festival celebrated by the Egyptians since the third dynasty of the Old Kingdom.
• The Egyptians invented the 365-days a year calendar
• Cairo holds the world’s most valuable collection of items from Ancient Egypt. It contains more than 150,000 objects.
• The Grand Egyptian Museum just outside of Cairo of the Gaza Plateau (next door to pyramids) is not only the new crown jewel of Egypt but it is also one of the largest, most modern, and most renowned museums in the entire world

2. Turkey

• One of the oldest and largest markets in the world is the Grand Bazaar which is often described as one of the oldest shopping malls in existence
• There are over 80,000 Mosques
• The capital city of Turkey, Istanbul is the only city on earth on two continents, Asia and Europe
• Turkey is the only country in the world that grows black roses

3. Pakistan

• They produce over half the world’s footballs 40-60 million a year and it is handmade
• Second largest Muslim population
• The name Pakistan derives from two words, “Pak,” which is Persian for holy, clean or pure, and “istan” derives from the Hindi word “isthan,” which means a place.
• Pakistan is the world’s first Islamic country to attain nuclear power

4. Somalia

• Prehistoric rock paintings dating back 5,000 years have been found in parts of Somalia, including one of the earliest known sketches of a mounted hunter
• Paintings in Somalia are among the most famous ones of their kind in Africa
• Somalia is the easternmost country of Africa, located on what is known as the Horn of Africa
• Somalia has the longest coastline in Mainland Africa with the most beautiful beaches

At lunch we had a competition for the best dressed students, and teachers.