Melbourne cup

Considering that that Australia's top three heroes are a cricketer, a bushranger and a race horse, perhaps it is fitting the only time the nation stops as one is to have a wager on a dubious sporting pastime. The discovery of gold in 1853 led to a huge influx of gamblers to Australia's shores. If the diggers struck it lucky on the goldfields, they would head for the track to see if the luck would continue. Invariably it didn't and racing clubs sought bigger and bigger meetings to relieve the prospectors of their gold.

The Victoria Turf Club staged the first Melbourne Cup in 1861 and by 1866, the Government had proclaimed the day a public holiday. To make life difficult for punters, the race is run over the unusually long distance of 3200m, it may have up to 30 starters and the favoured horses are handicapped with extra weight.

Although knowledge of the form is still a prerequisite to talk like a guru at pre-race functions, the many variables make picking a winner a case of pinning the tail of the donkey. The most successful method seems to be whether it has a good name or not. With the exception of Kiwi which evokes sheep imagery, all winners have had impressive names like Phar Lap, Black Knight or Vintage Crop.

The fact that the cup is such a lottery has helped it gain popularity amongst those with no interest in racing. There is a certain charm associated with seeing a guru who has studied the form all year, grimly stewing as some novice gloats about how she picked the winner only because she thought its name would still be pronounceable after downing her second bottle of Champagne.

But the Melbourne Cup is more than just a horse race, it is also one of the few times where Australians celebrate looking stylish and acting like a pompous wanker. In a land of the ugg boot and cork hat, world fashion designers rarely seek their inspiration with a trip down under. But on that first Tuesday in November, the dark clouds part and the elegant ladies come out to shine. It is a day when the famous proverb, " the bigger the hat, the smaller the property" is transformed into " the bigger the hat, the smaller the skirt."

Although it is only a public holiday in Victoria, around the country kind bosses stop work and use the day as a team-building exercise. There is usually a sweep, a prize for the best hat and a drink or two or many. Roughly speaking, the popularity of a boss is proportional to the quantity of alcohol drunk and inversely proportional to the amount of work completed on the day.

St Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Day is a popular tradition. Even though it may be in tribute to a patron saint of a foreign country, it involves a lot of drinking hence its appeal. A home grown saint is yet to eventuate. A Ned Kelly Day would be a possibility. As a result of Our Ned's Last Stand, police corruption was cleaned up, and a century of painters, novelists, musicians and poets gained a muse of inspiration. The only problem with a Ned Kelly day would be that having a day to celebrate an executed cop killer would be as ridiculous as having a national day to celebrate criminals.

1. What do Australians celebrate on the 26^th of January?

2. What is the usual way of celebrating Australia Day?

3. What is the history of ANZAC Day?

4. What is the key feature of this holiday? Why?

5. What is traditional Australian Christmas food?

6. Do Australians decorate the Christmas tree?

7. What sports are Sydney and Melbourne associated with?

8. When does the most famous horse race in Australia take place?

9. How do some bosses in the country use this day?

10. Why do Australians celebrate Ned Kelly Day?