A common value in today's world is National Pride. In my humble opinion I believe giving your life for your nation is one of the noblest deaths a person could hope for, and I believe New Zealander's feel the same way; which in turn is why Anzac day means so much to New Zealand .

     “The mission was a disaster…At the end of 1915 the invasion was abandoned leaving the remains of thousands of dead comrades behind. Although they were not victorious, there was a pride in having done all that was asked of them.” (Raunburd, Paul).

  Anzac day honors the soldiers who gave their lives on April 25 , 1915 at Gallipoli as well as all the soldiers who have fallen in the name of New Zealand . What is special about this holiday is the importance New Zealanders put on this day. Maybe they hold it in such high regards because they are a relatively new nation, or because they feel they have made military contributions to the free world, but there zealous and love for this day is something to admire. It is certainly different then The United State's national holidays like Independence Day and Memorial Day which have been commercialized and may have lost some meaning in it's modernization. Those days are no longer about honoring our fore fathers and our nation's birth, but rather a way of telling the world that America is the best nation.

  Anzac Day is a celebration of remembrance, remembrance of the fallen soldiers who fought along with the rest of the World in World War One and who died in Gallipoli. The fact that the soldiers lost the battle may even be more of a reason why the day and the battle are so important to New Zealand . “The idea that some sort of “blood sacrifice” was a necessary rite of passage or initiation ceremony in the birth of a nation was common in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. In attempting the daunting task of storming the Gallipoli peninsula the ANZAC' created an event which, it was felt, would help to shape the new Australia ,” (as well As New Zealand , Australia 's ally in the campaign.” http://www.awm.gov.au/Commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.htm . Since New Zealand was still a part of the British Empire at this time, this battle was especially important to New Zealanders as a way to have their own identity from the empire.

    The Religious controversy over the holiday has been significant as well. The memorial services originally took place in local churches but were quickly moved to non-religious sites. “There was dissent over the religious aspect of the service. Roman Catholics were prevented by their own rules from attending ecumenical services, but RSA ( R eturned S ervices A ssociation) proposals to remove religion from the ceremonies altogether were firmly resisted by Protestant churches, already unhappy at what they felt was the overly secular nature of services.” http:www.awm.gov. What this is saying is that Catholics wanted to have a Catholic service honoring the soldiers, while the different Protestant churches wanted a ecumenical service which would include al the churches, which is what most of the soldiers wanted. “The boys don't want to be split up among twenty or thirty different churches on ANZAC day, and it is certain they don't want to go to a meeting to hear people who haven't been there [to war] spout and pass resolutions.” http://www.rsa.org.nz/remen/anzac_hist.html The Anglo-Saxons also wanted to have religious undertones to the holiday. “They sought to give religious and moral purpose in the celebration…of Anzac Day” (Withycombe, Robert). It was finally agreed upon to have an ecumenical service however Catholics and Jews didn't attend for many years following the decision.

    Politics didn't play much of a role in the event except during times of war. During war Anzac day has been used as a political tool to try to raise troop numbers as well as gain support for the war at hand. “The commemorations predictably focused on the current war, with appeals for people to follow the ‘spirit of Anzac'; the links between the ‘first Anzacs' and personnel now serving or recently returned were stressed.” http://www.awm.gov This was not frowned upon by any means comparing the Gallipoli attack with World War II soldiers; in fact attendance rose at the ceremonies dramatically during war times. However problems arose when people used Anzac day to protest war: “In 1967 Anzac Day became associated with protest when two members of the left-wing Progressive Youth Movement in Christchurch laid a wreath protesting against the Vietnam War (and was subsequently convicted of disorderly behavior). Further incidents followed at subsequent Anzac Days, as protestors sought to bring attention to their anti-war cause” http://www.awm.gov . ANZAC in theory should not be a politically infused holiday but a time to honor fallen soldiers who gave their life for New Zealand ; unfortunately it can as is often used as a tool for both pro-war and anti-war political positions.