Harmony Day is celebrated annually in Australia on 21 March. The federal government introduced Harmony Day in 1999, coinciding with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It has since been renamed Harmony Week in order to recognise all the activities that take place every year during the week, from 15 to 21 March.
The purpose of Harmony Week is to celebrate the amazing cultures that make up our country. Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world – from the oldest continuous culture of our First Australians to the 49% of Australians who were born overseas or have a parent who was.
This Harmony Week, Yarra Plenty Regional Library will focus on two things that bring people together: food and dancing. We have a long tradition of partnering with community groups to celebrate Harmony Week, and this year we have added some online presentations.
Sharing of food knowledge will take place in an online workshop called Nonna’s Italian Biscuits, and if you have any recipes of your own, bring them along to Thomastown Library’s noticeboard, or try your hand at growing Asian vegetables at Watsonia's Libraries After Dark session.
Belly Dancing will be on show at Lalor Library, and the Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub will celebrate Holi festival with classical Indian dance. Multicultural storytelling will entertain Eltham Library visitors, and we'll also be re-connecting with the earth using Indigenous consciousness at Lalor Library.
If you're looking for something to read during Harmony Week, check out our selection of multicultural biographies.