“It’s the 21st of December… and now they’re ringing the last bells.”
This is a quote from iconic Aussie singer, Paul Kelly, whose song ‘How to make gravy’ has become an iconic Aussie Christmas song.
Interestingly, when my brother and I first heard the song, we found part of it humorous (‘…remember the last one, what was his name again…’ damn I can hear my bro laughing from here), and that’s how this song ended up in the ‘Funnies’ category on my iPod.
In actual fact, the song is quite sad, told from the point of view of a guy in prison on the 21st of December, thinking about his family and the Christmas celebrations he’ll miss. But where does the gravy come in, you ask? Well, he’s the guy that always made the gravy for the Christmas Day roast, hence the lyrics: Who’s gonna make the gravy… bet it won’t taste the same.
And however it happened, it’s become a thing for some in Australia to celebrate Gravy Day on the 21st of December. In fact, it’s gained enough momentum that they’ve made a movie out of the song – and you can be sure as hell I’m going to watch it when I’m in Oz next time!
I like Gravy Day. I like gravy. Every time we have a roast or I’m anywhere there’s a roast, I ask, who’s going to make the gravy, regardless anyone understands the reference or not. On the day itself I like to celebrate by playing the song annoyingly on repeat as long as I can get away with, and also cook up a roast with… you guessed it… gravy.
Happy Gravy Day to all the Aussies out there who celebrated!
an aussie in austria 