Columbus Day
October 12th, 2023
Columbus Day is a national holiday in the United States that honors Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. In 2023, it falls on Monday, October 9. Although it was unofficially observed in several towns and states as early as the 18th century, it wasn’t until 1937 that it was declared a federal holiday. The occasion serves as a means of both celebrating Italian-American heritage and recognizing Christopher Columbus’ accomplishments. However, controversy has surrounded Columbus Day and the man who inspired it throughout its history. Since the 1970s, various alternatives to the holiday have been offered, including Indigenous People’s Day, which is now observed in many U.S. states and localities.
Charles A. Columbus
With support from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, the Italian-born explorer Christopher Columbus set off in August 1492 on the ships Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria for Asia.
In order to reach China, India, and the rumored gold and spice islands of Asia, Columbus sought to map a western sea route. Instead, he arrived in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, making him the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings founded colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland in the tenth century.
In October, Columbus saw Cuba and assumed it was the mainland of China; in December, the crew saw Hispaniola and he thought it might be Japan. With the help of 39 of his troops, he founded the first Spanish colony in the Americas there.
Columbus triumphantly returned to Spain in March 1493 with a cargo of “Indian” captives, spices, and gold. A number of more Atlantic crossings were made by the explorer before his death in 1506.
( Did you realize? Contrary to common assumption, the majority of educated Europeans in Columbus’ day knew that the world was round but were unaware of the existence of the Pacific Ocean. Columbus and his contemporaries believed that the Atlantic was the sole physical barrier separating Europe from the wealth of the East Indies. )
Columbus Day is celebrated in the US.
The first commemoration of Columbus Day was conducted in 1792 to mark the 300th anniversary of the famous landing by New York’s Columbian Order, often known as Tammany Hall. Italian and Catholic communities around the nation started planning yearly religious services and parades in Columbus’ honor, taking pride in his birthplace and religion.
President Benjamin Harrison urged Americans to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1892 in a proclamation that read, “On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Columbus Day a federal holiday in 1937, largely as a result of the Knights of Columbus’ vigorous lobbying. The Knights of Columbus is a significant Catholic fraternal organization.
Monday, October 2nd is designated as Columbus Day. While all federal agencies are closed on Columbus Day because it is a federal holiday, not all states observe the day as a paid vacation.
Alternatives for Columbus Day
Columbus Day has been controversial since the 19th century, when anti-immigrant parties in the United States disapproved of the celebration due to its connection to Catholicism.
Native Americans and other groups have recently condemned the commemoration of an event that led to the colonization of the Americas, the start of the transatlantic slave trade, and the murder and disease deaths of millions of people.
Smallpox and influenza were just two of the deadly diseases introduced by European immigrants that destroyed native populations. Numerous lives were also lost in battles between European colonists and Native Americans.
Native American Day
It has also been questioned whether Christopher Columbus really was the brave hero he was portrayed to be. The explorer and his crew captured native inhabitants of the Bahamas and sold them into slavery. Later, while he was the governor of Hispaniola, it is claimed that he used cruel punishments like torture.
The Da de la Raza (literally, “Day of the Race”), a celebration of the varied ancestry of Hispanic culture, has long been honored on the anniversary of Columbus’ landing in several Latin American countries. To honor indigenous peoples and their experiences, Venezuela renamed the celebration Da de la Resistencia Indígena (“Day of Indigenous Resistance”) in 2002.
Alternative days of remembrance have taken the place of Columbus Day in a number of American cities and states. Indigenous People’s Day is observed by cities including Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles as well as states like Alaska, Hawaii, and Oregon.
What Time Is Columbus Day?
Originally celebrated on October 12, Columbus Day was moved to the second Monday in October in 1971.
Columbus Day has become a celebration of Italian-American heritage in several areas of the United States. Parades and street festivals organized by local organizations feature Italian food, music, and costumes in vibrant colors. Activities on this day include pow-wows, traditional dance performances, and teachings on Native American culture in sites that celebrate indigenous peoples.