Columbus Day in United States
Quick Facts
Columbus Day celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 on the American continent.Name
Columbus DayColumbus Day 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008Columbus Day 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009See list of observations below
The achievements of Christopher Columbus are remembered on Columbus Day. ©iStockphoto.com/Nikada
What do people do?
Officially, the people of the USA are invited to celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of their country with church services and other activities. In some towns and cities, special church services, parades and large events are held. Most celebrations are concentrated around the Italian-American community. The celebrations in New York and San Francisco are particularly noteworthy. In Hawaii Columbus Day is also known as Landing Day or Discoverer's Day.Not all parts of the United States celebrate Columbus Day. For example, Native Americans’ Day is celebrated in South Dakota, while Indigenous People’s Day is celebrated in Berkeley, California. Moreover, Columbus Day is not a public holiday in the states of Nevada and Hawaii.
Public life
Columbus day is a public holiday in most of the United states, but is not observed or is not a holiday in some states. Government offices and schools are generally closed, but businesses may be open. The flag of the United States is displayed on Government buildings.Background
Christopher Columbus is often portrayed as the first European to sail to the Americas. He is sometimes portrayed as the discoverer of the New World. However, this is controversial on many counts. There is evidence that the first Europeans to sail across the Atlantic were Viking explorers from Scandinavia. In addition, the land was already populated by indigenous peoples, who had 'discovered' the Americas thousands of years before.
Columbus Day originated as a celebration of Italian-American heritage and was first held in San Francisco in 1869. The first state-wide celebration was held in Colorado in 1907. In 1937, Columbus Day become a holiday across the United States. Since 1971, it has been celebrated on the second Monday in October. The date on which Columbus arrived in the Americas is also celebrated as the Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in Latin America and some Latino communities in the USA. However, it is a controversial holiday in some countries and has been re-named in others.
Columbus Day celebrations are controversial because the settlement of Europeans in the Americas led to the deaths of a very large proportion of the native people. It has been argued that this was a direct result of Columbus' actions. It is clear that the arrival of the European settlers led to the demise of a large proportion of the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It has also been argued that Columbus should not be honored for discovering the United States, as he only went as far as some islands in the Caribbean and never got as far as mainland America.
Columbus Day Observances
| Weekday | Date | Year | Name | Holiday type | Where it is observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Oct 13 | 1980 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 12 | 1981 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 11 | 1982 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 10 | 1983 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 8 | 1984 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 14 | 1985 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 13 | 1986 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 12 | 1987 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 10 | 1988 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 1989 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 8 | 1990 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 14 | 1991 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 12 | 1992 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 11 | 1993 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 10 | 1994 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 1995 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 14 | 1996 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 13 | 1997 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 12 | 1998 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 11 | 1999 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 2000 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 8 | 2001 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 14 | 2002 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 13 | 2003 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 11 | 2004 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 10 | 2005 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 2006 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 8 | 2007 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 13 | 2008 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 12 | 2009 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 11 | 2010 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 10 | 2011 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 8 | 2012 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 14 | 2013 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 13 | 2014 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
| Mon | Oct 12 | 2015 | Columbus Day | National holiday | All except |
Related holiday
- Indigenous People's Day–Monday, October 13, 2008, Monday, October 13, 2008
Other holidays in October 2008 in United States
- International Day of Older Persons (Wednesday, October 1, 2008)
- Eid-al-Fitr (Thursday, October 2, 2008)
- Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi (Saturday, October 4, 2008)
- Feast of St Francis of Assisi (Saturday, October 4, 2008)
- World Teachers' Day (Sunday, October 5, 2008)
- World Habitat Day (Monday, October 6, 2008)
- Child Health Day (Monday, October 6, 2008)
- International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (Wednesday, October 8, 2008)
- Leif Erikson Day (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
- Yom Kippur (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
- World Post Day (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
- World Mental Health Day (Friday, October 10, 2008)
- Native Americans' Day (Monday, October 13, 2008)
- Indigenous People's Day (Monday, October 13, 2008)
- First day of Sukkot (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)
- White Cane Safety Day (Wednesday, October 15, 2008)
- World Food Day (Thursday, October 16, 2008)
- International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (Friday, October 17, 2008)
- Alaska Day (Friday, October 17, 2008)
- Alaska Day (Saturday, October 18, 2008)
- Last day of Sukkot (Monday, October 20, 2008)
- Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (Tuesday, October 21, 2008)
- United Nations Day (Friday, October 24, 2008)
- World Development Information Day (Friday, October 24, 2008)
- Halloween (Friday, October 31, 2008)
- Nevada Day (Friday, October 31, 2008)
Other calendars
- Perpetual yearly calendar - make yearly calendar for any year
- Perpetual monthly calendar - shows only one month at a time
- Custom calendar - make customized calendars
