Leif Erikson Day in United States
Quick Facts
Leif Erikson Day honors the first Scandinavian known to have set foot on American soil and the contribution of the Nordic peoples to the United States.Name
Leif Erikson DayLeif Erikson Day 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008Leif Erikson Day 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009See list of observations below
Leif Erikson Day honors the first Scandinavian to set foot on American soil. ©iStockphoto.com/Lukáš Hejtman
What do people do?
The president of the United States issues a proclamation about the holiday. Most presidents have also taken the opportunity to praise the spirit of exploration and discovery and the contributions to American society and culture of those of Nordic descent.Public life
Leif Erikson Day is not a federal holiday. Public life is not usually affected by this observance. Public transit systems run on their regular schedules.Background
Leif Erikson was born of Norwegian descent around 970 A.D. in Iceland. It is thought that his father and grandfather were outlaws and explorers around Scandinavia and Greenland. His father founded two settlements in Greenland. Leif had two brothers and one sister. He married a woman named Thorgunna and they had one son, called Thorkell Leifsson.Leif Erikson went to Norway to work for King Olaf I of Norway. During his stay, he converted to Christianity. When he returned to Island, he bought a boat and, in 1003, set out to explore the land west of Greenland that had been discovered by Bjarni Herjolfsson, and older explorer. The land that he had discovered was actually Newfoundland, which is now part of Canada. The 'Saga of the Greenlanders' tells of his adventures.
It is thought that he visited Baffin Island and Labrador and settled on the Northern part of the island of Newfoundland, now all part of Canada. There are speculations that Leif Erikson or later explorers may have traveled into the area that is now Minnesota in the United States. Some controversial archaeological finds, such as the Kensington Runestone and the Maine Penny, support this theory, but it is not considered proven.
October 9 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the day that the ship Restauration arrived in New York from Stavanger, Norway on October 9, 1825. This was the start of organized immigration from Scandinavia to the USA. The date is not associated with an event in Leif Erikson's life.
Leif Erikson Day Observances
| Weekday | Date | Year | Name | Holiday type | Where it is observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | Oct 9 | 1980 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Fri | Oct 9 | 1981 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sat | Oct 9 | 1982 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sun | Oct 9 | 1983 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Tue | Oct 9 | 1984 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Wed | Oct 9 | 1985 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | 1986 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Fri | Oct 9 | 1987 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sun | Oct 9 | 1988 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 1989 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Tue | Oct 9 | 1990 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Wed | Oct 9 | 1991 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Fri | Oct 9 | 1992 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sat | Oct 9 | 1993 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sun | Oct 9 | 1994 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 1995 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Wed | Oct 9 | 1996 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | 1997 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Fri | Oct 9 | 1998 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sat | Oct 9 | 1999 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 2000 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Tue | Oct 9 | 2001 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Wed | Oct 9 | 2002 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | 2003 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sat | Oct 9 | 2004 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sun | Oct 9 | 2005 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 2006 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Tue | Oct 9 | 2007 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | 2008 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Fri | Oct 9 | 2009 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sat | Oct 9 | 2010 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Sun | Oct 9 | 2011 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Tue | Oct 9 | 2012 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Wed | Oct 9 | 2013 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | 2014 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance | |
| Fri | Oct 9 | 2015 | Leif Erikson Day | Observance |
Other holidays in October 2008 in United States
- Eid-al-Fitr (Thursday, October 2, 2008)
- Yom Kippur (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
- Columbus Day (Monday, October 13, 2008)
- First day of Sukkot (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)
- Last day of Sukkot (Monday, October 20, 2008)
- Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (Tuesday, October 21, 2008)
- Halloween (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
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