Columbus Day is a federal holiday in the United States which celebrates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12th, 1492. It is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which means it generally falls between the 9th and 14th of October.
The expeditions of Columbus were financed by Ferdinand and Isabella, the monarchs of Spain. However, Columbus himself came from Italy. It was Italian-Americans that started the tradition of celebrating the day.
From the early 1900s, the day began to be celebrated in cities that had a large Italian-American population. It was made a federal holiday in 1937 by the presidential proclamation of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Columbus Day is usually celebrated by parades and local festivities and celebrations. All federal agencies are closed, along with banks and there will be no mail delivered. Many other private businesses will also choose to give their staff the day off.
In more recent times, Indigenous People’s Day has also been celebrated alongside Columbus Day. The way that this is celebrated, or if it is recognized at all, largely depends on what is organized by individual towns, cities, and states. Of course, people are free to celebrate it independently of any Columbus Day events which may be happening in their region.
