What is Columbus Day All About?
Columbus Day is an official U.S. federal holiday, marking the historic arrival of explorer Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. This day also venerates the cultural heritage of Italian Americans, as there is substantial scholarly belief that Columbus hailed from the city of Genoa in Italy.
The tradition of Columbus Day has been an annual fixture in the United States since the year 1937. Initially, it was commemorated on the very date of October 12, but subsequently, it was rescheduled to the second Monday of October, offering laborers an extended weekend of respite.
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The genesis of this observance can be traced back to Italian immigrants, who in 1866 in New York, inaugurated Columbus Day as a tribute to their rich heritage. Notably, according to data from the U.S. Census, the American populace includes over 18 million individuals of Italian lineage, rendering them the fourth-largest ancestral group. This holiday serves as a perennial catalyst for dialogue regarding the Age of Exploration and the consequential transformations it ushered in, including the injustices imposed upon indigenous populations.
Certain regions within the United States have opted for alternatives to Columbus Day to honor the original inhabitants of the lands where Columbus made his historical landfall. In California, the municipalities of Berkeley, Sebastopol, and Santa Cruz have supplanted Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Meanwhile, South Dakota has rechristened the occasion as Native American Day, and Alabama commemorates a fusion of Columbus Day and American Indian Heritage Day. Hawaii, in its distinctive manner, designates it as Discovery Day, in homage to the arrival of Polynesian settlers. The Census Bureau approximates the Native American and Alaska Native population at a commendable 5 million.
Columbus embarked on four trans-Atlantic voyages spanning the years 1492 to 1504, under the patronage of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. These maritime exploits irreversibly reshaped the global cartography, ushering in an era of European colonization, along with its attendant exploitation.
It is crucial to note that Columbus was not the maiden European to successfully traverse the Atlantic. Historical records suggest that Viking mariners established a transient settlement in Newfoundland around the year A.D. 1000, and scholars have proffered various hypotheses regarding other plausible pre-Columbian landings. Nonetheless, Columbus is credited with inaugurating the enduring encounter between European civilization and the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere.
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During the latter part of the 15th century, Portugal held dominion over the endeavor to forge a sea route linking Europe and India via circumnavigation of Africa. It was against this backdrop that Isabella I of Spain sanctioned an expedition in which Columbus would embark on a westward odyssey from Spain, with India as his ultimate destination. This course of action, naturally, operated on the presumption that the Earth was spherical — a concept already comprehended by the erudite minds of the era.
The fateful voyage commenced in August 1492, with Columbus at the helm, commanding a crew of 90, aboard three vessels: the Santa Maria, the Niña, and the Pinta.
After navigating westward for a span of five weeks, the expedition reached an island now encompassed within the British Bahamas on the 12th of October. Columbus christened this landmass as San Salvador and was under the illusion that he had stumbled upon an alternative path to India, hence his erroneous designation of the indigenous inhabitants as “Indians.”
Columbus embarked on three subsequent voyages, persisting in his conviction that he had discovered a novel route to India and Asia, rather than being the harbinger of North and South America.
Due to the historical evolution of the United States, stemming from British colonization rather than Spanish claims, the commemoration of Columbus’ “discovery” remained conspicuously absent for a considerable duration, with only sporadic ceremonies marking the 300th and 400th anniversaries of his initial landfall.
The transformation occurred in 1937 when the U.S. Congress, in collaboration with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, officially declared Columbus Day, designating October 12 as a national holiday. This legislative shift was chiefly propelled by the lobbying endeavors of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal and philanthropic organization. Subsequently, in 1971, the observance was relocated to the second Tuesday in October.
On Columbus Day, U.S. federal government offices and the majority of banking institutions shutter their operations, while educational institutions typically remain operational, as do the bulk of commercial enterprises.
In cities such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Denver, spirited Columbus Day parades and festivities, featuring resplendent attire, music, and delectable Italian cuisine, pay homage to the Italian heritage. In stark contrast, Berkeley observes Indigenous Peoples Day Powwow and Indian Market as its unique tribute.
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