

In 1937, Columbus Day became a federal holiday in the United States. More and more people and states began to recognize Columbus Day. Colorado first observed Columbus Day in 1906 as it became an official state holiday. On his third voyage in 1498, he realized that he had not reached Asia, but instead had accidentally found a continent whose existence had been erased from the collective memory of most of Europe. Over the next eight years, Columbus made three more Transatlantic expeditions. When he returned to Europe he brought spices, gold and “Indian” captives-it is reported that he kidnapped six West Indies natives the first day he made landfall and forced them to be his servants. Columbus also spotted Cuba, which he thought was China, and then in December, he and his crew arrived Hispaniola, an island in the Caribbean, and established Spain’s first colony in the Americas. This feat made him the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century. But instead, on October 12, he landed in the Bahamas-on the island the indigenous people called Guanahani (which he renamed San Salvador Island.). His goal: to chart a lucrative western sea route to China, India, and the rumored spice islands of Asia. Columbus Day BackgroundĬhristopher Columbus set sail from the port of Palos de la Frontera, Spain, in August 1492 with backing from the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

In addition to a state level, in many cities, the day is now celebrated as Native Americans’ Day or Indigenous People’s Day. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq remain open on this federal holiday. Most businesses remain open and retail stores may run special sales. It is a Federal Reserve Bank holiday, so while banks may open, some transactions will not be processed. legal federal holidays, it is not considered a major one. Though Columbus Day is one of the 10 U.S. It has been a federal holiday since 1937 and is always celebrated on the second Monday in October: New England's best month of the year. Expect it to be very busy around Fifth Avenue due to the parade.In the United States, Columbus Day is a fall holiday that commemorates Italian explorer Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World on October 12, 1492. This means that schools and governments are closed. What can you expect on Columbus Day?Ĭolumbus day is a bank holiday. The parade starts at 11:30 and ends at 15:00. Make sure you have a good place to stand on Fifth Avenue. The parade starts on Fifth Avenue and 44th Street and heads north on Fifth Avenue towards 72nd Street. The parade attracts around a million visitors and another million people view the parade on TV! 35,000 people participate including groups, bands, floats and marines. What is there to do on Columbus Day?Ĭolumbus Day in New York is celebrated every year with a big parade: the Columbus Day Parade. In 2022, Columbus Day will be on the October 10th. A statue of Christopher Columbus was later erected on Columbus Avenue in 1892.Ĭolumbus Day falls on every second Monday in October, around the date when Christopher Columbus first set foot in America. On the 12th of October 1866, the Italian community of New York threw a party to commemorate the discovery of America and the tradition of Columbus Day was born. This community has contributed significantly to the expansion of Columbus Day. As Columbus was an Italian, the Italian-Americans see him as a hero and as part of their culture. The first memorial service for Columbus was held in 1792: 300 years after he had set foot in America. Upon arriving on American soil, he assumed he was in India, he, therefore, named the indigenous people Indians. On the 12th of October 1492, Columbus saw America for the very first time. So, Columbus took sail westwards with three ships from Spain. He believed that there was a shorter route to the Indies and was financed by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II of Aragon) to find it. What to do in New York in February 2023Ĭhristopher Columbus (1451 – 1506), born in Italy, was an explorer and a sailor.
