Columbus Day is a national holiday which commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the United States in 1492. This holiday marks the start of the arrival of the Europeans in America. Among the Italian-American populated regions, Columbus Day is a day to celebrate their rich heritage. This holiday was first celebrated in San Francisco in 1869. On the second Monday of October, most businesses are closed, and people go to the streets to participate in parades across the U.S. The holiday is very controversial and has been renamed in some countries to Indigenous People’s Day.
Columbus Day is a celebration held in memory of the landing of Christopher Columbus in America on October 12th 1492 based on the Julian calendar. Columbus was sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a faster route that he could use to reach the Far East. His ships, the Santa Maria Nina and the La Pinta, took three months to reach the New World. His arrival initiated the Columbian exchange, which involved the transfer of plants, animals, and human populations.
Additionally, the locals were also able to acquire technology that would later shape the future of America. This exchange is of great significance for the changes that occurred in America during that period and hence the need to celebrate the coming of Columbus. President Benjamin Harrison urged the entire country to commemorate the landing of Columbus during the 400th anniversary of the event. In the past, Columbus Day was used to teach the ideals of patriotism.
The celebration of social progress, as well as the respect for a country and its boundaries, was also some of the major teachings that one would get through the celebration of this holiday. In the past, the main contributors to the speeches during celebrations used to be teachers, poets, and preachers who emphasized the virtues that all the citizens were required to have. In recent times the day is observed by banks, the U.S. Postal Service, the bond market as well as other federal agencies. Schools and other business premises remain closed during the holiday. The navy and the marines commemorate the festival on the same day as the anniversary date for the U.S. Navy. A 72-96 hour liberty period is offered to these disciplined services in commemoration of both events. In some states, large parades take place while in others the holiday has totally lost its relevance and people no longer observe it. San Francisco boasts the longest continuous celebrations since 1868 while New York boasts the most massive crowds of about 35000 marchers and over a million viewers.
Even though the celebrations were initially carried out in the United States alone, they are now carried out in the majority of the Latin world including Spain and Italy. In Mexico, the celebration is referred to as Dia de la Raza (Day of the Race), while in Peru the festival is called the “Day of the Original People and Intercultural Dialogue”. The Latin countries of Belize and Uruguay refer to the festival as the Dia de las Americas (Day of the Americas). Outside the Americas, the celebration is also held in Spain, where it is referred to as the Fiesta Nacional de Espana, and Italy where it is referred to as Festa Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo. In Spain, the celebration was observed as Dia de la Hispanidad until 1987 when the name was changed to Fiesta Nacional or National Day. In Venezuela, the holiday is now referred to as the Day of the Independent Resistance to show the displeasure that the locals felt and how they fought for their freedom from the hands of the Europeans.
Christopher Columbus is thought to have been born in Genoa, Italy. Therefore, Columbus Day is observed to celebrate the contributions made by Italians to the development of modern-day America. The holiday also brings to light the immense contributions the Italians have made towards the development of the world. It also gives the Latino-Americans a chance to celebrate their heritage. Understanding the culture and where they came from is crucial even as they live in a more diverse environment.
It took immense bravery for the sailors to sail across the Atlantic and into an unknown region. Therefore, the festival is a prime motivation for those who have the spirit of exploration as they are granted the hope that their exploration attempts will not be in vain. This sense of exploration is crucial since it encourages the citizens to discover and have a life-changing impact on the lives of the American population, just like the exploration of Columbus was able to. While marking the day, supporters march in the streets of different cities to show the immense solidarity despite a challenging past.
Most of the freedom that is currently enjoyed in the United States has its roots in European law. The coming of Columbus played a considerable part in ensuring there is social interaction between the people of the two worlds. Rights such as the freedom of religion, freedom of speech as well as equal rights for people irrespective of their background are some of the fundamental rights that now govern the free world. All this would arguably not have been possible if Columbus did not land in America while pursuing his exploration missions.
The fact that the natives bravely fought for the land that they knew belonged to them is also a crucial lesson that is passed by the observation of Columbus Day. Therefore, the day should be marked as a way of honoring the Native Americans for their efforts to fight the invaders who were better equipped and more technologically advanced than they were at the time. In most of Latin America, the day is associated with the coming of the Hispanics to the Americas. Therefore, the people who live in the regions and are of mixed heritage take it as a way of appreciating the natives and improving the way they associate with each other. In countries such as Venezuela, the celebration is viewed as an illustration of the resistance the people had against the coming of the Europeans and the people who gave up their lives for their country. Natives in Latin America use this holiday as a remembrance of how their society has been shaped.
Towards the beginning of the 20th century, the decline of the celebration began. This was because locals and non-Europeans brought up claims of the torture and challenges faced under the Europeans. Initially, the anti-immigrant groups in the United States rejected the holiday because of its association with Catholicism. Later on, sections of the population were against the holiday because of the presumed torture and struggle that the natives faced during the colonization of America. The coming of the Europeans was also associated with the slave trade, deaths from diseases, and the atrocities committed by the superior colonizers. Generally, Native Americas consider Columbus Day a reminder of the torture they had to undergo after Columbus’ discovery of the US.
Many states have replaced the day with alternative days of remembrance. For instance, the States of Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Dakota have officially renamed the celebrations. Even though most of the states that stopped observing the day associated the celebrations with Native Americans, it is essential to note that some cities do not observe the day because of their predominantly Scandinavian population and instead, Leif Erickson Day is celebrated. The Dia de la Raza is now viewed as a counter-celebration of Columbus Day in honour of Native Americans rather than the invaders.
To honour the locals and the diverse backgrounds of the people in the regions of Latin America, school children join the parades which are carried out in cities that have a vast population of Italian-Americans. The association is in a way to show the appreciation of the Italian population as opposed to the coming of Columbus and other Europeans. Claims that Columbus was not the first individual to have reached the Americas have also lately risen with the Vikings from Scandinavia laying claim that they were the first ones. These claims, coupled with the fact that the Italians were the first to discover the land, are a testament to the reason why the holiday is not celebrated among most of the native populations. Ultimately the celebration might be replaced by using a different name, but the significance of the coming of Columbus will continue for generations to come.
Although the observation of this holiday has declined, in most cases it has been substituted by other holidays that honour the natives of the land. For example, in Hawaii, Florida, Alaska, Vermont, New Mexico, Maine, and South Dakota observe Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day. In other states, such as Iowa and Nevada, the holiday is not official but states are expected to authorize and proclaim the holiday annually.
In Argentina, the Day of the Race was established in 1916 and later changed to Day of Respect of Cultural Diversity. The actual date of this holiday is October 12th, but in the United States, this holiday is observed on the second Monday of October.
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