United StatesWhat is Columbus Day?
Columbus Day commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on 12 October 1492, on a voyage sponsored by the Spanish crown. For much of the twentieth century it was celebrated with parades and events, especially in Italian American communities, which saw Columbus, who came from Genoa, as a symbol of their place in American life. The parade in New York City is among the largest. The first recorded celebration was held in New York in 1792, when the Tammany Society marked the 300th anniversary of the landing.
In recent decades the holiday has become a subject of debate, because Columbus's arrival began centuries of colonisation and suffering for Indigenous peoples. Many states and cities now observe Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same date, either instead of Columbus Day or alongside it, and Hawaii marks Discoverers' Day. In 2021 President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples' Day, while Columbus Day remains the federal legal name. Outside the United States, Spain keeps 12 October as its National Day, and several Latin American countries mark the date under other names.