What is Columbus Day?
Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on 12 October 1492, as part of a voyage sponsored by Spain. 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 contribution to American life. New York's Columbus Day Parade is one of the largest. Columbus's four voyages between 1492 and 1504 were sponsored by the Spanish crown. The day honours the voyage but not all its consequences, which is why the debate around it has intensified.
In recent decades the holiday has become the 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. In 2021 President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples' Day, while Columbus Day remains the federal legal name of the holiday. Italy, Spain and many countries in Latin America observe 12 October under other names, such as Día de la Hispanidad, but in the United States it is a Monday holiday.
Why it is observed
Celebrations of Columbus date from the eighteenth century, and large commemorations took place in 1892 for the 400th anniversary of the voyage. In 1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed 12 October as Columbus Day, following lobbying by the Knights of Columbus and Italian American organisations, and in 1971 the holiday was moved to the second Monday of October by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. South Dakota replaced it with Native American Day in 1990, and Berkeley, California, adopted Indigenous Peoples' Day in 1992, an example that many others have followed.
How the date is set
Columbus Day in the United States is the second Monday of October, so it falls between 8 and 14 October.
How it is observed
Columbus Day is a federal holiday. Federal offices, banks, the post office and the courts are closed, and many schools are too, but the stock markets and many private businesses stay open. Whether a given employer or state treats it as a holiday varies a lot, and some states and cities have replaced it with Indigenous Peoples' Day. Public transport may run a reduced schedule. Pay and time off depend on the employer, the state and the contract. The exact status of the day can change locally. Local practice can differ even within a state.
United States