Columbus Day

E42363

Columbus Day is a U.S. federal holiday that commemorates the 1492 arrival of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in the Americas and is the subject of ongoing historical and cultural debate.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf federal holiday
public holiday
alsoKnownAs Día de la Hispanidad
Día de la Raza
Día de la Resistencia Indígena
Giornata di Colombo
associatedWith Catholic communities in the United States
Italian American heritage
commemorates 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas
country United States
critiquedFor celebration of colonization
glorifying European conquest
ignoring Indigenous peoples' experiences
follows arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas
formerFixedDate October 12
hasCelebrationType civic ceremonies
community festivals
parades
school events
hasLanguage English
Italian
Spanish
hasOppositionFrom Indigenous rights activists
social justice organizations
some historians
hasSymbol Italian and American flags
images of Christopher Columbus
hasTheme European exploration of the Americas
Italian American identity
inception 1937
inception as federal holiday 1937
legalBasis U.S. federal statute
legalStatus U.S. federal holiday
namedAfter Christopher Columbus
notObservedBy some U.S. states
observedBy federal government of the United States
some U.S. states
observedIn October
observedOn second Monday in October
partOf list of U.S. federal holidays
relatedTo Indigenous Peoples' Day
Native American Day
replacedByInSomeJurisdictions Indigenous Peoples' Day
Native American Day
subjectOf cultural debate
historical debate
political controversy

Referenced by (5)

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