Page 18 - IAV Digital Magazine #627

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
By Catherine Boeckman
Columbus Day is a federal
U.S. holiday commemorating the voyage and landing of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in the “New World” on October 12, 1492.
The anniversary of his landing in what would eventually be known as the Americas was first formal- ly celebrated 300 years later, in 1792, by the Columbian Order (Society of St. Tammany) in New York City.
Columbus Day is observed on the second Monday in October each year. This means that the date changes from year to year.
In 2025, Columbus Day will be observed on Monday,
October 13.
During Christopher Columbus’s time, scholars already under- stood that the world was round, a fact established by the ancient Greeks. People assumed a ship traveling west from Europe would sail through to Asia. However, many believed that such a westward journey was impossible. Columbus, an Italian, was convinced otherwise and persuaded King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to spon-
sor his exploration and search for riches.
On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed on a small island in the Bahamas (now known as San Salvador, previ- ously Watling’s Island), con- vinced that he had reached his destination of Asia. Although he was not the first European to come across the Americas (Vikings, among others, had vis- ited before), his journey sparked enthusiasm for European explo- ration of the hemisphere. It kicked off a significant connec- tion between the Old World and the New World.
The first celebration of Columbus’s landing in the New World occurred in 1792. It was organized by the Columbian Order (Society of St. Tammany) in New York City. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the occasion a national holiday. Columbus Day has been observed on the second Monday of October since 1971.
Thanks to Columbus’s Italian heritage, some Italian-American circles celebrate Columbus Day as a holiday celebrating Italian history, culture, and accomplish- ments.
The observance of Columbus Day is not without controversy, however. Although Columbus’s landing in the New World marked the start of a new age of exploration and development for the world, the reality of European colonization is that it brought dis- ease, enslavement, and geno- cide to the indigenous people of the Americas. This part of colonial history has largely been overlooked in Columbus Day celebrations. However, this has been changing in recent decades, with more and more cities and states choosing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead.
Some locations in the United States honor Native American culture on the second Monday in October with a holiday
called Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Since the late 1980s, this day has been celebrated instead of or alongside Columbus Day.
The purpose of Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not to erase Columbus Day from history but rather to recognize, honor, and celebrate the Native American cultures and people who have inhabited the Americas since long before European explor- ers arrived.
columbus day 2025: history, dates, and controversy
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine