Columbus
Day
Can you
imagine Columbus seeing the new world into the bright light of day more beautiful
as the day wore on? Columbus
Day is a U.S. Holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in
the New World on October 12, 1492. It was unofficially celebrated in a number
of cities and states as early as the 18th century but did not become a federal holiday
until the 1937. For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus'
achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage. Throughout its history,
Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have generated controversy, and many
alternatives to the holiday have appeared in recent years
The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic in
search of a water route from Europe to Asia. He never found it, but he did
accidentally "discover" the Americas along the way. Years after the
earliest Viking expeditions, European nations began a century’s long quest of exploration
and conquest in the Americas. Long before Columbus, another group of people
discovered America: the nomadic ancestors of Asians
Did You Know? Contrary to popular belief, most educated Europeans in
Columbus' day understood that the world was round, but they did not yet know
that the Pacific Ocean existed. As a result, Columbus and his contemporaries
assumed that only the Atlantic lay between Europe and the riches of the East
Indies.
A U.S. National Holiday since 1937,
Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October
12, 1492. The Italian-born explorer had set sail two months earlier, backed by
the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He intended to chart a
western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of
Asia; instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore
the Americas since the Vikings
set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century.
Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba and believed it was mainland China; in December the expedition found Hispaniola, which he thought might be Japan. There, he established Spain's first colony in the Americas with 39 of his men. In March 1493, the explorer returned to Spain in triumph, bearing gold, spices and "Indian" captives. He crossed the Atlantic several more times before his death in 1506; by his third journey, he realized that he hadn't reached Asia but instead had stumbled upon a continent previously unknown to Europeans.
Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba and believed it was mainland China; in December the expedition found Hispaniola, which he thought might be Japan. There, he established Spain's first colony in the Americas with 39 of his men. In March 1493, the explorer returned to Spain in triumph, bearing gold, spices and "Indian" captives. He crossed the Atlantic several more times before his death in 1506; by his third journey, he realized that he hadn't reached Asia but instead had stumbled upon a continent previously unknown to Europeans.
The first Columbus Day celebration
took place in 1792, when New York's Columbian Order–better known as
Tammany Hall–held an event to commemorate the historic landing's 300th
anniversary. Taking pride in Columbus' birthplace and faith, Italian and
Catholic communities in various parts of the country began organizing annual
religious ceremonies and parades in his honor. In 1892, President Benjamin
Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the
400th anniversary of Columbus' voyage with patriotic festivities, writing,
"On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and
devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer
and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries
of American life."
In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, largely as a result of intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, an influential Catholic fraternal benefits organization. Originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971.
In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, largely as a result of intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, an influential Catholic fraternal benefits organization. Originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971.
Opposition
to Columbus Day dates back to the 19th century, when anti-immigrant groups in the
United States rejected the
holiday because of its association with Catholicism. In recent decades, Native
Americans and other groups have protested the celebration of an
event that indirectly resulted in the colonization of the Americas and the
death of millions: European settlers brought a host of infectious diseases, including
smallpox and influenza that decimated indigenous populations; warfare between
Native Americans and the colonists claimed many lives as well. The image of
Christopher Columbus as an intrepid hero has also been called into question.
Upon arriving in the Bahamas, the explorer and his men forced the native peoples
they found there into slavery.
In many Latin American nations, the anniversary of Columbus' landing has traditionally been observed as the Dìa de la Raza ("Day of the Race"), a celebration of Hispanic culture's diverse roots. In 2002, Venezuela renamed the holiday Dìa de la Resistencia Indìgena ("Day of Indigenous Resistance") to recognize native peoples and their experience. Several U.S. cities and states have replaced Columbus Day with alternative days of remembrance; examples include Berkeley's Indigenous Peoples Day, South Dakota's Native American Day and Hawaii's Discoverer's Day, which commemorates the arrival of Polynesian settlers.
In many Latin American nations, the anniversary of Columbus' landing has traditionally been observed as the Dìa de la Raza ("Day of the Race"), a celebration of Hispanic culture's diverse roots. In 2002, Venezuela renamed the holiday Dìa de la Resistencia Indìgena ("Day of Indigenous Resistance") to recognize native peoples and their experience. Several U.S. cities and states have replaced Columbus Day with alternative days of remembrance; examples include Berkeley's Indigenous Peoples Day, South Dakota's Native American Day and Hawaii's Discoverer's Day, which commemorates the arrival of Polynesian settlers.
In many parts of the United States,
Columbus Day has evolved into a celebration of Italian-American heritage. Local
groups host parades and street fairs featuring colorful costumes, music and
Italian food. In cities and towns that use the day to honor indigenous peoples,
activities include pow-wows, traditional dance and lessons about Native Americans.
DR.KARL WALLACE D.D.S.
