Columbus Day is an important day celebrated in different countries of America. The day re-celebrates Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World on October 12th 1492. The early settlers of the “New World” had already discovered America before Christopher Columbus. The contemporary America celebrates the Columbus Day for the actual reason. We now celebrate it, since Columbus did discover the New World to the Europeans, who somehow believed that the world ended some where in the Atlantic.
The Columbus Day is celebrated with different names in different countries. In Latin America it is known as “The Day of The Race”, and “The Day of Cultures” in Costa Rica. In Venezuela, it is known as “The Day Of Indigenous Resistance”.
The Columbus Day is also known as the “Discoverer’s Day”. Columbus started his journey with three ships: “Nina”, “Pinta” and “Santa Marina”. For his trip, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella financed him. At first, he landed on the Caribbean islands and then reached the “New World”.
The discovery of America happened before dawn on October 12, 1492. When the crew discovered the New World, they began to shout “Tierra”, “Tierra”. Today Columbus Day is observed as a holiday in the United States, Central and South America, Italy, Spain and in other countries.
Celebrations In The United States
In America, San Francisco has the oldest Columbus Day celebrations. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt declared it to be a national holiday. The day also commemorates the second Monday in October, observed as the Thanksgiving Day. On this special day, the banks, schools and offices remain closed, but the business organizations remain opened with their full session.
The Columbus Day is celebrated with a great pomp in New York’s Fifth Avenue. The smaller towns and cities are greatly decorated too. The Government of America faced the demands of thousands of Americans to declare the day as a national holiday. Finally, Columbus Day was categorized as the Federal Legal holiday in 1971. Thus, Columbus Day became an important day for the Americans. On this day, the children sing in chorus: “In Fourteen Hundred And Ninety Two, Columbus Sailed In Ocean Blue”.
There is no literal celebration attached to the “Columbus Day”. It is observed with a spirit of discovery and an insoluble sense of nationality.