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How Columbus Day is celebrated across North America
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Christopher Columbus.
Now that Leif Erikson Day has come and gone, it's time to focus on a more famous day dedicated to a another European explorer who helped to discover the New World. Columbus Day celebrates the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. It has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1970 and some people do actually get the day off from work. Still, the way in which people observe Columbus Day varies greatly across North America.
Here is a look at some of the bigger parades and celebrations and the different ways in which the second Monday in October is observed, not only in the United States but also in Mexico and Canada.
New York City
One of the biggest Columbus Day celebrations in the U.S. takes place annually in New York City and is billed as the largest celebration of Italian-American culture. More than 35,000 people will march on Monday, October 12, in the Columbus Day parade, which has been held since 1929. This year's event will begin at 11:30 a.m. and proceed up Fifth Avenue from 44th to 79th streets. Prior to the parade there is a 9:30 a.m. Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Other big city parades
There are numerous other parades scheduled for the holiday weekend across the United States, but some of the biggest events outside of New York are in Chicago, Denver and San Francisco. In Chicago, the 57th annual Columbus Day Parade kicks off Monday at 12:30 p.m. on Columbus Drive and Balbo. In San Francisco, the 141st Italian Heritage Parade takes place on Sunday, October 11, at 12:30 p.m. and runs from Fisherman's Wharf to North Beach. In Denver, meanwhile, the city's 102nd annual parade was held on Saturday, October 10.
Discoverer's Day and Native American Day
Not everyone celebrates Columbus Day, although some states have come up with their own takes on the holiday. Hawaii, for instance, commemorates Discoverer's Day. It's not an official state holiday, but the day is meant to honor the Polynesian discoverers of Hawaii. In South Dakota, meanwhile, there is a state holiday on Monday, but since 1989 it has been known as Native American Day in recognition of the nine American Indian tribes who live in the state.
Dia de la Raza
In Mexico and some other Latin America countries, Columbus' discovery of the Americas is celebrated as Dia de la Raza (or "Day of the Race"). It's not necessarily a celebration of Columbus, but rather a commemoration of the encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, since many Latin Americans trace their ancestry to this mixing of cultures.
Canadian Thanksgiving
Finally, although it doesn't have a thematic connection to Columbus Day, the second Monday in October is also the day of Canadian Thanksgiving. It is meant as a day of thanks at the traditional end of the harvest season. So, although for very different reasons, many Americans, Canadians and Mexicans all have cause to celebrate on Monday.
Photo credit: Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons.
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