Added: 12/16/2005 |
Columbus Day Commemorates One of the Greatest Adventurers of All TimeThe first celebration of Columbus Day occurred in the United States on October 12, 1972. It was held in the City of New York by the Colombian Order, known also as the Tammany Society to mark the 300th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' landing in the Bahamas. Since then, Columbus Day is observed annually on the second Monday of October in each of the 50 states.
The first celebration of Columbus Day by Italian-Americans occurred in San Francisco in 1869 as a festival of Italian-American heritage. The United States celebrated it first in 1905 in Colorado, and thirty years later President Franklin Roosevelt has established the festival as an official holiday nationwide. Thus the holiday has been commemorated in the United States since 1971. All the government offices and banks are closed on the second Monday of October.
In Latin America, the holiday is known as Dia de la Raza (the day of the race). It was celebrated first in Argentina in 1917, with the following celebrations in Venezuela (1921), Chile (1923) and Mexico (1928). Columbus Day was celebrated in Spain until 1958, when its name was changed to "Dia de la Hispanidad". Columbus Day is related to the holiday of Autumnfest concessions, featuring the Columbus Day Parade on the third day of the celebration.
Columbus Day is regarded as an offensive holiday by many Native Americans, who express serious objection to honoring a person, who opened the door to European colonization and the slave trade. This was the cause of the controversy between Italian Americans and Native Americans. In some communities Columbus Day was renamed Indigenous Peoples Day in Berkeley, California; Native American Day in South Dakota; and Dia de la Resistencia Indigena in Venezuela. Controversy exists over the expeditions of Columbus and his discovery of previously-inhabited land.
The archeological discoveries in Newfoundland are evidence of Vikings in the New World before any celebrations of Leif Erikson Day, an alternative to Columbus Day, were promoted. Leif Erikson and his crew are believed to have reached the cost of North America in the year 1000.
Columbus set sail on August 2, 1492, aimed at searching the East Indies. Ferdinand and Isabella financed the voyage by means of providing two ships and financial support to cover part of the expenses. 90 crewmen boarded three ships, which made the first voyage to the New World: the flagship Santa Maria, the Nina and Pinta.
Columbus' underestimation of the size of the planet resulted in his assumption that he had reached the East Indies. After March 1493, three additional voyages were made by Columbus to the New World. These expeditions helped colonize Hispaniola and discover the South America mainland. However, mainland North America wasn't observed during any of the voyages. Despite the fact that it was the Vikings, who explored the coast of North America half a century before Columbus, Columbus' expedition was of great importance for the first European intertwining with the Americas, which resulted in the European colonies in the New World.
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