Columbus Day, when we celebrate the anniversary of the Europeans’ arrival to the Americas, is celebrated throughout the world. In Costa Rica, they celebrate el Día de las Culturas (the Day of Cultures); in other Latin American countries el Dí de la Raza (the Day of the Race) is observed; in the Bahamas, they call it Discovery Day; in Spain, it’s now called el Día de la Resistencia Indígena (the Day of Indigenous Resistence). No matter what it’s name, though, today marks the day the day in 1492 that Columbus thought he had finally found a shortcut to India.
In the United States, we celebrate Columbus day every second Monday in October (which also happens to be Canada’s Thanksgiving Day). Schools, banks, government offices, and the U.S. Post Office always are closed. In Latin America, el Día de la Raza is also celebrated with time off from school and work, often accompanied by parades and other similar celebrations.
When I was younger, we always spent the time leading up to Columbus Day learning about our national history, painting pictures of the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and reading short stories about Columbus.
What are your Columbus Day traditions?
