EVERY year, Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas is remembered on the eponymous holiday of the same name.
Due to Columbus Day's recognition as a federal holiday, parents are curious to know if their child has a day off from school.
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Are schools closed on Columbus Day?
Although Columbus Day was made an official holiday in 1937, it depends on which state you live in and how it will affect you.
Whether your school will be closed depends on the state, city, and type of school.
This is because Columbus Day is a public holiday so in some areas, schools and most businesses are closed while in other areas, Columbus Day is a normal working day.
Since public schools are controlled at both local and state levels, there is no federal law requiring schools to be closed - so it is best to check directly with your school.
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As a general rule, East Coast schools tend to close in observance of Columbus Day, while schools on the West Coast remain open.
However in some states, including Florida, closure is at the discretion of the schools - so it's always best to check.
Is it called Indigenous People’s Day now?
For over 130 years, there has been controversy surrounding if the day should be called Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day.
Back in 1492, Columbus thought he had found Asia but wasn't until his third trip and the torture and enslavement of many indigenous people that he realized he discovered another continent entirely.
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As history went on, many people believed it should be called Indigenous People’s Day to educate Americans on the loss of life that came following Columbus' arrival.
In 2014, Indigenous People’s Day was officially recognized on a national level in 2014, with many states acknowledging it as a holiday over Columbus Day.
Seven years later, President Joe Biden then became the first commander-in-chief to formally recognize Indigenous People’s Day by issuing a proclamation celebrating the upcoming holiday.
On October 8, he stated: “On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.
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“On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.”
Despite recognition, many people still refer to the day as Columbus Day after Juneteenth became a federal holiday but many senators have stated over the years that they would like remove Columbus Day as a federal holiday.
October 10, 2022, is known as both Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day.
Why do we celebrate Columbus Day?
Christopher Columbus stumbled across America in 1492 after setting sail from Spain with a crew of three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.
Columbus Day is a public holiday in some areas of the USA and is always celebrated on the second Monday in October
It was informally celebrated by various Italian and Catholic American communities as far back as the late 1700s.
Anti-Catholic and anti-Italian sentiments were common in the US at the time, and Columbus served as an uplifting symbol for these communities.
In 1907, Colorado became the first state to officially observe Columbus Day.
Italian immigrants Angelo Noce and Siro Mangini worked with state Senator Casimiro Barela to pass the holiday into law.
Mr Magini’s daughter later told the Denver Post that Columbus was “one person Italian Americans would not throw rocks at”.
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Columbus Day was not named an official national holiday until 1937, when President Franklin D Roosevelt declared it a recurring holiday for 12 October.
Congress later moved it to the second Monday of October.
