Monday Mosaic: Columbus Day Celebration

curated by Susanne from enchantedhue

'Use the 19th' A Morse Code Bracelet by LushBeads

Starry Night Origami, Mixed Media Collage Print by McDonaldMixedMedia

Sailboats in Harbor Photo Card by jbarrows

Brant Point Sunset, Nantucket, MA, Photo Print by LucieWicker

I never thought too much about Columbus Day. I knew it is the celebration of Christopher Columbus' arrival in America on October 12th, 1492. But that was the extent of it.

I did not know that this day is also celebrated in the Bahamas, Spain, Argentina, Belice, Uruguay, Italy, and many Latin American countries, although under different names. Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it a federal holiday.

But not all states honor Columbus Day: Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Iowa, Nevada, and South Dakota do not observe it as a holiday, although some mark the day with an alternative observance or commemoration. Hawaii, e.g., celebrates 'Discoverers' Day', which commemorates the Polynesian of Hawaii.

Happy Columbus Day!