Whose day? Columbus Day! Or just another Monday? (Weekend Assignment #288)

Weekend Assignment #288: Columbus Day seems to have become a largely disregarded and maligned holiday in recent years, as the dark side of the explorer’s legacy has made inroads in the public’s perception. Do you think that the voyages of Christopher Columbus still merit a national holiday? Why or why not? And if not, what holiday would you propose to replace it?

Extra Credit: Did you even get Columbus Day off from work or school this year?

When Karen posted this week’s Assignment, she recalled a holiday-related song she’d learned in elementary school:

Christopher Columbus
Sailed from sunny Spain,
Crossed the mighty ocean
Through the sun and rain.

Christopher Columbus
Now we honor you;
You found our dear country,
So we all thank you.

I don’t think we learned that one, but I remember this:

In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
In fourteen hundred ninety-four
Columbus washed the ocean floor.

(I should note that even though I learned that historically-questionable verse during elementary school, it was most likely during recess and was not part of any curriculum.)

Shortly before noon last Friday, I asked Twitter:

“Who actually HAS a 3-day weekend for Columbus Day? If it’s you, you’re lucky and I’m envious, because it sure isn’t me!”

Only one of my Twitter followers confessed to having Columbus Day off from work, and my favorite response came from a friend who recently re-located to Ohio:

“Not me either, and I now live in Columbus!”

It seems like if anyplace would observe a Columbus Day holiday, it’s a city that’s named after the guy, wouldn’t you think? But apparently not…

I can’t remember when I last lived anywhere that observed Columbus Day, to be honest. School is in session locally, and it turns out that even the banks will be open today, although I’m not sure about the post office and government offices. Therefore, I’ve almost forgotten that it is a holiday. And I can’t prove it, but even in places where it’s observed, I suspect not much thought is really given to why it’s a holiday or what it means; it’s just another three-day weekend (and, in some cities, maybe an excuse for a parade).

I wouldn’t be surprised if Columbus Day has been taken more seriously by some of the cities and states that don’t observe it any more. I guess that in some places the holiday has been dropped from local calendars in a move toward political correctness, given that attention has been shifting toward emphasizing the native history of our hemisphere over that of its European explorers (“discoverers”/conquerors/exploiters, whichever you prefer). Aside from that, historians established years ago that Columbus really doesn’t deserve any credit for “finding” North America – he most likely never set foot on the continent during his voyages. If that’s true, is there any reason for the USA to commemorate him in the first place? I don’t know that there is, now that I think about it.

I’m not sure what I’d propose to replace it if Columbus Day were taken off the calendar of national holidays; the one thing that comes to mind is in a completely different vein, although it does at least occur in the same month. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge how HUGE Halloween has become – and how much it’s not a kid’s celebration any more – and make that the big October three-day-weekend holiday. Of course, Halloween comes with plenty of its own controversy and baggage, but I suspect it would get a lot more participation than Columbus Day does. What do you think?

Also…do you actually HAVE a 3-day weekend for Columbus Day? If you do, you’re lucky and I’m envious, because I sure don’t!

(And to my Canadian readers who have a three-day weekend due to a different holiday entirely – Happy Thanksgiving!)

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11 comments

  1. My husband is a teacher and has the day off. Of course I still had to take the baby to the babysitter because he won't take a bottle, and my office is much too far from our house to leave him with daddy.

  2. My husband and I both have the day off. I don't have a big problem with Columbus Day but I can understand the issues around it. It's just not something I can get myself riled up about, I guess.

  3. The only time I have ever had Columbus day of was in school and when I worked in publishing. No one else seems to pay it any attention and I forgot that it was today!

  4. I heard on the news this morning that California is no longer officially recognizing Columbus Day as a state holiday, as part of its budget-balancing efforts. However, state union workers are claiming that their contract still includes it, and they're still expecting the day off with pay. Just one more reason the rest of the country thinks we're all crazy out here…

    Jen – So your husband really gets the day off – no work AND no baby to take care of!

    Marie – I can't say I've gotten all that hung up about the controversy either. Hope you're enjoying your extended weekend!

    Nicole – I had thought that the Columbus Day holiday was observed more in the Northeast, but I think you just disproved that for me :-). Since it's been a long time since I've lived or worked anywhere that observed it, I usually tend to forget it too – until I start seeing ads for the Columbus Day sales!

  5. I have it off (county employee)…and I'll take any holiday they want to give me.

    My brother does not have it off, though…which is weird, because he's a San Luis Obispo City employee and they usually follow the county lead with holidays.

    And leave it to our state gov't to try and confuse things even more!

  6. I live about an hour from Columbus and none of us get the day off–but my son and I are going to Columbus for a soccer game this evening, so we'll call that a celebration. A number of colleges, including my local one (Kenyon) and one that my friend's kid goes to (Beloit) schedule their fall break to coincide with this "holiday" weekend.

    Also, I tagged you with some questions about reading today.

  7. I have Columbus Day off as a holiday. The first time in a few years, actually. It was a mandatory working holiday in my office until this year. The rest of the department always had it off though.

  8. Jill (Softdrink) – It was confusing around here too. Some schools were out, some were in; some banks were open, others weren't. It wasn't a holiday for our office, but there seemed to be quite a few people who weren't at work today…

    Jeanne – I saw the tag, and I'm thinking about my answers :-).

    And colleges may have the right idea – let's just call it "Fall Break Weekend" for everyone!

    Kathy (Bermudaonion) – I don't remember anyone observing Columbus Day when I lived in the Southeast, come to think of it.

    Wendy (Literary Feline) – We have some of those "mandatory working holidays" in a few of our programs, but not all. Fortunately, I'm in an admin position, so I don't have those…but Columbus Day has never been any sort of holiday for anyone at our agency.

  9. Something I didn't bring up in my own entry is that companies want to give employees a certain number of holidays (let's say 8) and no more. So when MLK Day finally gained traction, for some organizations it replaced Columbus Day as a paid holiday. Or so it seems to me! That way, they get a double dose of political correctness without spending any money on extra paid time off.

    I don't think I ever got a day off when I lived in Columbus, either. But I was working retail, so that's no surprise.

    And I love the idea of making Halloween more of an official holiday!

  10. Karen – That's interesting about the holiday cap. My employer gives 10 paid holidays, including MLK Day but NOT Columbus Day. Two of the days are "floating" holidays credited in September. Our organization has historical ties to the Jewish community, and the "float" days are used for the High Holy Days by Jewish staff. The rest of us just get two more vacation days.

    It seems like Halloween is due for bigger holiday status, doesn't it?