This Monday marks Columbus Day in the United States, which corresponds to the traditional Columbus Day in Latin America. In the US it is a federal holiday, which celebrates the disputed discovery of America by the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1492.
President Joe Biden, like last year, proclaimed this date as the Day of the Indigenous Peoples. Although the proclamation does not make Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday, it must be observed on the second Monday in October, coinciding with Columbus Day.
Native Americans and other groups have long shunned the celebration of Columbus Day, because it overlooks the deaths, destruction and disease brought by Columbus and his crew to the Americas.
A holiday that recognizes the cultures that inhabited the continent thousands of years before the arrival of Columbus is gaining ground in the United States, with more than 12 states and many cities officially recognizing the contribution of native peoples on the second Monday in October. .
However, Columbus Day still exists under that name on the calendar in much of the US and is celebrated as such by many.
New York and Chicago hold Columbus Day parade
The 78th annual Columbus Day Parade returns to New York City on Monday.
The parade is the world’s largest celebration of Italian American heritage and culture and boasts more than 1 million spectators and 35,000 participants. The event takes place on Fifth Avenue, starting at 47th Street and ending at 72nd Street.
Many areas of the city have deep Italian roots, including Little Italy, Greenwich Village, East Harlem, Bensonhurst, and Corona Heights.
Meanwhile, the Columbus Day Parade in Chicago is turning 70 years old.
A large crowd expects to fill downtown Chicago on Monday afternoon for the city’s annual Columbus Day parade.
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