Día de la Hispanidad

Columbus Day
First Landing of Columbus on the Shores of the New World; painting by Dióscoro Puebla (1862)
Observed by	Various countries in the Americas, Spain, Italy, various Little Italys around the world.
Type	Historical
Significance	Celebrations honoring Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492. Recognize contributions of Americans of Spanish and Italian descent
Date	October 12 (actual/traditional); second Monday in October (observed in the United States)
2016 date	October 10  (2016-10-10)
2017 date	October 9  (2017-10-09)
2018 date	October 8  (2018-10-08)
2019 date	October 14  (2019-10-14)
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Thanksgiving in Canada, which falls on the same date

Celebrations honoring Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492.

Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. The landing is celebrated as "Columbus Day" in the United States, as "Día de la Raza" ("Day of the Race") in many countries in Latin America, as "Día de la Hispanidad" and "Fiesta Nacional" in Spain, where it is also the religious festivity of la Virgen del Pilar, as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Belize and Uruguay, as Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity) in Argentina, and as Giornata Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo or Festa Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo in Italy as well as in Little Italys around the world. These holidays have been unofficially celebrated since the late 18th century and they have been officially celebrated in various countries since the early 20th century.

Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in the autumn of 1905, and it became a federal holiday in the United States in 1937, though people have celebrated Columbus's voyage since the colonial period. In 1792, New York City and other U.S. cities celebrated the 300th anniversary of his landing in the New World. President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate Columbus's landing in the New World on the 400th anniversary of the event. During the anniversary in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used rituals to teach ideals of patriotism. These rituals took themes such as citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and the celebration of social progress.