In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He gets a holiday every year, but for most — it's not so clear.
A federal day off you see, means no break for you and me,
Unless you're a banker, mailman or judge,
Columbus Day you'll just begrudge.
Columbus Day — Oct. 8 this year — is a nationally recognized federal holiday remembering Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ long journey across the Atlantic Ocean to the “New World." The voyage was victorious when land was first spotted on Oct. 12, 1492.
What's closed in Concord on Columbus Day? Not much. Courts, including the Contra Costa Superior Court on Willow Pass Road, and the U.S. Postal Service will be closed to observe the holiday. There will be no mail delivery.
The day is also considered a celebration of Italian heritage, as well as an opportunity for sale shopping at places like Macy's, GameStop, Best Buy, JCPenny, Kmart, Sears, Walmart and more.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is responsible for honoring Columbus with a federal holiday in 1937. The holiday has become a controversial one, with some advocating for a revocation of Columbus Day — claiming that the historical figure was responsible for genocide and the onset of the slave trade.
Do you think Columbus Day should be revoked as a national holiday? Comment below.
