哥伦布日(Columbus Day)，为10月12日或10月的第二个星期一，是哥伦布在1492年登上美洲大陆的日子。在美国，多数银行、学校于该日放假。
Columbus Day marks the day in 1492 when an Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, landed in the “New World.” He landed on October 12. The federal holiday is now the second Monday in October. This year, it is October 13.
According to the traditional story, Columbus believed he could reach “India,” an important source of spices, by sailing west from Europe. (“India” or “the Indies” were the names used in the 15th century for all eastern Asia, including China and Japan.) It was generally accepted at that time that the world was round. But most people thought the ocean between Europe and India was far too wide for Columbus’ plan. Columbus convinced the Spanish Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to pay for his experiment. When he reached land (on an island that is now part of the Bahamas), he thought he had reached India. He called the Native American people “Indians.” Columbus eventually made four trips to the New World (but he never landed on what is now mainland US).
Recently, historians have challenged the traditional story of Columbus in a few ways:
Columbus was not the first European to land in the western hemisphere. Leif Eriksson, an Icelandic explorer, probably started a small community on Newfound land around the year 1000.
Some historians believe Columbus was simply looking for new land to conquer for Spain, and was not headed toward India at all. His orders from Isabella and Ferdinand were to “discover and acquire...Islands and Mainlands” in the Ocean Sea. These orders do not mention “India.” Would they have used the word “discover” for India? Could they have believed that Columbus could acquire (take as his own) all of India?
Until recently, Americans celebrated Colum-bus’ discovery of the New World. But the word “discover” suggests that no one knew North and South America were here until Columbus arrived. In fact, people had been living here for at least 12,000 years. Historians agree that fully-evolved humans walked here, over the land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska during the last Ice Age. When Columbus landed, Native Americans had well-developed cultures, with complex religions, food, language, architecture, and social systems.
Columbus forced hundreds of Arawak Indians to return to Spain as slaves. He and his men treated the Arawaks with brutality, and killed many of them. Many people do not want to call him a hero. In fact, some Native Americans hold annual protests on Columbus Day.
So the meaning of Columbus Day has changed for many Americans. Instead of focusing on what he meant to Europe, there is a new sensitivity to the negative effect of European migration and domination on the lives of Native Americans. Still, Americans join in marking Columbus Day as the anniversary of the beginning of a multicultural tapestry that defines the US.
Unlike Halloween, this is a holiday with few symbols and customs. There are no special dinners, gifts, foods, or forms of celebration that everyone joins. However, Columbus Day is one of the few times that countries throughout North, Central, and South America join in the same celebration.
