For the calendar year 2023, Columbus Day is commemorated on Monday, October 09. The second Monday in October is celebrated as Columbus Day. October 12th, 1492, is the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in America. He was an Italian adventurer who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in three ships—the Santa Maria, Nina, and La Pinta—in search of a quicker route to the Far East and unintentionally touched down in the New World.
The occasion honors Christopher Columbus’s ships’ arrival in the New World. Thanksgiving Day, a later national holiday with deep historical roots in America, was originally observed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621 by the early settlers who honored the labor and sacrifice made to build a home there.
It was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century but did not become a federal holiday until 1937. which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
Columbus Day: What Is It?
A federal holiday in the United States, Columbus Day honors the arrival of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in the “New World” on October 12, 1492. The Columbian Order (Society of St. Tammany) in New York City was the first organization to formally commemorate the anniversary of his landing in what would eventually become known as the Americas 300 years later, in 1792.
| Day | Date | Year |
| Monday | October 06 | 2026 |
| Monday | October 07 | 2025 |
| Monday | October 08 | 2024 |
| Monday | October 09 | 2023 |
A Synopsis of Columbus Day History
The idea that the world is round was well established by the time of Christopher Columbus; it dates back to the ancient Greeks. People believed that a ship sailing west through Europe would reach Asia without incident. However, a lot of people thought it was impossible to get so far west. The Spanish monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were persuaded to support Columbus’ journey and quest for wealth after the Italian explorer was persuaded to the contrary.
Columbus, who was certain he had arrived in Asia, landed on a little island in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. He wasn’t the first European to discover the Americas; the Vikings and others had done so before, but his expedition ignited interest in the European exploration of the hemisphere and marked the beginning of an important link between the Old and the New Worlds.
In 1792, there was the first commemoration of Columbus’ arrival in the New World. The Columbian Order (Society of St. Tammany) of New York City was responsible for organizing it. Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed the day a national holiday in 1937. Since 1971, Columbus Day has been celebrated on the second Monday in October. Columbus Day is observed by some Italian-American communities as a day to honor Italian history, culture, and especially accomplishments as a result of Columbus’ Italian ancestry.
Native American Day
On the second Monday in October, several areas of the United States celebrate a holiday known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in remembrance of Native American culture. This holiday has been observed instead of or in addition to Columbus Day since the late 1980s. Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors Native American cultures and people who have been in the Americas for a very long time—far before European explorers—rather than with the intention of erasing Columbus Day from history.
Happy Columbus Day 2023 Wishes:
- “Discoveries are the reason that today we find ourselves living in a big world, full of diversities and beauties….. Wishing you a very Happy Columbus Day 2023…”
- “Cheers to Columbus for discovering the most amazing country in this world but he will definitely be surprised with Happy Columbus Day Wishes…”
- “I wish we were also born in times when there were undiscovered countries and we were also associated the same way….. Best wishes on Happy Columbus Day to you…”
- “Columbus Day will always have a special place in every American citizen’s heart because it was on this 1. glorious day we were discovered….. Columbus Day 2023 to you….”
2023 Happy Columbus Day Messages:
- “Cheers to Columbus for discovering the most amazing country in this world but he will definitely be surprised with Happy Columbus Day 2023 Wishes Messages…”
- “Discoveries are the reason that today we find ourselves living in a big world, full of diversities and beauties….. Wishing you a very Happy Columbus Day Greetings Messages…”
- “Columbus Day will always have a special place in every American citizen’s heart because it was on this 1. glorious day we were discovered….. Happy Columbus Day Status Messages to you…”
- “I wish we were also born in times when there were undiscovered countries and we were also associated the same way…..Best wishes on Happy Columbus Day 2023 to you…”
Quotes of Happy Columbus Day 2023
- “America’s one of the finest countries anyone ever stole…” ~ Bobcat Goldthwait
- “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes…” ~ Marcel Proust
- “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for…” ~ John A. Shedd
- “Let’s celebrate Columbus Day by drinking Sangria, getting lost, and stealing someone’s stuff
Columbus gave the world another world - “Goals are simply tools to focus your energy in positive directions, these can be changed as
- “your priorities change, a new one added, and others dropped…
- “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes…” ~ Marcel Proust
- “Perhaps, after all, America never has been discovered. I myself would say that it had merely been detected.” ~ Oscar Wilde
- “What a pity, when Christopher Columbus discovered America, that he ever mentioned it…”
- “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time…” ~ André Gide
Happy Columbus Day 2023 WhatsApp & Facebook Messages
- “Take new challenges, keep pushing your boundaries and you can also become a Columbus with your hard work…”
- “Sending my best wishes on Happy Columbus Day 2023 to you….. May you become as adventurous imaginative and intelligent as Columbus Day 2023..”
- “Let us celebrate Happy Columbus Day by taking inspiration from Columbus to have a life different from the league..”
Columbus Day Disputation
However, there is some debate around the celebration of Columbus Day. The truth of European colonization is esteemed to have brought sickness, enslavement, and extermination to the indigenous people of the Americas, despite the fact that Columbus’ arrival in the New World signaled the beginning of a new era of exploration and growth for the world. The Columbus Day celebrations have mainly ignored this aspect of colonial history, but in recent years, more and more towns and states have begun to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day in its place.
Regions that do not observe
The day is not observed in Florida, Alaska, Hawaii, Vermont, New Mexico, South Dakota, or Maine. Despite not having Columbus Day as a recognized holiday, Iowa and Nevada require that the governor formally declare it each year. Although it is still observed in Texas and California, this day is not a paid holiday for public employees. In several cities around the nation, the day is not observed; instead, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is observed.
Happy Columbus Day 2023 Captions
- “What a pity, when Christopher Columbus discovered America, that he ever mentioned it…” — Margot Asquith
- “Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America…” — James Joyce
- “Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock…” — Arthur Goldberg
- “He stands in history as the completer of the globe…” — John Sterling
When was Columbus Day declared a federal holiday?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 to be a public holiday in 1937. Every year on the second Monday in October, the federal government has celebrated Columbus Day as a holiday since 1971. The day is observed by closing all federal offices. Along with Italy, Spain, and other South American nations, the United States is not the only country that observes this holiday. The focus of the festivities in these nations is on indigenous peoples and Hispanic culture.
