Columbus Day Has a Special Meaning to Some Italians — Here's Why

In the U.S., the second Monday of every October is Columbus Day, a federal holiday so named for explorer Christopher Columbus "discovering" America. But since 1977, many Americans have opted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day instead, to recognize the Indigenous people who have lived in the Americas all along and were exploited upon Columbus's arrival.

However, many of the people who still celebrate Columbus Day in its original form happen to be Italian Americans. Why do Italians celebrate Columbus Day? You might be surprised.

Christopher Columbus was presumed to be Italian, and became a sort of American cultural hero representing Italian immigrants after they faced discrimination in the late 1800s and early 1920s, per Time. The Irish Catholic organization Knights of Columbus embraced Italian immigrants, hoping they would popularize Catholicism, and used the image of Columbus to suggest that Italian immigration was a positive for the nation.

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Columbus Day a federal holiday at the urging of Italian American leaders, per Teen Vogue.

Robert E. Carlucci, Chairman of the National Italian American Foundation, told Time in 2021 that celebrating Columbus Day as an Italian American was less about the explorer himself and more about a celebration of ideals: "We believe that Christopher Columbus’s courageous voyage was the catalyst that initiated over 500 years of immigration to the Americas from every corner of the earth — all of whom were seeking a better life for their families. As such, it most certainly remains an occasion worthy of commemoration."

Those so inclined can still participate in the New York City Columbus Day Parade, which has been in existence since 1929, not as a celebration of Christopher Columbus's exploits, but rather, Italian American culture at large.