Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day on next Monday? Know why it varies from state to state

Are you celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday? Or is it Columbus Day that you will celebrate? It is one of the most inconsistently celebrated holidays in the US and it varies from state to state. The second Monday in October is one of 11 official federal holidays and federal workers get a paid day off.

Columbus Day in 16 states

Native Americans and other liberals argue that Christopher Columbus can not be the right person to celebrate. Instead, this day should be celebrated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a tribute to the Aboriginal people. But, 16 states and the territory of American Samoa observe the second Monday in October as an official public holiday exclusively called Columbus Day.

No official holiday in 26 states

Besides, four states, two territories, and Washington, D.C., it is an official public holiday, but it has a different name. Four other states and the U.S. Virgin Islands observe the day as both Columbus Day and something else. But there is no official holiday in 26 states and the territory of Guam, so the second Monday in October is pretty much like any other workday.

According to the Council of State Governments’ comprehensive 'Book of the States', 25 states and the District of Columbia observed Columbus Day as a public holiday till two decades back. After the native Americans began to assert themselves, several states moved away from Columbus Day.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Maine, New Mexico, Vermont and D.C. retained this day as an official holiday, but they renamed it as the Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2019. California and Delaware dropped the holiday in 2009. In Hawaii, it is known as Discoverers’ Day, but officially it can't be a holiday. It is an altogether different story in Puerto Rico, which observes it as Dia de la Raza to celebrate Latin American peoples and cultures.

Colorado

Colorado was the first state to designate the second Monday in October as Columbus Day more than 100 years ago. But it replaced it with a new state holiday on the first Monday in October 2020 to honor Frances Xavier Cabrini.,

FAQs:

How many states celebrate the second Monday in October as Columbus Day?
As many as 16 states and the territory of American Samoa observe the second Monday in October as an official public holiday exclusively called Columbus Day.

In how many states there is no official federal holiday on the second Monday in October?
There is no official holiday in 26 states and the territory of Guam. So the second Monday in October is pretty much like any other workday there.