Holidays In California

Should we celebrate Columbus Day? Columbus Day is a day off of school and work for most Americans every year in October. We celebrate this national holiday on October 12, but do we know why? Christopher Columbus has been credited for finding America. As the old saying goes, he sailed the ocean blue in 1492.

     The spirit and values of a nation are reflected in the nation’s heroes. Christopher Columbus has been regarded as an American hero since 1792. Every year Columbus Day is held on the second Monday in October to honor the man and his legacy. However, many people debate whether or not Columbus Day should be celebrated. I believe that Columbus Day should be celebrated in the United States because he opened up the New World to Europe, inspired a spirit of exploration and adventure that still lasts today, and he showed the importance of diversity and understanding of different cultures.

Columbus Day is a holiday widely celebrated throughout the Americas. It is a holiday commemorating the voyage, Christopher Columbus made for when he landed in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. “Christopher Columbus was an Italian-born explorer who set sail in August 1492, bound for Asia with backing from the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.” His voyage was so successful that when he returned to Spain, he came with goods that the Europeans had never seen. The discovery of new merchandise brought about the Age of Exploration and in 1937, October 12th was officially named Columbus Day and nationally celebrated in the United States by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

According to the Library of Congress "the first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the United States took place on October 12, 1792," for the 300th anniversary of his arriving to America. At the 400th anniversary it was recommended by President Harrison that the United States observe the day as a holiday. Then the

Many do not know this, but the designated date of November 11 has a symbolic meaning behind it. There are specific reasons why this date was chosen as the most suitable day to honor our military veterans. The 11th of November is the precise day which symbolically, the First World War ended in 1918. The battles came to a halt at 11am, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1926, Armistice Day was observed for the first time. This day was celebrated in remembrance of when an unknown American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This cemetery is a site of great honor in the United States. From that day, Armistice Day was celebrated annually as a way to pay tribute to everyone who fought in WWI. In 1938, Armistice Day was declared an official holiday. Unfortunately, although World War I was supposed to be the “war to end all wars”, that peace did not last forever. The Second World War came too in 1939. Following the realization that there would no doubt undoubtedly be more war in the

The second Monday in October is celebrated across America as Columbus Day. It is a celebration of the man who discovered America. In school, children are taught that Christopher Columbus was a national hero. In actuality, the man was a murderer. It is true that he found a land that was unknown to the "civilized" world, yet in this discovery, he erased the natives inhabiting the land. With slavery, warfare, and inhumane acts, Christopher Columbus and the men who accompanied him completely destroyed a people, a culture, and a land. These are not actions that should be heralded as heroic.

Mexican culture celebrates their independence with a holiday and fireworks on Cinco de Mayo. The American ritual for independence is celebrated on July 4th also with a holiday and fireworks. Another ritual that is participated in annually by both Mexican and American cultures is the celebration of Christmas. Gift giving is a common ritual during the Christmas season. There are also some very unique rituals specific to each culture. For starters, one the most distinctive rituals in all of the World takes place in the Mexican culture, Dia de Los Muertos. Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration with masks like skulls and dancing honoring late ancestors. Another ritual specific to the Mexican culture is the holiday recognizing the Lady of the Guadalupe. The ritual feast remembers the sightings of her near present day Mexico City. American culture also contains some unique rituals. A very patriotic ritual takes place in the grade school class everyday; it is called the Pledge of Allegiance. This ritual instills patriotic values as well as teaching loyalty to thy nation. Thanksgiving is another example of a ritual not in Mexican culture that is in American culture.

November 11th is the day that we honor those who served and died in war for our country. The 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed (VA.gov). We call it Veterans Day, but the original name was Armistice Day. June 1954, the United States Congress voted to change the name to Veterans Day because the United States had been in two wars since Armistice Day.

Well to begin, Veterans Day is a day to celebrate all the strong and brave U.S. veterans and victims of the World War 1, who have risked their lives for our freedom and safety today. Now on November 11, we as americans publicly celebrate this holiday on the anniversary of the end of the war. It is a time to ponder and really think about how far we have came in American History, and how much we have accomplished in a world filled with so much hate and crime. Instead of war, we fight for world peace and kindness to be spread. Though we are constantly at war with other countries, without our courageous soldiers and our fearless veterans, this country would be a different place to live in. A more cruel, unsafe, and terrifying place.

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War. Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November eleventh became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. It is now a holiday dedicated to American Veterans of all wars. It is important to celebrate Veterans Day to remember our military that keeps us safe, to show our appreciation for what they have done for us, and to remember their sacrifices.

“Only the dead have seen the end of war” -Plato. On Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of WW1. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. To me Veterans Day should be celebrated to honor veterans because they fought and died for our freedom, went through crazy experiences, and fight for people they do not know.

Columbus Day marks the point in time which Christopher Columbus came to the “New World” in his quest of finding a shorter route to the Indies. On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus accidentally made history by being the first known European explorer to set foot in North America. Columbus paved the path of formation for our nation, and we should commemorate this achievement with a school vacation day. Christopher Columbus was a very brave man and was never afraid to go into uncharted territory. “During his lifetime, Columbus led a total of four expeditions to the New World, discovering various Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South and Central American mainlands” ("Columbus Reaches the New World"). By accomplishing this, Columbus

Every year on October 12th Americans across the country celebrate Columbus day. A day honoring the famous (or infamous) explorer Christopher Columbus , famous for supposedly discovering America (The Bahamas today). Until recently most people have celebrated the day without a second thought, but now there is more evidence that Christopher Columbus wasn’t just a peaceful explorer.

Probably the biggest reason for having the day after Thanksgiving off is because it’s only one day before the weekend. If everyone did not have that Friday off, it probably would not be a very productive day. Everyone would still be recovering from Thanksgiving and thinking about the weekend. By the time they finally got back into work mode, it would be time for the weekend, another two days

such as independence day, teacher's day, and mother and father's day. Most teenagers are not able to work