That's what they're calling Columbus Day these days in Venezuela, one of several places where opposition to the idea of honoring Christopher Columbus and his "discovery" of the New World has taken hold.
Some places, especially those with a big Italian-American population, are way into it. When I lived in San Francisco it was a huge deal every year, and I know they celebrate pretty big-time in New York.
The 2006 Columbus Day princesses at the beautiful Saints Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco. (Photo from the church's web site.)Seattle seems in neither the honor nor the dis camp. I didn't even know it was Columbus Day today until the mailman never came to pick up Michelle's repackaged macro lens for return to Amazon. It's still sitting on the porch.
Around here it's a minor holiday -- no mail, banks are closed, but otherwise everyone seems to work and shop as normal -- and there was no mention in the papers except for a brief about closed government offices. The New York Times, I noticed, ran a longish, interesting science story about using DNA to help determine the origins and legitimate descendants of Columbus.
Wikipedia has this informative backgrounder on Columbus Day.
And the History Channel has some programming tonight about Columbus.
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