Columbus Day honors the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12 in the year 1492, which fundamentally changed the course of history in the global context by bringing together Europe and the New World. It has been celebrated as a federal holiday since 1937, and the main purpose was to acknowledge the spirit of exploration and to reflect on the contributions of Italians in the history of the United States.
Formally designated as a holiday in 1968, Columbus Day was observed on the second Monday of October, as designated by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971 in an effort for uniformity and to allow workers an extended weekend. For many decades, Columbus Day was viewed as a celebration of national pride in discovery and expansion and Columbus had become a representative character in a narrative in which Americans could take pride and see progress and opportunity.
Columbus’s legacy and the roots of controversy
Initially framed as exploration and Italian-American celebrations, Columbus’s legacy and rightful stature has begun to experience more scrutiny historically-based investigation of the consequences of his voyages. His voyages to the Americas ushered in European colonization, including subjugation, exploitation, and violence directed toward indigenous peoples.
Critics bring forward the devastating effects of the treatment of Native Americans, the forced labor, cultural devastation, and the massive death toll due to diseases foreigners brought with them to the Western Hemisphere. The shock of these realities has led to critical reframing and a movement to rethink the story of Columbus Day as a day of recognition, rather than a day of celebration, of a legacy replete with suffering and violation.
This reframing falls neatly in line with the critical social movements that work against historical injustices, colonization, and race in contemporary society and have prompted many to question the honor of Columbus, given his legacy and all of the harm that stemmed from that legacy.
Emergence and growth of Indigenous Peoples Day
Indigenous Peoples Day became a counter-observance in honor of Native American cultures, histories, and contributions, and in recognition of the impacts of colonization. The proposal came during a United Nations conference in 1977, and South Dakota formally adopted the observance in 1989.
The celebration occurs on the same day, the second Monday in October, as Columbus Day in the interest of directly providing a counter-narrative and the perspective of Indigenous peoples. Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day honors the persistence and endurance of Native peoples, and it expresses respect for Native sovereignty and the values of social justice and cultural preservation. The observance itself reflects a larger project of acknowledging omissions in history and raising awareness of the experiences and rights of Native peoples within American society.
States and cities recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day
In the last few decades, Indigenous Peoples Day has become increasingly common in the United States. By 2025, fourteen states including Alaska, New Mexico, and Maine officially set aside the day to value indigenous peoples and the contributions of native peoples and cultures, either replacing or alongside Columbus Day. Adopted in over 130 cities, including Seattle, Boston, and Washington D.C., Indigenous Peoples Day is honored with official proclamations, cultural events, and public education.
This expansion also aligns with changing values in society that emphasize inclusivity and equity while attempting to make sense of our historical realities. When local communities adopt Indigenous Peoples Day, they also often include it in school curricula or cultural programming to provide the opportunity for the next generation to learn about indigenous people and some contemporary issues that indigenous people continue to face, share their heritage.
Dual observance and public reaction in 2025
Again on October 13, 2025, Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day coincide, demonstrating the complication of historical memory in America. Federal offices, federal courts, federally chartered banks and various other institutions will shutter for Columbus Day, as required by federal law.
Simultaneously, Indigenous Peoples Day will be observed with cultural festivals, educational workshops, and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about Native American histories and contemporary concerns. The observance is varied, as some states only recognize Indigenous Peoples Day while others recognize both.
Public opinion is divided; while some Americans celebrate Columbus Day because of ethnic pride and historical legacy, more and more proponents of Indigenous Peoples Day mention the day because of its recognition of historical injustices experienced by Native Americans and its recognition of indigenous empowerment. These activities recognized simultaneously bring people into cultural conversations and debates about historical memory that dovetail larger social attempts to reconcile history and identity.
Cultural and educational initiatives surrounding the holidays
Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day, both provide opportunities for cultural representation and education. The events associated with Indigenous Peoples Day typically include a representation of aspects of Native American culture, such as dance, storytelling, powwows, art exhibitions, and lectures that are closely tied to the cultural traditions and perspectives of Native American peoples.
Concurrently, cultural organizations use this time to raise awareness about issues faced by these indigenous communities relating to land claims, tribal sovereignty, socioeconomic inequities, and other contemporary issues. Educational programs are offered to impart knowledge regarding Pre Columbian histories, colonial impacts, and contemporary contributions and activism of indigenous communities.
Columbus Day's activities tend to be celebrations of Italian and American culture, and the events organized are typically marked by parades, or Italian festivals or other community events associated with neighborhoods, schools, or other organizations that highlight holiday- or region-based participation or solidarity with Italian Americans. These events are an additional layer of the public's engagement with history and identity.
Legal status and governmental recognition
Columbus Day is one of eleven federal holidays in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The holiday authorizes closure of federal agencies, including courts and banks, on the observed day.
Unlike Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day is not officially recognized as a federal holiday. Still, it has garnered ground at the state and local government level. The first substantive national recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day came soon after President Biden’s executive proclamation on Indigenous Peoples Day in 2021.
The continued legal and congressional action has been deliberating on Indigenous Peoples Day as a federally recognized holiday. Some states have passed legislation that either replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, recognizes both days, or continues to recognize only Columbus Day.
Economic and societal effects of October celebrations
The observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day has some direct economic impacts due to closures of governments and financial institutions disrupting banking, retail, and direct services.
Some businesses take advantage of Columbus Day for commemorative sales, while Indigenous Peoples Day often supports local economies through cultural tourism, festivals, and events, especially in cities that have significant Native American populations. Additionally, socially, Indigenous Peoples Day has been an expansion of public conversation on colonialism, reparations, and indigenous sovereignty, challenging people in different communities to balance celebration with a responsibility for historic accountability.
Columbus Day has been a way to provide Italian and American communities a day of pride, connectivity to one another, and presence in public spaces. Together, these two holidays represent the plurality of American culture, and can provide moments of reflection, education, and intercultural exchange.
The future of bicultural October observance
The simultaneous recognition of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day in October signifies a growing awareness within the United States regarding its divergent historical record, and both days are part of a larger conversation surrounding identity, heritage, and justice. In recent years, there has been increased momentum toward recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day, while some long-standing organizations uphold Columbus Day reflecting the realities of the past for historical and immigrant communities.
This duality of recognition is indicative of ongoing national tensions and progress toward reconciliation and belonging, and in the future, this reality will generate further dialogues, educational changes, and policy initiatives that strive to balance respect for all cultural identities and to promote societal healing and unity.
Broader implications for American history and identity
The debates around Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day manifest broader societal reflections on how we remember history, and what groups it favors and obscures. They raise questions surrounding national mythology, collective memory, and the power of public symbol project meaning and identity. Efforts to disrupt these holidays represent a recognized context for more substantive calls for truth telling, inclusivity, and recognition of historically marginalized groups.
Discourses developed around the appropriateness of a national holiday and its representation are moving public conceptions after educational curricula, media representations, and local or state policy on how young people will connect with text readings, education about America’s colonial past, and indigeneity.
The changing of what has historically been a celebratory and commemoratory single day exploration holiday to an open question of cultural awareness and equity activism represents the local, national, and international emphasis on equity in the ways we, as a country, account for history. The anniversary of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day on October 13, 2025, brings the emerging complexity of American cultural and historical identity into focus.
Their coexistence suggests a nation continuing to negotiate based upon national history, memory, and rightful recognition, with educational, cultural, and social justice implications.