In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
And thanks to that, a lot of Americans had the day off today– especially in D.C. I wasn’t one of those lucky ones. Instead, I spent the day at work panicking over a contractor in the U.K who disappeared when I needed him most. Does the U.K. celebrate Columbus Day too? Anyway, the rest of the fam had a lovely day hanging out without me.
Columbus Day sure has changed since I was a kid. I remember making construction paper boats signifying the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. Christopher Columbus was a hero to be honored. These days, people seem to be keeping it real. I saw a whole lot of this on people’s Facebook feed today:
Since Dave is a history buff, I was curious to get his take. He said “Columbus enslaved the Indian population in the name of converting them to Christianity.”
And there are a lot of people, quoted on the internet, with much more harsh words that that.
One historian called him “an unrelenting social climber and self-promoter who stopped at nothing— not even exploitation, slavery, or twisting Biblical scripture— to advance his ambitions”
Well that doesn’t sound like someone I want to sing songs about. Do he make you want to sing? That doesn’t even sound like someone I want to take the day off for. (ok, I’m lying– I still want to take the day off.)
The wine shop/florist on Lincoln Park had a lovely sign outside that sums it up well:
Perhaps I’ll end the day with a glass of wine while thinking about Columbus… or maybe I’ll just have a glass of wine.
What’s your take on Columbus Day? Should Columbus even have a day?
I don’t remember celebrating Columbus Day at school, but I do remember stories of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. I think that our country, and probably most countries, have brutal starts. Wars ended with many dead and a land taken. So I don’t find Columbus’ contribution to the American history all that horrendous considering the taking of other lands to be even worse. Not that I can name any specifically, though I’m sure my husband could tell you that the Japanese occupied parts of China and Taiwan for a while, killing men and children and raping women. Anyways, not to ruin Columbus Day or anything. I had the day off and that’s kinda all I really cared about. Don’t get me started on how unreligious religious holidays are now. Now, it’s all about who’s going to take what day off while J’s daycare is closed from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. Seriously?!
Figuring out who’s taking off when is the story of our lives! The girls are at different schools this year, and none of their days off are the same. They even have different Spring Breaks- ack!
What a nightmare!! Ack indeed!