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Is Columbus Day a Federal Holiday?
Yes, Columbus Day is a federal holiday.
More Info: Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October to commemorate the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
Centurial Celebrations: The unofficial holiday was celebrated as early as 1792 to commemorate the three-hundredth anniversary of the landing. Later in 1892, President Harrison issued a proclamation to urge citizens to commemorate the four hundredth anniversary.
Celebrating Anyway: Though not an official national holiday many Americans of Italian heritage, the nationality of Columbus, celebrated the holiday. The Knights of Columbus began to lobby to declare Columbus Day an official national holiday.
It's Official: It wasn't until 1937 that Franklin D Roosevelt declared Columbus Day an official national holiday.
Moving to Mondays
Officially celebrated every October 12, in 1971 congress voted to move most federal holidays to Mondays so that workers could enjoy prolonged time off following a weekend, and employers would not suffer from loss of production due to the disruption of a holiday falling in the middle of a workweek. The exempt holidays were Fourth of July, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Veteran's Day.
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