ct food bank staff

*This holiday is designated as "Inauguration Day" in section 6103(c) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Federal employees in the Washington, DC area are entitled to a holiday on the day a President is inaugurated, January 20 for each fourth year after 1965. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.

**This holiday is designated as "Washington's Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.

***July 4, 2021 (the legal public holiday for Independence Day), falls on a Sunday.  For most Federal Employees, Monday, July 5, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).)

****December 25, 2021 (the legal public holiday for Christmas Day), falls on a Saturday. For most Federal employees, Friday, December 24, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See section 3(a) of Executive order 11582, February 11, 1971.)

*****January 1, 2022 (the legal public holiday for New Year's Day), falls on a Saturday. For most Federal employees, Friday, December 31, 2021 will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See section 3(a) of Executive order 11582, February 11, 1971.)

OPM web site: "Federal law (5 U.S.C., § 6103) establishes [these] public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonworkday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday)."

The second Monday in October marks Columbus Day in the United States of America, which this year is commemorated on Monday, October 11. This celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the so-called New World on October 12, 1492.

Typically, Columbus Day brings a day of festivities in New York City, Denver, Alabama and many other cities across the USA, and these parades have taken place for over 500 years, ever since Columbus' fleet of three ships docked in the New World.

Columbus Day meaning

As noted, three of Columbus' ships decided to arrive at an island in the Caribbean, which he called San Salvador Island, after a member of his 90-person crew spotted land, which is part of the Bahamas.

This saw the end of a voyage that began 10 weeks earlier in Palos, Spain, although he was not the first European explorer to successfully cross the Atlantic.

As a US Embassy website notes, Viking sailors are thought to have established "a short-lived settlement" in Newfoundland, Canada at some point in the 11th century, while scholars have also said there are other possible pre-Columbian dockings.

The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the USA was on October 12, 1792, which was the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landing, and it was organised by the Society of St Tammany, also known as the Columbian Order.

Why is Columbus Day a federal holiday?

As a federal holiday, many government offices, banks and some private businesses will close on Columbus Day. Schools typically stay open on Columbus Day but the celebrations differ state by state. In Massachusetts, for instance, schools will close, while in California, Columbus Day is not viewed as being a school holiday.

Columbus Day was proclaimed a national holiday in the USA by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937. Originally it was celebrated every October 12, but it was changed to the second Monday in October from 1971 as a result of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

All SIFMA holiday recommendations apply to the trading of U.S. dollar-denominated government securities, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, over-the-counter investment-grade and high-yield corporate bonds, municipal bonds and secondary money market trading in bankers' acceptances, commercial paper and Yankee and Euro certificates of deposit. Previously scheduled SIFMA early close recommendations do not affect the closing time for settlements.

Juneteenth National Independence Day Recommendations
Juneteenth National Independence Day is now a federal holiday.

Fixed Income Markets
SIFMA has revised its previous recommendations for 2022 full market closes for the trading of U.S. dollar-denominated fixed income securities in the U.S. SIFMA is now recommending a full market close on Monday, June 20, 2022 in observance of Juneteenth National Independence Day. 

Going forward, Juneteenth National Independence Day will be incorporated into our holiday schedule. 

View our market close policy; see also SIFMA Press Release

Holiday Schedule Policy

Related Research and Advocacy

COVID-19 Updates

2021 Holiday Closings of Social Security Offices

MAINHome LifeHolidaysColumbus Day & Indigenous Peoples' Day

This year, Columbus Day will be celebrated on Monday, October 10, 2022.

As every school kid knows, it was Christopher Columbus who "in 1492 sailed the ocean blue" on an epic journey half way around the globe -- only to bump into what we now call America. The problem was that he thought he had arrived in India and mistakenly called the natives Indians (now known as, um, Native Americans.)

Despite the confusion, the discovery changed the course of history.

Today, among modern celebrations that mark the discovery of America, a big one for consumers is the annual Columbus Day sale offering summer clearances on garden equipment and air conditioners! And, of course, there are the parades, The one in NYC is by far the largest, grandest and most popular, welcoming over 1 million spectators annually.

Another big celebration happens on the West Coast, when Columbus Day is observed during San Francisco Fleet Week -- with the good reason to celebrate the three famous ships that brought Columbus and his crew to America in 1492..

What's closed on Columbus Day?

Despite it being a normal workday for many Americans, Columbus Day is an official federal government holiday, Post offices and banks close in honor of the day although Wall St. stock markets stay open as usual.

Libraries are also usually closed for the day. School closings are made at the local level, and often East Coast schools will be given the day off while others remain open throughout the rest of the nation.

Columbus Day controversies

Indigenous Peoples' Day celebrations take place on the same day as Columbus Day.

A culture clash continues to grown between those who recognize the contributions of Native Americans and those who celebrate Columbus Day.

Those who still honor the day see Christopher Columbus as an epic figure who helped forge an important trade route from the Old World to the New World, which eventually led to the American ideals of liberty.

Meanwhile, Native Americans regard Columbus Day (only declared a federal holiday in 1937) as a teaching moment to remind the nation of its entire past: Could Columbus have truly "discovered" America when Native Americans had already been living there for countless generations?

Today, in lieu of Columbus Day, individual states, cities and towns across the nation have begun to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. The counter-celebration honors the rich history and culture of the nation's first inhabitants who generously helped early colonists to survive and eventually celebrate the nation's first Thanksgiving with them.

also see ->Native American Month

More about Columbus Day & Indigenous Peoples' around the Web:

Around the Web, discover more about traditional and new ways to celebrate Columbus Day with more stories and history lessons, arts and crafts ideas, and video just up ahead...

Columbus Day - From the Holiday Zone which offers fun arts and crafts ideas, songs and poems, with links to sites that celebrate Columbus Day. Sites that celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day are given equal time, as well.

Everything You Need to Know About Indigenous Peoples Day - The complete survey of the controversy including a feature video and how each holiday is celebrated.