Columbus Day
Note: Underlined words have definitions at the end of this article provided by The Basic Newbury House Dictionary. Definitions with an asterisk (*) are supplied by the author, Bill Perry.
Columbus Day is the holiday named for the famous Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus. This holiday occurs on October 12 th , the date he found land that was called the “New World.” The US celebration is the second Monday in October. However, many South American countries celebrate it on October 12 th .
Christopher and his family came from Genoa, Italy. In the Italian language his name is “Colombo.” Columbus is the English name. He was born in the city of Genoa in 1451, the first of five children. His two brothers, Bartholomew and Diego, worked with Christopher making maps. Christopher wanted to travel across the ocean. He had little education, but he learned Spanish and taught himself Latin. He also learned about sailing on short trips in the ocean.
When Christopher was born, many people thought that the earth was flat. But educated people slowly started to believe the earth was round. Columbus wanted to sail across the ocean to show that sailing to the west would take him to the east. In his personal journal he wrote:
It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel his hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail [west] from here to the [East] Indies. All who heard of my project laughed . . . There is no question that the inspiration was from [God], because He comforted me with. . . inspiration from the Holy Scriptures [Bible].
However, Columbus had another reason to sail across the sea. As he read the Bible, he found parts, such as the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 49, that said,
Listen to me, you islands, and hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he [spoke] my name . . . I will also make you a light for the [foreign nations], that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (verses 1,6).
Columbus thought these verses spoke about him personally. In fact, the name Christopher means “Christ-bearer,” or “one who brings the message of Christ.” So he believed that God wanted him to sail to the “ends of the earth” with God’s message of salvation.
Traveling by sea was dangerous and cost a lot of money in those days. Columbus needed money to sail to the East Indies. The kings of Portugal and England would not help him. After some time, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to help this man from Genoa. They gave him enough money for his trip.
On August 3, 1492 Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean. Three new ships, the Pinta, Nina, and Santa Maria, carried him and 90 men. In his journal of this trip, he wrote, “For the . . . journey I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps. It is simply . . . what Isaiah had [said] . . .” Columbus really believed God was guiding him across the waters of the Atlantic.
After five weeks of sailing westward, his men became worried and afraid. They sailed farther than anyone had sailed before. They had not seen any land for over three weeks and wanted to return to Spain. Columbus asked them to keep sailing only three more days. If they saw no land in three days, then they would turn around and go home. Two days later on October 12 th at 2:00 AM they saw land. Later that morning, Columbus and some of his men got in a smaller boat and went to an island of the Bahamas. He named the island San Salvador, meaning “holy Savior.” He got down on his knees and kissed the beach. He also put a cross in the sand for “Jesus Christ our Lord and in honor of the Christian faith.” Then Columbus prayed,
O Lord Almighty and everlasting God, by your Holy Word you have created the heaven and the earth, and the sea . . . [You] have [used] us, your humble servants, that your holy Name may be proclaimed in this part of the earth.
Columbus really wanted to obey God on his trips, but he made poor choices when dealing with problems. The sailors became unhappy when they found very little gold. Later on this trip he caught some Native Americans. He called them “Indians” because he thought he was near India. He took them back to Spain. His second and third trips had many problems including angry natives, a failed colony, sinking ships, and sailors dying. As a result he became less popular back in Spain.
His fourth and last voyage began in 1502 and was his happiest. He brought his 13-year-old son Ferdinand and many older boys with him. Columbus said they worked better and were easier to control than the older men. When he sailed to an area now called Panama, natives told him of another great ocean — the Pacific — but he never saw it. This final trip took him two-and-one-half years because he was unable to leave Jamaica for one year. By the time he returned to Spain, Queen Isabella had died, and King Ferdinand did not want to see him. At 53 years old, he was tired and very weak. He died on May 20, 1506. With him were his two sons, some faithful servants and a few close friends.
When Columbus arrived in South America (Venezuela), he wrote in his journal, “I believe that this is a very great continent which until today has been unknown.” He died thinking that he had been somewhere south of China. He never knew that he had discovered a new area of the world and was the first European who arrived there. People did not clearly understand the sailing route to the East Indies until another explorer sailed around the world 16 years later.
Most people remember Columbus as an important explorer. But Columbus thought of himself as both an explorer and a missionary. He also wrote in his journal about his first trip, “I hope in our Lord that it will be the greatest honor to Christianity that, unexpectedly, has ever come about.”
The name “America” came from the explorer, Amerigo Vespucci, who said he discovered the “new world” in 1497. Columbus never debated this point because he thought he discovered the East Indies. In 1507 someone said that the new area should be named after Vespucci, because people said, “Amerigo discovered it.” This name quickly became popular, but later Vespucci’s claim was shown to be false. The Republic of Colombia, however, is named after Columbus, as are many rivers, boats, cities, buildings, streets, and other things.
Columbus Day was first celebrated in New York City in 1792, 300 years after the discovery. 100 years later US President Benjamin Harrison led the celebration on the holiday’s 400th anniversary. In 1992 the 500th anniversary was celebrated all around the world. Columbus Day has been celebrated each year in the US since 1920. In the States there are no customs related to the holiday, but events include parades, speeches and outdoor water activities such as sailing races. The holiday is a more important event in South America.
Vocabulary
anniversary (noun) – one or more years after the date on which an event took place. claim (noun) – a demand for something that one has a right to.
colony ( noun) – a group of people who have moved to another area, but are still governed by their home country.
debate (verb) – to consider, to discuss.
*East Indies (noun) – the southern part of Asia from India to Indonesia.
inspiration (noun) – someone or something that makes a person work hard or gives them new ideas.
intelligence (noun) – the ability to learn, understand, and use information.
journal (noun) – a written record of the day’s events or one’s thoughts and feelings. mathematics (noun) – the study of numbers, symbols, and forms that follow strict rules and laws.
*Native American (noun) – American Indians.
*proclaim (verb) – to declare or announce publicly through speech or writing.
route (noun) — a path along which one travels.
sailor (noun) – a person who works on a ship.
*salvation (noun) – the freedom from the power and effects of sin that God gives to people.
voyage (noun) – a long journey, usually by water.
©Bill Perry. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.
