Columbus Day Greetings

Columbus Day

COLUMBUS DAY IS TODAY

Closings on Columbus Day.
Columbus Day in New Jersey is a state and federal holiday. The municipal. state and federal courts will thus be closed. Post offices will be closed. There will be no regular mail delivery. State and local government offices will be closed.

State public schools have the option to close. Banks in New Jersey may close if they wish. But, from my experience, they often don’t.

NJ Transit trains will run on their standard weekday schedule. However, bus schedules differ by route. Family Super Saver fares will be in effect today. For more details, refer to your printed schedule. Or check NJ Transit’s website, at NJTANSIT. You also can call (973) 275-5555. PATH trains will operate on a regular weekday schedule.

Stock markets and financial markets will be open.

Columbus Day History.

Columbus Day is actually a national holiday in many countries. It commemorates the anniversary of  Columbus’s discovery of North America. That momentous event took place on October 12, 1492.

People celebrated Columbus’s voyage in the colonial period. For example, in 1792, New York City and other U.S. cities celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus’s arrival.

But Columbus Day only first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906. Then, in  1937, it  became a federal holiday throughout the United States.

Many Italian-Americans observe the day as a celebration of their heritage. Columbus sailed for Ferdinand and Isabella, king and queen of Spain. But he was of Italian extraction.

Since 1970,  the holiday by law must fall on the second Monday in October.

Of course, for many people today, Columbus Day has just become another excuse for stores to run sales. Not that there’s anything wrong with store sales.

Whether or not you will be shopping today,  please accept my office’s best wishes for a great holiday.

Columbus Day

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