Columbus Day century found definitive evidence proving April 22 to be the actual date of the arrival of Cabral's fleet on South American shores. In 2000, the government of Brazil used the date to celebrate 500 years of the existence of the country. The festivities, however, were met with protests by indigenous peoples who claimed it marked 500 years of genocide of indigenous Brazilians. Only a handful of Caribbean countries still observe holidays related to Columbus Day. In Belize, October 12 is celebrated as Day of the Americas or Pan American Day. In the Bahamas, it was formerly known as Discovery Day,
Kerala New Year Kerala New Year The Kerala New Year (Malayalam Calendar) is on the day of vernal equinox, i.e., the day when the sun is considered to move from the northern to the southern hemisphere. The day falls in the first Malayalam month of "Chingham" according to the Kollam Era. Till the modern Malayalam calendar Kollam Era was adopted in 825 CE 1st day of the Malayalam month of "Medam" was considered to be the new year. This day is celebrated in Kerala as Vishu today and it coincides with similar new year festivities in several other parts of India like Tamil