Christopher Columbus in "The Columbus Lighthouse" ("Faro a Colón"), in Santo Domingo. The anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas is usually observed on 12 October in Spain and throughout the Americas, except Canada. In Spain it is called the "Fiesta Nacional de España y Día de la Hispanidad", while a number of countries in Latin America celebrate it as "Día de la Raza". In the United States it is called Columbus Day and is observed annually on the second Monday in October. There are efforts in the US to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples' Day. The World Columbian Exposition
Columbus Day as an official state holiday, though many mark it as a "Day of Observance" or "Recognition" and at least four do not recognize it at all. Most states that celebrate Columbus Day will close state services, while others operate as normal. San Francisco claims the nation's oldest continuously existing celebration with the Italian-American community's annual Columbus Day Parade, which was established by Nicola Larco in 1868, while New York City boasts the largest, with over 35,000 marchers and one million viewers. As in the mainland United States, Columbus Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.