What a great day!
Today, we can again celebrate Christopher Columbus and his legacy of exploration, faith, and courage without dreading that woke rioters will topple statues, deface monuments, or cry racism.
I don’t speak for others. But no matter the imperfections of the Western civilization, I’m still infinitely grateful to be an American and Catholic. I shudder at the thought that if Columbus had not ushered in the age of exploration and discovery to this part of the world, I could be an Aztec, offering human sacrifices to appease Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, or whatever multisyllabic deities there were, and living without the modern inventions, medicine, science, and technology I so enjoy.
Thank you, Christopher Columbus. My hubby and I will eat at our favorite Italian restaurant tonight.
Also, today, the last 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas have been freed and returned to Israel. I cannot imagine the emotions of their families today to finally have them back; my heart goes out to them. Also, the ceasefire agreement, brokered by President Trump and his administration, was signed in Egypt today. I join the rest of the world in hoping and praying that this marks the beginning of lasting peace in the region.
Thank you, President Trump. I may have to buy myself a MAGA hat and wear it…at home. Lol.
Happy Christopher Columbus Day! I wish it would be a federal holiday. Saw a statue in Lisbon last year and was really proud of him, discovering various parts of the world. So daring and adventurous. Hats off to him and his supporters.
Thank you to President Trump for the hostage release. Keeping my fingers crossed for peace in that region. Too many innocent lives lost. Hope Hamas dismantles – but I have very little hope about this.
Have fun wearing the MAGA (…at home). I am also waiting to hear what other under the table deals that Trump has offered or made with the parties.
@angelwingssf,
I was one of those skeptics about Trump’s ability to get the hostages home. So on this occasion, I’m willing to eat humble pie and wear the red hat (…at home). 🙂
Is there a stand-alone statue of Christopher Columbus in Lisbon? Or was it part of the “Descobrimentos” monument in Belem? I chuckled when I was told that the stand-alone Magellan statue isn’t in a “prime” spot in the city because he’s considered to be a traitor — he was Portuguese but he sailed for the King and Queen of Spain. Hahaha.
Portugal and Spain have every right to be proud of their maritime explorations and achievements. I never travel without being briefed about the country I’m heading to, but those 15th century sailors were sailing into parts unknown. They were at the mercy of external forces they couldn’t envision, much less predict. But they went anyway.
@packmule
– Just like you, I don’t trust any of these politicians can get anything done. I have watched many presidents and the democrats and republicans fight like kindergarden kids in the sandbox. So, I have no trust in them.
– As I said in my previous comment, I am still waiting to see which golden shoe is going to drop from Israel regarding this. I don’t see President Trump doing anything from the goodness of his heart!! There is something he is getting either under the table or will come to light afterwards.
– There is a columbus statue at the edge of the downtown going to the water. That is what I remember seeing.
– I think over a period of time, everyone forgets about the 15th century and they start saying how proud they are about him discovering America. That is what I heard when I was there. Here is a link to the picture in Lisbon.
https://as2.ftcdn.net/jpg/03/89/57/37/1000_F_389573730_3x0XnTKb1K0pw3IenPno3QfMvVmsLZEE.jpg
If we want to honor the intrepid European explorer who first stepped foot on North American soil and established a settlement, we should be celebrating Leif Erikson Day (which falls on October 9).
Hi @angelwingssf,
I hate to break the news, but that isn’t Christopher Columbus’ statue but St. Vincent of Saragossa’s.
If you google another picture that shows the plinth of the statue, you’ll actually see his name “S. Vicente” etched on it.
A bit of history here.
St. Vincent was a Spanish martyr. IIRC, he died in the 4th century and in the early 12th century, his relics were moved to Lisbon because the Portuguese king wanted to make him the patron saint of the city.
You can recognize the saint by the boat with two crows that he’s holding. (Statues are usually differentiated from each other by the object in their hands. Like St. Peter holds keys. St Denis holds his decapitated head. St Anthony holds Baby Jesus, and so on.)
According to legends, when St. Vincent’s dead body was thrown away, the crows came and guarded it from being eaten by other animals (I’m not sure though if the crows were just keeping it for themselves). Then, when the boat bringing the saint’s relics sailed to Lisbon, crows again appeared to accompany the boat.
That’s why the boat has two crows.
Nowadays, you can see the emblem of the boat with two crows everywhere in the city. (I remember finding it mostly on the signages.) I’m told that it’s supposed to be a reminder to the Portuguese to closely guard their city and heritage, like the crows guarded St. Vincent.
Anyway, if you google another picture of St. Vincent, you can sometimes see a church with two towers in the foreground. That’s St. Vincent de Fora (or St. Vincent outside the Walls). It’s named after the same saint.
My family and I loved to hang out at the Miradouro das Portas do Sol, especially in the mornings, when it wasn’t hot yet and there was breeze coming from the river. We’d order drinks (how did you like the ginjinha?) and sandwiches at the kiosk beside the St Vincent statue, then just people-watched.
There’s also a ceramic shop just around the corner. Oficina 42A (or 91? I can’t remember now). Sometimes, you can see artisans working on a project in a room beside the entrance.
Lol, @Welmaris. Is there a trick question here somewhere?
If you notice, I made sure not to mention “first” in my write-up because nowadays “first” has a multitude of meanings which will need a longer explanation than I have time for. It’s like defining what “first” in “first love” means….
If we’re talking about TIME, then Leif Erikson can be said to be the first known European to set foot on continental America.
However…
I have two strikes against him.
One, there’s no exact day, month or even year of his arrival here because no written records of his voyages ever existed.
The account of his travel only came from oral tradition (e.g., legends, sagas and stories) instead of written records, like Christopher Columbus. And as we all know, oral tradition can be rife with exaggerations, hyperboles, distortions, inaccuracies, anachronisms, amalgamations, and so on. In short, it isn’t reliable without corroboration from another source, preferably a written one.
Erikson’s adventures were only written down in the 13th century, some 200 years after he had supposedly traveled to Vinland (or present-day Newfoundland, Canada).
And it was only in the 1960s, when some pre-Columbian artifacts were unearthed in Newfoundland, that archaeologists determined that Vikings had found their way there because the artifacts appeared of Norse origin.
However, none of the artifacts – as far as I know – bore Leif Erikson’s name or semblance, or can be directly linked to him. To me, then, the artifacts can indeed confirm that Vikings reached Canada, but they do not confirm that Erikson himself lived there.
Second, since there are no actual records of Erikson’s arrival in the Americas, I consider October 9 to be a bogus/made-up day.
Seriously! If this marks the day Erikson “discovered” America, then shouldn’t Norway take pride in this extraordinary feat, and be the first to celebrate one of their compatriots? I just checked their public holidays. October 9 isn’t anywhere on the list.
In comparison, October 12 is recognized as the National Day of Spain and it’s a public holiday.
I wouldn’t be surprised though if October 9 is a day important to Norwegian-American community because it’s the day when the first recorded immigrants from Norway arrived in the country (or something to that effect). As such, it can be designated as a day to recognize the contributions of Nordic Americans to this country.
And I totally get the need to allocate a day of recognition for a specific entity.
Look: the primary reason the Italian American community lobbied to have a Columbus Day was because early Italian immigrants constantly faced violence, discrimination, and prejudice here. The Italian Americans were considered “outsiders” because they didn’t look anything like the Brits, French, Germans, etc., and because they were Catholics.
The tipping point was the lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891. These men had been charged with murdering the police chief but when most of the men were acquitted (and a mistrial declared on a few), a riot ensued. The angry mob stormed the prison and killed the men.
To placate the understandably furious Italian-American community, the American president declared Columbus Day the following year.
So, aside from celebrating Christopher Columbus’ arrival in 1492, Columbus Day is also day to recognize the contributions of Italian American immigrants. Just like Leif Erikson Day.
To erase Columbus Day or to replace it with something else, like Indigenous People Day, is to be ignorant of the dual purpose and significance of the holiday.
Now, back to what I was saying about “first.”
To me, the word “first” refers to importance, relevance, significance, impact.
While Leif Erikson may claim to be the first European in the Americas, it’s undeniable that his arrival didn’t have the same impact as that of Christopher Columbus. It’s not even close. Look: If Erikson’s voyage was as important as Columbus, then how come it took another five hundred years before somebody followed him?
Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” sparked the spirit of exploration, religious missions, and yes, conquest and colonization, that Leif Erikson’s saga didn’t. The Old World of Europe and the New World of the Americas were indelibly connected due to Columbus. And civilizations, trade, economic and political systems changed because of his “discovery.”
For better or worse, Columbus altered the course of history. Erikson didn’t.
So, no, Erikson can’t be “first” in terms of importance. 🙂
Thanks packmule. I have been under the assumption that it is Columbus. Thank you for enlightening me. I will read all of it tomorrow.
Obviously, I’d prefer to have Trump as president, given the terrible situation of my country.
I often check what happens in USA, it’s great. Sometimes, Trump makes declarations about international affairs that I find erroneous. But maybe because he has good advisors, he often changes his mind for something more realistic. And anyway, he just saved USA from an endless tyranny.
I feel sorry for moderate liberals. They deserve good democrat candidats, but there are none currently, and the few good ones Kennedy and Gabard are with Trump now. The others are all madly far left, cheat, lie, speak violence.
Celebrating Colombus is a good idea, in a time when mankind should think to expand in the universe, on the solar system planets first. Moon, Mars, maybe other places. It will be the same spirit as Colombus, exploration and courage.
I remember to watch the movie “1492 : Christophe Colomb” a long time ago. I’d like to rewatch today, great director Ridley Scott and great french actor Gérard Depardieu.