US federal holidays 2022: Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day a…

US federal holidays 2022: Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day a national holiday?

With fall officially here, it’s time to start marking the date of the next federal holiday on our calendars.

On 10 October, those living in the US will observe the eighth federal holiday of the year, otherwise known as Indigenious Peoples’ Day or Columbus Day. The holiday is observed on the second Monday in October, and used to celebrate Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas on 12 October 1492.

However, the day was renamed Indigenious Peoples Day in 1992 amid criticism over Columbus’ role in history, as many claimed he should not be celebrated for bringing disease and strife into the Native communities living in the Americas.

The date, which now honours Native American individuals, will see many Americans receive the day off as a federal holiday.

First introduced by Congress in 1885 when it was decided that federal employees should have certain days off from work, the list of US federal holidays is made up of 11 days of significance that Americans recognise - and celebrate.

To ensure that these holidays are observed, certain guidelines have been put in place, with federal holidays that fall on a Saturday observed by federal employees on the previous Friday, while holidays that fall on Sunday are observed the following Monday.

While employees in the private sector may or may not get the day off, depending on their employer, a federal holiday means that non-essential federal government offices are closed and banks, post offices and schools may also be closed.

From Memorial Day to Thanksgiving, these are the dates of the 2022 federal holidays.