When is "Leif Erikson Day"?
Leif Erikson Day is always on October 9th!
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Origin of this holiday
Presidents have used the proclamation (see US Presidential Proclamations)praise the contributions of Americans of Nordic descent generally and the spirit of discovery.
In addition to the federal observance, some states officially commemorate Leif Erikson Day, particularly in the Upper Midwest, where large numbers of people from the Nordic countries settled. In 1930, Wisconsin became the first state to officially adopt this holiday, thanks to efforts by the Norwegian-American initiator, Rasmus B. Anderson. A year later Minnesota followed suit. In 1963, the U.S. Representative from Duluth, John Blatnik, introduced a bill to observe it nationwide. The following year Congress adopted this unanimously.
About the date
October 9 is not associated with any particular event in Leif Erikson's life. The date was chosen because the ship Restauration coming from Stavanger, Norway, arrived in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825 at the start of the first organized immigration from Norway to the United States.
Who was Leif Erikson?
Leif Ericson (Old Norse: Leifr Eiríksson) (c. 970 - c. 1020) was a Norse explorer who was probably the first European to land in North America (excluding Greenland). According to the Sagas of Icelanders, he established a Norse settlement at Vinland, which has been tentatively identified with the L'Anse aux Meadows Norse site on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
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Who celebrates this holiday?
Celebrated in United States, Iceland and Norway: celebrating the first European landing in North America.
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What type of holiday is this?
This is a National Holiday celebrated in the USA.
This is a federal observance.
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Resource Links:
- Leif Ericson Viking Ship, Inc. A 501(c)3 non profit educational organization whose mission is to teach people about Leif Ericson and the Viking culture.
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How can I Celebrate this holiday?
- Blog with us about it! - We have a blog called "Everyday is a Holiday" so visit our pages and tell us about your favorite cleaning day or your favorite cleaner recipe.
- Send Free E-Greeting! - If your ready to get together with your friends don't forget to invite them with these fun Internet Invitations.
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Other October 9 holidays around the world
October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 83 days remaining until the end of the year.
- Fire Prevention Day / USA
- RC Saints - Saint Denis, Saint Ghislain, Saint John Leonardi and Saint Louis Bertrand, patron saint of Colombia.
- South Korea - Hangul Day: celebrating the invention of hangul, the native Korean phonetic alphabet.
- Uganda - Independence Day (from Britain, 1962)
- Ecuador - Guayaquil's Independence Day (from Spain 1820) (Dia de la independencia de Guayaquil)
- Romania - Romanian Holocaust Remembrance Day
- French Republican Calendar - Sarrasin (Buckwheat) Day, eighteenth day in the Month of Vendémiaire
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1968 U.S. postage stamp honoring Leif Erikson -------->
Leif Erikson Day is an American observance occurring on October 9. It honors Leif Ericson, who brought the first Europeans known to have set foot on North American soil, and the contributions of Scandinavian peoples to American society.
In 1964, Congress authorized and requested the President to create the observance through an annual proclamation. Lyndon B. Johnson and each President since have done so.
