US Embassy in Manila closed October 10 for Columbus Day

The United States Embassy in Manila will be closed on Monday, October 10, in observance of Columbus Day, a holiday in the US. In an announcement on its Facebook account, the US Embassy said it and its affiliated offices will reopen on Tuesday. "The U.S. Embassy and its affiliated offices will be closed to the public on Monday, October 10, 2011 in observance of Columbus Day, an American holiday. The Embassy and affiliated agencies will reopen to the public and resume services on Tuesday, October 11, 2011," it said. Columbus Day marks the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on Oct. 12, 1492, according to History.com. It was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century but did not become a federal holiday until the 1937. "For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus' achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage," it said. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, largely as a result of intense lobbying by the Catholic group Knights of Columbus. While it was originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971. — RSJ, GMA News