Leif Erikson Day honors a viking explorer known as Leif Erikson. He is believed to be the first recorded Nordic person to have visited North America. It is believed that he visited places such as Baffin Island and Labrador around 1000 CE.
Is Leif Erikson Day a Public Holiday?
Although Leif Erikson Day is not a public holiday, businesses and schools may be closed because it falls on the same date as Columbus Day in 2023.
Leif Erikson Day honors the first Scandinavian to set foot on American soil.
©iStockphoto.com/StephanHoerold
What Do People Do?
The president of the United States issues a proclamation about the holiday. Many US presidents have, in the past, publicly praised the spirit of exploration and discovery, as well the contributions of people with a Nordic background and their culture.
Public Life
Leif Erikson Day is an observance and not a federal public holiday in the United States. Public transit systems run on their regular schedules.
Background
Leif Erikson was born of Norwegian descent around 970 CE in Iceland. It is thought that his father and grandfather were outlaws and explorers around Scandinavia and Greenland. His father founded two settlements in Greenland. Leif had two brothers and one sister. He married a woman named Thorgunna and they had one son, called Thorkell Leifsson.
Leif Erikson went to Norway to work for King Olaf I of Norway. During his stay, he converted to Christianity. When he returned to Island, he bought a boat and, in 1003, set out to explore the land west of Greenland that had been discovered by Bjarni Herjolfsson, and older explorer. The land that he had discovered was actually Newfoundland, which is now part of Canada. The 'Saga of the Greenlanders' tells of his adventures.
It is thought that he visited Baffin Island and Labrador and settled on the Northern part of the island of Newfoundland, now all part of Canada. There are speculations that Leif Erikson or later explorers may have traveled into the area that is now Minnesota in the United States. Some controversial archaeological finds, such as the Kensington Runestone and the Maine Penny, support this theory, but it is not considered proven.
October 9 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the day that the ship Restauration arrived in New York from Stavanger, Norway on October 9, 1825. This was the start of organized immigration from Scandinavia to the USA. The date is not associated with an event in Leif Erikson's life.
Leif Erikson Day Observances
Showing:While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.
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City
October 1, 2023 | 6:52 | 18:39 | 11h 47m |
October 2, 2023 | 6:53 | 18:37 | 11h 44m |
October 3, 2023 | 6:54 | 18:35 | 11h 41m |
October 4, 2023 | 6:55 | 18:34 | 11h 39m |
October 5, 2023 | 6:56 | 18:32 | 11h 36m |
October 6, 2023 | 6:57 | 18:30 | 11h 33m |
October 7, 2023 | 6:58 | 18:29 | 11h 31m |
October 8, 2023 | 6:59 | 18:27 | 11h 28m |
October 9, 2023 | 7:01 | 18:25 | 11h 24m |
October 10, 2023 | 7:02 | 18:24 | 11h 22m |
October 11, 2023 | 7:03 | 18:22 | 11h 19m |
October 12, 2023 | 7:04 | 18:21 | 11h 17m |
October 13, 2023 | 7:05 | 18:19 | 11h 14m |
October 14, 2023 | 7:06 | 18:18 | 11h 12m |
October 15, 2023 | 7:07 | 18:16 | 11h 9m |
October 16, 2023 | 7:08 | 18:15 | 11h 7m |
October 17, 2023 | 7:09 | 18:13 | 11h 4m |
October 18, 2023 | 7:10 | 18:12 | 11h 2m |
October 19, 2023 | 7:11 | 18:10 | 10h 59m |
October 20, 2023 | 7:12 | 18:09 | 10h 57m |
October 21, 2023 | 7:14 | 18:07 | 10h 53m |
October 22, 2023 | 7:15 | 18:06 | 10h 51m |
October 23, 2023 | 7:16 | 18:04 | 10h 48m |
October 24, 2023 | 7:17 | 18:03 | 10h 46m |
October 25, 2023 | 7:18 | 18:02 | 10h 44m |
October 26, 2023 | 7:19 | 18:00 | 10h 41m |
October 27, 2023 | 7:20 | 17:59 | 10h 39m |
October 28, 2023 | 7:21 | 17:58 | 10h 37m |
October 29, 2023 | 7:23 | 17:56 | 10h 33m |
October 30, 2023 | 7:24 | 17:55 | 10h 31m |
October 31, 2023 | 7:25 | 17:54 | 10h 29m |
The sunrise and sunset are calculated from New York. All the times in the October 2023 calendar may differ when you eg live east or west in the United States. To see the sunrise and sunset in your region select a city above this list.
See also the position of the moon, check the Moon calendar 2023.
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