Holiday for Few: For centuries, Christopher Columbus...

Holiday for Few: For centuries, Christopher Columbus was credited with discovering the New World, but the day named in his honor is not exactly a big deal in most areas, including the Valley. The post office, public libraries and courts close today to mark the event, but many schools and companies don’t recognize the holiday.

Schools in Session: Most area high schools are in session today, as are L.A. community colleges and Cal State Northridge. Only a few local high schools won’t be in session, but the controversial explorer has nothing to do with it. The schools are calling it a “pupil-free day.”

Silent Protest: Columbus Day is also Dia de la Raza in some Latino communities, and members of Cal State Northridge’s Chicano student organization, MECHA, celebrate with a “chalking.” . . . “We lie down and chalk an outline of ourselves, then inside the chalking we write what we feel about Columbus Day,” said MECHA officer Oscar Pelayo.

The Message: The MECHA ceremony is therapeutic for its members, who consider it a time to express their dislike of Columbus. . . . “Mainly we write things relating to the fact that, when Columbus came, who knows how many indigenous people were killed?” Pelayo said. “It’s very much an anti-Columbus ceremony.”

Just Ignore It: Several local Native American organizations believe staging protests against Columbus is a waste of time and energy. “We ignore it,” said Paul Varela, executive director of the Chumash Interpretive Center. “We just learned to live with it and we’re realistic about the fact that it exists.” It’s business as usual for the Chumash, just another day.