So, having a fair amount of Norwegian and Swedish blood in me, I have occasionally wondered if there was any kind of Scandinavian equivalent to the holidays that my Irish-American and Italian-American friends celebrate each year (St. Patrick's Day and Columbus Day, respectively). Being a Spongebob Squarepants devotee as well, I decided to Google "Leif Erikson Day" this morning and, voila!, it turns out that Leif Erikson Day is a real thing. Viz:
"To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of Norway, and to celebrate our Nordic-American heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 9th of each year as “Leif Erikson Day.”
Lief Erikson gets honored a day or two before Columbus, every year. It seems somehow appropriate. So Hinga Dinga Doergen to all!
"To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of Norway, and to celebrate our Nordic-American heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 9th of each year as “Leif Erikson Day.”
Lief Erikson gets honored a day or two before Columbus, every year. It seems somehow appropriate. So Hinga Dinga Doergen to all!

