Honor for a Viking

The Vikings were hardy, daring sea-farers from what are now Norway,
Denmark, and Sweden. More than a thousand years ago, some Norwegian
Vikings under Eric the Red ventured far out into the Atlantic Ocean.
They found a new land, which they named Greenland.

According to the Viking sagas, or stories, Leif Ericson, a son of Eric
the Red, sailed west from Greenland and found still another new land.
The land Leif Ericson found was North America. No one knows exactly
where he landed, but scientists have discovered the remains of a
thousand-year old Viking village in Newfoundland.

Many people feel that Leif Ericson was the discoverer of America. In the
United States, October 9 is officially Leif Ericson Day. On this day,
Norwegian-Americans have special dinners and ceremonies. These are to
honor Leif Ericson and the hardy Vikings who found America nearly five
hundred years before Columbus.

Leif Ericson Day

October 9