Patriots' Day is a state holiday observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts and Maine. It is also a public school observance in Wisconsin. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first armed conflicts of the American Revolutionary War.
The historical events commemorated by the holiday occurred on April 19, 1775. Initially, the observance was held on this fixed date. However, in 1969, Massachusetts moved the holiday to the third Monday of the month to create a three-day weekend, a practice Maine later adopted. The day is marked by several significant events, including historical reenactments on Lexington Green and at the Old North Bridge in Concord. The most prominent modern event associated with the holiday is the Boston Marathon, which has been run on Patriots' Day every year since 1897, with exceptions for global events.
The core term of the inquiry, "Patriots' Day," functions as a proper noun, as it is the specific name of a unique holiday. It is important to distinguish this regional observance from the similarly named "Patriot Day," a national day of remembrance held on September 11 to honor the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. While both names evoke a sense of national pride, their historical context, date, and manner of observance are entirely distinct.
