The subject of the inquiry is the proper noun "Patriots' Day." It is a civic holiday officially observed on the third Monday in April in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Maine. The states of Connecticut and Wisconsin also officially recognize the day, though with different levels of observance. The date is not fixed but floats to create a three-day weekend.
This holiday commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Menotomy, the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, which took place on April 19, 1775. Originally, the holiday was observed on the fixed date of April 19. However, in 1969, Massachusetts enacted a law to move its observance to the third Monday in April, aligning with the federal Uniform Monday Holiday Act's principle of creating long weekends. Maine had made a similar change a decade earlier. Wisconsin's observance remains a public school holiday specifically on April 19.
In modern practice, the day is marked by numerous events, most notably the running of the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriots' Day since 1897. Other significant events include historical reenactments of Paul Revere's ride and the battles at Lexington Green and the Old North Bridge in Concord. The Boston Red Sox baseball team also traditionally hosts a home game at Fenway Park with an early morning start time, making the holiday a unique blend of historical remembrance and major contemporary sporting events.
