The keyword term contains the proper noun "Patriots' Day," which is a state-level civic holiday in the United States. It is officially observed on the third Monday in April in the states of Massachusetts and Maine. The state of Wisconsin also officially recognizes the holiday but observes it on the fixed date of April 19.
The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Menotomy, which occurred on April 19, 1775. These armed engagements between British regulars and American colonial militia were the first military conflicts of the American Revolutionary War. The establishment of the holiday on the third Monday in April (in Massachusetts since 1969 and Maine since 1907) created a three-day weekend, while Wisconsin's observance directly honors the specific historical date.
Contemporary observation of Patriots' Day is most famously associated with the running of the Boston Marathon, which has been held on the holiday annually since 1897. The day is also marked by historical reenactments, particularly in Lexington and Concord, as well as parades and other civic ceremonies. As a state holiday, not a federal one, its recognition and associated public closures are primarily confined to the observing states.
