Patriots' Day is a state holiday observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts, Maine, and Connecticut; it is also a public school holiday in Wisconsin. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place on April 19, 1775, marking the start of the American Revolutionary War. It is not a fixed-date holiday.
The core of the inquiry focuses on the temporal attribute of the proper noun "Patriots' Day." Historically, the observance was fixed to the actual anniversary date, April 19. However, in 1969, Massachusetts moved the holiday to the third Monday of the month to create a three-day weekend, a practice Maine also adopted. This legislative change detached the holiday's observance from its specific historical date. The day is now widely associated with civic events, most notably the running of the Boston Marathon.
Consequently, the date of the holiday is variable, falling on a different calendar day each year according to the "third Monday in April" rule. While it honors the events of April 19, 1775, its modern scheduling reflects a legislative preference for creating long weekends rather than a strict adherence to the historical anniversary. This distinguishes the commemorated event from the practical observance of the public holiday.
