The term "Patriots' Day holiday" functions as a noun phrase, with "holiday" as the head noun modified by the proper noun "Patriots' Day." It refers to a state-level civic observance in Massachusetts, Maine, and Wisconsin, celebrated on the third Monday in April. The day commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first armed conflicts of the American Revolutionary War, which took place on April 19, 1775. This observance is distinct from the federal "Patriot Day," which occurs on September 11th to remember the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The historical basis for the holiday is the series of events that marked the outbreak of open hostilities between Great Britain and its thirteen American colonies. On the night of April 18, 1775, British troops were dispatched from Boston to seize colonial military supplies stored in Concord. Colonial riders, most famously Paul Revere and William Dawes, rode ahead to warn militia members. The following morning, on Lexington Green, a confrontation between British soldiers and colonial minutemen resulted in the first shots of the war. Later that day, at the North Bridge in Concord, colonial forces engaged and repelled the British regulars, forcing their retreat to Boston in a running battle that demonstrated the colonists' resolve and capacity for organized resistance.
In contemporary times, the holiday is most famously associated with the running of the Boston Marathon, which has been held on this day since 1897. The day is also marked by numerous historical reenactments, particularly in the towns of Lexington and Concord, which stage parades and portrayals of the key battles and Paul Revere's ride. As a public holiday in the observing states, government offices, schools, and many businesses are closed, allowing for widespread participation in these commemorative and athletic events.
