What is Patriots' Day? What you should know about the lesser known New England holiday
Before the pandemic turned the world on its head, thousands of runners descended on Boston every year on the third Monday of April for the famous Boston Marathon.
This year, the marathon will return to its normally scheduled date for the first time since the start of the pandemic. But the storied race has grown to overshadow the lesser-known holiday it celebrates.
The third Monday of every April is Patriots’ Day, a holiday recognized in a handful of states to commemorate the start of American Revolution. In 2022, Patriots’ Day marks not only the return of the beloved Boston Marathon; it also gives residents of Massachusetts and Maine an extra day to file their taxes.
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What is Patriots’ Day?
In 1894, Massachusetts Gov. Frederic Greenhalge proclaimed Patriots’ Day to be celebrated every April 19 to honor the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the skirmishes on April 19, 1775, that sparked the American Revolutionary War.
In 1907, Maine followed suit and made Patriots’ Day a statewide holiday.
Both states celebrated Patriots’ Day on April 19 until 1969, when the holiday was moved to Monday to allow for a three-day weekend.
Government offices and public schools close in Massachusetts and Maine on Patriots’ Day. Festivities include reenactments of the 1775 battles. Boston celebrates the holiday with the marathon and a parade.
The holiday took on added meaning after the 2013 Boston Marathon terrorist bombing that killed three people.
The Boston Red Sox commemorate the day each year with an early game at Fenway Park.
A 2016 film called "Patriots Day" starring Mark Wahlberg, a proud Bostonian, gives an account of the 2013 attack.
Wisconsin became the third state to proclaim Patriots' Day in 2001. It celebrates it every April 19, though it isn’t a legal holiday in the state. Public schools in the state observe the day by teaching about the first shots of the Revolutionary War in Lexington.
In 2017, Connecticut became the fourth state to officially celebrate Patriots’ Day. Like Massachusetts and Maine, it celebrates it on the third Monday of every April. But like in Wisconsin, it isn’t a legal holiday.
The four states are divided on the proper punctuation. Massachusetts and Connecticut call it Patriots' Day while Maine and Wisconsin go with the singular Patriot's Day.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patriots' Day 2022: What is it? What to know about New England holiday
