Since 1969, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday in April, providing a three-day long weekend. Previously, it had been designated as April 19 in observance of the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.

It is also a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private.

The Boston Marathon is run on Patriots' Day every year so many Bostonians know the holiday as "Marathon Monday." Maine's oldest road race, the Boys and Girls Clubs Patriots' Day 5-Miler, is held in Portland.

Why we observe Patriots Day in Massachusetts

Today marks an anniversary unique to our state. It is Patriots Day, the day on which we celebrate our state's courageous leading role in the founding of the United States.

For most, today is a day off from work or school, a time to enjoy the first taste of spring. Apart from annual celebrations in Lexington and Concord, there is little to mark it.

That's unfortunate, because this is a day that all of Massachusetts should embrace as an opportunity to pay tribute to a generation of Americans who put their lives and worldly goods on the line for basic human rights that we take for granted today — among them elected government, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to a fair trial.

While most people's attention will be focused on the Red Sox and the Boston Marathon, you might pause to consider that sacrifice when you cross the bridge over the North River in Salem near the spot where Gen. Alexander Leslie's brigade of British troops was turned back in its effort to seize the locals' arms; or when passing the simple monument on Peabody's Washington Street, which memorializes the men from that community who fought the British at Concord and Lexington a couple of months after Leslie's retreat.

Were it not for Massachusetts and its inhabitants' defiant resistance to imperial rule, America as we know it would not exist today.

That's quite a legacy, and certainly worthy of commemoration on the third Monday of every April.

http://www.salemnews.com/puopinion/local_story_108233908.html?keyword=secondarystory

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More about Patriots' Day

Patriots' Day is a civic holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of Maine, which was originally a part of Massachusetts. It was created to pay homage to the military skirmishes which marked the turning point in the long struggle for independence between the American Colonies and England. Traditionally, Patriots' Day was celebrated on the 19th of April, in honor of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War, fought on this date in 1775. In recent years, however, Patriots' Day has been observed on the third Monday of every April, thereby providing the residents with a three-day holiday weekend.

Paul Revere rode across the countryside warning, "The British are coming!"

As immortalized in Longfellow's poem, The Midnight Ride, Paul Revere then rode on horseback from Boston to Lexington alerting the Minutemen to the fact that the British were going to attack at dawn. The English soldiers arrived in Lexington early the next morning, the “shot heard round the world" was fired, and the American Revolution officially began. The American Revolution finally ended in Yorktown on 19 October 1781, when Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington. A formal treaty officially ending the war was signed in 1783. Patriots' Day is a school holiday for many of the public colleges and universities in the area and in Wisconsin, such as MIT, Northeastern University, the University of Massachusetts, Babson College, Bentley College, and the Massachusetts College of Art. Occasionally Tax Day falls on the same date as Patriots' Day, causing the tax deadline to be extended by a day for the lucky residents of Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. This is because the IRS processing center for these areas is located in Andover, Massachusetts.

In addition to numerous reenactments, the Boston Marathon is held annually on Patriots' Day, which is why the holiday is also known as Marathon Monday. The Boston Red Sox also have a tradition of playing a home game on this date, starting the game at the same time as the Boston Marathon. It is a popular custom for fans leaving the game to gather in Kenmore Square and cheer on the runners jogging through the area.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-patriots-day.htm

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What do people do?

For some people in the states of Massachusetts and Maine, the third Monday of April is a welcome day off work or school. In the area around Lexington and Concord, re-enactments of the battles in 1775 and the events leading up to them are held. A particular highlight is the opportunity to ring the bell that warned the local troops that British soldiers were approaching. Lectures, concerts and road races are also organized. In Boston, a marathon is held. Most years the Boston Red Sox baseball team schedules a game that is timed so that spectators can watch the runners as they leave the stadium.

In the state of Wisconsin, April 19 is a special observance day for schools. On this date, schools are required to educate students about the events and people centered on Patriots' Day. It is recommended that the observances are held on the actual date, although they are generally moved to Friday, April 18, if April 19 is a Saturday and to Monday, April 20, if April 19 falls on a Sunday.

Public life

Patriots' Day is a state holiday in Massachusetts and Maine, where state, county, and municipal offices are closed. However, Patriots' Day is not a federal public holiday and federal offices are open. Many schools are closed for the spring break. Stores and other businesses and organizations may be open or closed according to local custom. Most public transit services run to reduced schedules, but may not operate in rural areas. There may be some local disruption to traffic around the re-enactments and sports events, particularly in Boston.

If Patriots' Day and Tax Day fall on the same date, the deadline for filing an income tax return is extended for the residents of some states. Patriots' Day is not a public holiday in other parts of the United States.

Background

Prior to 1775, the area that is now the eastern part of the United States mainly consisted of British colonies controlled by the United Kingdom. The American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, was a major step in the independence of the United States. The first battles in this war were fought in the areas of Lexington and Concord, near Boston, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775. For this reason, the third Monday in April is symbolic for the emerging independence of the new country.

An act to amend the Tennessee code regarding Patriot's Day took effect in 2008. The state's code now officially includes the holiday and mentions that its governor proclaims April 19 of each year as Patriot's Day. This day is still not a public holiday in Tennessee. Patriots' Day is also known as Patriot's Day and Patriots Day. However, it should not be confused with Patriot Day, held on September 11 to mark the anniversary of terrorist attacks in the United States on that date in 2001.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/patriots-day