Patriots' Day – More than just another day off

Here in Massachusetts it is Patriots' Day.  Some people have it off and some don't, but I wonder how many people actually think about what it is.  I have lived in the Commonwealth my entire life, born in Boston and moving out here to Western Mass when I was 5 and so Patriots' Day has always been a part of my life.  It was an extra day off from school for years (until they moved spring break to start on that day), it's been a day to sleep in, a day to watch an early Red Sox game and wonder who was going to win the Boston Marathon and on occasion it has been the reason why we get an extra day to get our taxes done.  In all the years that I have enjoyed Patriots' Day I never really knew what it was, I don't know if they ever taught me about it in school – if they did I don't remember so it is moot now.

For some reason this weekend I started thinking about what this holiday was and why we celebrated it in Massachusetts.  Thanks to the wonder of the internet I found the answer pretty easily–

About.com had the most concise answer
"Patriots' Day is a public holiday celebrated on the third Monday in April, which commemorates the battles fought at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which marked the start of the American Revolution. Patriots' Day was enacted as a legal holiday in 1894 and is observed in both Massachusetts and Maine, which was formerly a part of Massachusetts. Prior to 1969, Patriots' Day was observed every year on April 19."

There is also a Wikipedia entry on Patriots' Day.

I am glad to know now what I am celebrating as I watch the Red Sox at 11am.