Patriot’s Day is an official state holiday, but only in Maine and Massachusetts. State government offices and some but not all businesses and organizations also remain closed. While it occurs on the third Monday of April each year, the holiday commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, which were fought by local colonists against soldiers of the British Army on April 19, 1775. These battles are considered the opening of armed combat in the American Revolution. First run in 1897, the Boston Marathon is held on this holiday.