When the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" was fired at the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, the first battle of the American Revolution began. This historic event is now commemorated with a Massachusetts-exclusive holiday: Patriots' Day, celebrated this year on April 21.
While Jumbos get the day off of school in honor of the battle, most out-of-state students view the holiday simply as another day off, with few seeming to know the historical origins of the holiday.
Kristen McCabe, a senior from Lynbrook, New York, said that she only became aware of Patriots' Day after coming to Tufts and noticing that on one day she "had no school every year."
McCabe explained that she is uncertain exactly what the day stands for. "I assume it's about being patriotic," McCabe said. "But I don't know much else about it."
McCabe said that the question of the origins of the day is not something that particularly troubles her. "I haven't really thought about it much," she said. "To comment on whether the day is meaningful or not, I'd have to know more about it, but, obviously, I haven't done my own research."
Berrak Siper, a junior from Turkey, was similarly unaware of the history behind the long weekend. "I have no idea," she said. "I mean, people drink, right?"
Siper said that, because of her international background, her first encounter with the holiday was during her freshman year at Tufts.
Adham Azab, a freshman from Watertown, Connecticut, said that he only heard of Patriots' Day two weeks ago. According to Azab, his reaction to seeing the holiday on the calendar was to think, "Patriots' Day, what's that?"
"I know absolutely nothing about it," he said. He added that he has not encountered any Patriots' Day enthusiasts during his first semesters at Tufts.
"I assume that there are such people. I don't know any of them personally," Azab said. "Or if I do know any of them personally, they haven't said anything to me about it."
Dan Millstein, a sophomore and Massachusetts native from Belmont, said that he was familiar with people celebrating Patriots' Day and that he feels the holiday has meaning to his fellow Massachusetts residents.
"It's clear that it's a big deal to some people," he said. "It [Patriots' Day] makes more sense than some of the days we get off."
According to Millstein, a typical way to celebrate Patriots' Day might involve going to see the battle reenactments that take place around Lexington and Concord.
"I did actually go to the reenactment at Lexington once," he said. "You have to get up really early."
Millstein cautioned that the reenactments do tend to be over quickly. "I do remember it's really, really fast," he said.
Millstein said that there's no typical way for Massachusetts natives to celebrate the day.
"It depends on who you are, certainly," Millstein said. "The people who live in that area [Lexington and Concord] do it [attend the reenactments] a lot ... there's a big reenactment society in that area."
Many college students seem to appreciate the fact of the long weekend more than the history behind it - Siper said that in the past she has used the long weekend provided by Patriots' Day to leave one of the few places in the country where the holiday is actually celebrated. "I either go to New York or somewhere else outside Boston because it's a long weekend," she said.
Millstein plans on using the long weekend to just work or sleep, although he did express an interest in going to the Boston Marathon, which is run on Patriots' Day every year. "I'm gonna probably ... [be] catching up on work or sleep," Millstein said. "It'd be great to go to the marathon."
McCabe plans to do just that this year, although it's a departure from her traditional Patriots' Day activities. "This year I'm gonna go down to the marathon, but, in the past, I've usually just done homework," McCabe said.
Regardless of whether people know about the holiday's connection to the American Revolution, most seem to feel the spirit of freedom with the extra liberty given them by the long weekend.
"Just for the long weekend, everyone's happy," Siper said.
Millstein agreed. "Maybe it's just a day off from classes for a lot of people."
