National Patriots' Day

National Patriots' Day Journée nationale des patriotes
The green, white and red tricolour used by the Parti patriote between 1832 and 1838.
Official name	Journée nationale des patriotes
Also called	Fête des patriotes (Patriots' Holiday)
Observed by	Quebecers
Type	Historical, secular, patriotic
Celebrations	marches, music concerts, banquets, fireworks, public speeches, awards ceremonies
Ends	TR
Date	Monday before 25th of May
2016 date	May 23, 2016
2017 date	May 22, 2017
2018 date	May 21, 2018
2019 date	May 20, 2019
Frequency	annual

National Patriots' Day (French: Journée nationale des patriotes) is a statutory holiday observed annually in the Canadian province of Quebec, on the Monday preceding 25 May. The holiday was instated by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec-in-Council in 2003, according to the then Premier of Quebec Bernard Landry: "to underline the importance of the struggle of the patriots of 1837–1838 for the national recognition of our people, for its political liberty and to obtain a democratic system of government." Before 2003, the Monday preceding 25 May of each year was unofficially the Fête de Dollard, a commemoration initiated in the 1920s to coincide with Victoria Day, a federal holiday occurring annually on the same date.

The citizens of Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu organized, in 1937, the Fêtes du centenaire de 1837, in order to commemorate the "struggles of the Patriotes of 1837–1838 for liberty, the national recognition of our people and for democracy." The festivities took place at various sites across the municipality, and some residents produced souvenirs of the event.

Beginning in 1962, on the 125th anniversary of the 1837 rebellions, a public gathering in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu to mark the rebellion became an annual event. On 6 October 1982, the so-called Patriots' Day was declared by the Quebec Governor-in-Council as occurring each year on the Sunday closest to 23 November. The desire to see the Journée des patriotes gained​ a more official character and incited some citizens to campaign for the celebration to be declared a statutory holiday, either as a new holiday or in replacement of an existing one. In 1987, the Club Souverain de l'Estrie started the movement "For a paid holiday in memory of the Patriots," while other organizations, such as the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal and the Comité du 15 février 1839 (founded by Pierre Falardeau in 1997 to help finance the movie 15 février 1839), later joined in the campaign.