Fast Day (Massachusetts)

E83709

Fast Day (Massachusetts) was a former public holiday in Massachusetts rooted in colonial-era religious observance and fasting, later discontinued and effectively superseded by Patriots’ Day.


Statements (34)
Predicate Object
instanceOf former public holiday
public holiday
religious observance
appliesToJurisdiction Commonwealth of Massachusetts
associatedWith Massachusetts Bay Colony
New England religious traditions
commemoratedBySuccessorHoliday Patriots’ Day
country United States
culturalSignificance reflected Puritan emphasis on communal repentance
dateReformEffect introduction of Patriots’ Day
follows colonial-era tradition of fasting
hasLegalStatus legal holiday in Massachusetts
hasReligiousOrigin Puritan religious practice
hasSuccessor Patriots’ Day
legalAbolitionContext early 20th-century holiday reforms in Massachusetts
locatedIn Massachusetts
observanceType day of fasting and humiliation
day of public prayer
observedBy colonial authorities in Massachusetts Bay Colony
residents of Massachusetts
observedInPeriod 19th century
colonial era
early 20th century
publicHolidayType state holiday
reasonForReplacement declining religious observance
shift toward secular and historical commemoration
religiousCharacter Protestant
replacedBy Patriots’ Day
scope statewide in Massachusetts
status discontinued holiday
supersededBy Patriots’ Day
typicalActivities fasting
prayer
religious services

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Patriots’ Day
replaced

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