How the Date Is Determined

Valentine's Day is easy to find: it is the same date every year, February 14.

Valentine's Day is always February 14, a fixed date that can fall on any day of the week. It is not a federal holiday. So there is no observed-date rule and no day off. Schools, banks, and businesses run normally. The date comes from the ancient feast day of St. Valentine, not any act of Congress.

History

Pope Gelasius I set up the Feast of St. Valentine in 496 AD to honor a third-century Roman martyr (a person killed for their faith). Early records mention more than one Valentine. Legend says Valentine performed forbidden marriages for Roman soldiers, or signed a note "from your Valentine" before his execution. Historians can verify little of this.

The romantic link came much later. Geoffrey Chaucer's 1382 poem "Parliament of Fowls" tied the feast to birds choosing mates. The oldest surviving valentine letter was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, from the Tower of London in 1415. In the United States, Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts began mass-producing fancy lace valentines in the 1840s. She turned the custom into an industry that Hallmark joined in 1913.

Traditions and Celebrations

Americans exchange about 145 million valentine cards each year. That makes it the second-largest card-sending occasion after Christmas. Typical traditions include:

  • Classroom card exchanges in elementary schools.
  • Red roses, which drive the year's biggest week for florists.
  • Boxed chocolates and candy conversation hearts.
  • Dinner reservations, with February 14 among the busiest restaurant nights of the year.
  • Jewelry, the single largest spending category, plus a growing budget for gifts to pets, friends, and coworkers, including "Galentine's Day" gatherings on February 13.

Teachers receive more valentines than anyone else, thanks to classroom exchanges. The National Retail Federation estimates annual Valentine's spending at more than $25 billion.

Planning Around Valentine's Day

Nothing closes, so planning is about logistics, not time off. Restaurants book out days in advance. Florists suggest ordering early in February. When the 14th lands on a weekend, restaurant demand stretches across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Rose prices usually peak that week. Elementary schools usually hold parties on the nearest school day. To see what weekday it falls on this year, print a February page from our monthly calendars.