Valentine's Day
Next: February 14, 2027
Say it, for once, out loud.
The story
Where it comes from
14 February is the feast of Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century Roman martyr about whom almost nothing certain is known. The link to romance is medieval and probably English: Geoffrey Chaucer's poem Parlement of Foules (c. 1382) is the first text to connect the day with birds choosing their mates, and by the 15th century lovers were exchanging 'valentines'. Printed cards followed in the 1800s; Esther Howland of Massachusetts built the first American valentine business in the 1840s.
How it's celebrated
Cards, flowers (red roses above all), chocolate and a dinner out are the Western template. East Asia has its own choreography: in Japan and South Korea women give chocolate on 14 February and men reciprocate on White Day, 14 March, and Korea adds Black Day on 14 April for the single. In Brazil the equivalent is Dia dos Namorados on 12 June; in Malaysia and Singapore Valentine's is widely celebrated among couples, with restaurants booked out weeks ahead.
Did you know
- Roughly 145 million Valentine's cards are sent each year in the United States alone, second only to Christmas.
- In Japan, chocolate given out of obligation to colleagues has its own name, giri-choco, as opposed to honmei-choco for someone you actually love.
- Finland and Estonia celebrate 14 February as Friend's Day (ystävänpäivä), for all friendships rather than couples.
The greeting
Happy Valentine's Day!
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