Valentine's Day falls on …. Here's the live count:
Counting down to something else — an anniversary, perhaps? Build your own with the countdown timer, or browse all holiday countdowns.
Valentine's Day is February 14, a fixed date that never moves. The countdown above targets the next February 14 from today; once the day has passed, it rolls over to the following year automatically. Because the date sits in mid-February, the day of the week changes from year to year — the page shows the exact date, weekday included, so you can see at a glance whether it falls on a weekend (book early) or a weekday (flowers at the office).
The day honors Saint Valentine — or possibly more than one of them, since Roman records mention several martyrs named Valentine (and one pope). The feast day of February 14 was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. For centuries it was a religious observance with no romantic meaning; the connection to love grew in the 1300s, in the circle of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, when courtly culture began linking the date to the start of birds' mating season. You'll often read that the day replaced the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February — it's a tidy story, but modern historians are divided on whether any direct link exists. Handmade paper cards were exchanged by the 1700s, and industrially printed cards turned February 14 into the celebration we know.
Valentine's Day is one of the dates where waiting costs you. Popular restaurants take reservations weeks ahead and fill completely; florists handle their busiest day of the year and prices for roses climb as the 14th approaches. Knowing you're looking at 40 days rather than "about a month" is the nudge to book the table and order the flowers while the good options still exist.
Is Valentine's Day on the same date everywhere? Mostly — February 14 is observed across North America, Europe, and much of the world. A few places celebrate love on their own date instead: Brazil's Dia dos Namorados is June 12, and China's Qixi festival follows the lunar calendar.
Is Valentine's Day a public holiday? No. In the United States and most other countries it's a regular working day — the celebrations happen around work, not instead of it.