Valentine's Day Countdown

How many days until Valentine's Day?

The Valentine's Day countdown above ticks every second to 14 February in your local time zone. The date is fixed — same day every year — so the countdown automatically rolls over the day after Valentine's Day to start counting down to the next year.

When is Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day — formally Saint Valentine's Day — falls on 14 February every year. It's celebrated globally as a day to honour romantic love, though customs and intensity vary widely by country.

Valentine's Day weekday calendar through 2031

2026 and 2027 are particularly favourable — Valentine's falls on a weekend, ideal for dinner reservations and romantic getaways. 2028 (Monday) and beyond pushes most celebrations to the previous weekend.

Origins of Valentine's Day

The day is named for one or more early Christian martyrs called Valentine. The most popular legend involves Saint Valentine of Rome, a 3rd-century priest executed under Emperor Claudius II around 270 CE. Tradition holds that he secretly performed weddings for Christian couples — illegal at the time — and that on the night before his execution, he wrote a farewell note to his jailer's daughter signed "from your Valentine."

The romantic associations were popularised by the medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. His 1382 poem Parlement of Foules linked Valentine's Day with the start of the bird mating season — and by extension, with human romance. The tradition of exchanging cards and gifts became established in 18th-century England and spread globally.

Valentine's Day by the numbers

• Cards exchanged annually — approximately 145 million Valentine's cards are sent in the US alone, making it the second-largest card-sending holiday after Christmas.
• Roses — about 250 million roses are produced specifically for Valentine's Day each year. Red roses are by far the most popular.
• Chocolate — chocolate sales spike 50%+ vs an average week in the days before Valentine's Day.
• Restaurant bookings — Valentine's Day is consistently the busiest restaurant night of the year, with reservations typically filling up 2–4 weeks in advance.
• Engagement rings — Valentine's Day is one of the most popular days of the year for marriage proposals (alongside Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve).
• US spending — averaged $26 billion in recent years, including gifts for partners, friends, and even pets.

Valentine's Day gift planning timeline

If you're using this countdown to plan, here's what to do at each interval:

30+ days out

• Book restaurant reservations — top spots fill 3–4 weeks ahead
• Order anything custom (engraved jewellery, photo books, personalised gifts)
• Plan travel if going away for the weekend

14 days out

• Order online gifts (last day for standard shipping in most regions)
• Book hotel if staying somewhere special
• Plan logistics: childcare, pet sitting, etc.

7 days out

• Order flowers (most florists need 5–7 days notice for Valentine's delivery)
• Buy a card — major card stores often run low close to the day
• Plan the meal if cooking at home

1–2 days out

• Pick up perishables: fresh ingredients, wine, dessert
• Wrap gifts
• Confirm reservations

Valentine's Day around the world

Many countries observe Valentine's Day, but with distinct traditions:

• United States, UK, Canada, Australia — exchange of cards, flowers, chocolates between romantic partners. Children also exchange small cards in school.
• Japan — women give chocolates to men on 14 February. There are two types: giri-choco (obligation chocolate, given to colleagues and acquaintances) and honmei-choco (heartfelt chocolate, for romantic interests). Men reciprocate on White Day (14 March).
• South Korea — same as Japan, with women giving chocolates on 14 February and men reciprocating on White Day. Korea also has Black Day on 14 April for singles, who eat black noodles together.
• China — observes Western Valentine's Day, plus the traditional Chinese Qixi Festival (the "double seventh" — 7th day of the 7th lunar month, usually August) which is sometimes called "Chinese Valentine's Day."
• Brazil — celebrates Dia dos Namorados on 12 June (the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, the matchmaker saint) instead.
• France — among the most romantic celebrations: candlelit dinners, weekend trips to Paris, and a traditional history of love notes dating to the 14th century when Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote one of the earliest known Valentine's letters from the Tower of London.
• Italy — known for elaborate romantic dinners and gift exchanges. Verona (the setting of Romeo and Juliet) hosts a major Valentine's festival.
• Wales — has its own romantic day on 25 January, Saint Dwynwen's Day, with carved wooden lovespoons exchanged.
• Iran — Western Valentine's Day is unofficially celebrated despite religious restrictions; Iran also has its own ancient love festival, Sepandārmazgān, around 24 February.

Anti-Valentine's traditions

Not everyone loves Valentine's Day. Several anti-Valentine's traditions exist:

• Singles Awareness Day — informally observed on 15 February (or sometimes 14 February itself) by self-identifying singles celebrating self-love or independence.
• Black Day (Korea) — 14 April. Single people who didn't receive Valentine's or White Day gifts gather to eat black noodles together.
• Galentine's Day — 13 February. Coined by the TV show Parks and Recreation, now widely celebrated as a day for female friendships.

Why is Valentine's Day in February?

Several theories explain the date:

• Saint Valentine's martyrdom — traditionally said to have occurred on 14 February.
• Pagan replacement — the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia was held on 13–15 February. The Catholic Church may have established Valentine's Day to replace it.
• Bird mating season — Chaucer's romantic association noted that birds were thought to begin pairing in mid-February in medieval England.

All three theories likely contribute to why the date stuck.