What the day is
Valentine’s Day is February 14. It takes its name from the feast of Saint Valentine, a martyr remembered in the church calendar on that date. The link with romance is often traced to medieval poetry: Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowls is commonly cited as an early work that connects the day with birds choosing their mates.
Over the centuries the day became one for handwritten notes, and later for printed cards, flowers and chocolate. Today it is marked by couples, but also by friends, classmates and families who swap small cards and treats.
Not a holiday, but a busy date
Valentine’s Day is not a statutory holiday in Canada, so it falls on an ordinary working day or on a weekend. Restaurants can be busy on the evening itself, and flowers, chocolates and cards sell quickly in the days before. If you want a table or a delivery, the countdown shows how long you have left to book it.
How the date is set
February 14 never moves. What changes is the weekday. When it lands on a Friday or Saturday the evening is usually the main event; when it falls midweek, many people celebrate on the nearest weekend instead. The countdown ends at the first moment of February 14 on your device’s clock, and it moves on to next year as soon as the day is over.
Posting a card or ordering flowers
If a card or a parcel has to travel, allow for delivery time and check the carrier’s own cut-off dates. Flowers are perishable, so many florists ask for orders several days ahead and offer set delivery windows. A countdown that shows days, hours and minutes is a good way to see how much of that margin is left, and you can set your own personal deadline with the countdown to any date.
Counting the evening
Planning a date night or a surprise? A countdown timer can pace the evening — dinner, dessert, the walk home — and the clock keeps an eye on the reservation. Counting from the other side? The time-since counter shows how long you have been together, in years, months and days. You can also embed a countdown on a wedding or event page. In Alberta, Family Day follows within a week.
More countdowns
Need a different date? Use the countdown to any date or count up with time since a date.
Questions
What date is Valentine’s Day this year?
Valentine’s Day is always February 14. The countdown above always shows the next one, so it is right for the current year without you looking anything up. Only the weekday changes from year to year, which decides whether the evening falls on a weekend.
Is Valentine’s Day a holiday in Canada?
No. It is widely observed, but it is not a statutory holiday anywhere in Canada, so schools, offices and shops are open as usual. Most people mark it with an evening out, a card or a small gift.
Where does Valentine’s Day come from?
The day is named for Saint Valentine, whose feast is kept on February 14. Its connection with romantic love is usually traced to medieval poetry, and the custom of sending cards grew from there over the following centuries. The early saint’s own story is uncertain.
How many hours until Valentine’s Day?
Look at the row of totals under the countdown. It shows the same wait as weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds in single units, so you can read off the hours directly. The numbers update every second and move on to next year once the day has passed.