Valentine’s Day, St. Valentine’s Day, Saint Valentine’s Day

On this page

• Capitalization of “Valentine’s Day”
• Punctuation used with “Valentine’s Day”
• Variants of “Valentine’s Day”
• Origins of Valentine’s Day
• Additional information

Capitalization of “Valentine’s Day”

Because Valentine’s Day is a proper noun, capitalize both Valentine’s and Day.

• Valentine’s Day falls on February 14.
• Many couples go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day.
• Some people exchange gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Punctuation used with “Valentine’s Day”

Because Valentine’s is a singular possessive noun, write Valentine’s Day with ’s.

• Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with cards, chocolates and flowers.

Variants of “Valentine’s Day”

Though Valentine’s Day is the most common name for this day, you may also see the variants St. Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine’s Day.

The capitalization and punctuation rules for these variants are the same as for Valentine’s Day: capitalize Saint or St., Valentine’s and Day, and write Valentine’s with ’s.

• The children enjoy making cards for St. Valentine’s Day.
• Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries.

Origins of Valentine’s Day

The exact origins of this celebration are unknown. Some say its origins are rooted in an ancient Roman festival. Others believe the celebration originated to honour Saint Valentine. English medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer is often credited with being the first to associate Valentine’s Day with romance in a poem he wrote about birds choosing their mates. Shakespeare and other writers later followed suit.

Additional information

Blog post

• Valentine’s Day: Sweet nothings

Quizzes

• Valentine’s Day trivia
• Valentine vocabulary