Every year on February 14, we celebrate Valentine’s Day, a holiday during which loving couples exchange gifts, affection, and romantic cards written by Hallmark employees. Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine and the observance of his feast day. Who exactly Saint Valentine was and how his feast day became linked to romance is a complicated, mysterious story. What isn’t so complicated or mysterious, though, is how we punctuate the most romantic holiday on the calendar.
Why is it Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is named after and was inspired by Saint Valentine—who may be one of several Christians using that name. Because the day belongs to a saint, we place an apostrophe and an s after his name to get Valentine’s Day. In March, St. Patrick’s Day is another holiday that honors a Christian saint and it too uses the same punctuation as Valentine’s Day.
Less commonly, Valentine’s Day is sometimes spelled as “Valentines Day” or “Valentine Day.” These alternative names are likely due to the fact that the holiday often involves exchanging romantic cards, called valentines, with sweethearts, also called valentines. Since Valentine’s Day is the most widely used name for the holiday, many may consider the variant “Valentines Day” incorrect.
What about other holidays?
Okay, so Valentine’s Day’s punctuation is pretty simple. The same can’t be said for a lot of other holidays. If holiday punctuation is breaking your heart, we’d love to help you out with our useful holiday punctuation guides. Check them out below!
