Valentine's Day in Costa Rica: history and marriage figures

Every 14 February, Costa Rica celebrates the Day of Love and Friendship. Here is where the date comes from, who Saint Valentine was and what the official figures say about marriages in the country.

Where 14 February comes from

The date comes from the calendar of saints. According to Vatican News, the Roman Martyrology remembers two Valentines on 14 February, a priest of Rome and a bishop of Terni, although they are probably a single martyr: both accounts have him beheaded and buried in the same place.

1. 1
   Around the year 270, the priest. One account places Valentine, a priest of Rome martyred on the Via Flaminia, in that period.
2. 2
   346-347, the bishop. The account of the bishop of Terni takes place about seventy years later, under the prefect Placidus; Vatican News considers it the historical date of the martyrdom.
3. 3
   The burial. He was buried at the second milestone of the Via Flaminia, where a church dedicated to him was later built.
4. 4
   The lovers. The Benedictines spread his cult in France and England, where he came to be seen as the patron of engaged couples.
5. 5
   2025, in Costa Rica. February is the month with the most marriages registered with the Civil Registry: 3,048 of the year's 25,073.

Timeline

Marriages in Costa Rica, in figures

There are two official sources and they measure different things. INEC counts the marriages held each year; the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) counts those the Civil Registry registers each month, which may have been held earlier. That is why their figures do not match and should not be added together.

According to INEC, between 2004 and 2024 marriages fell by about 12.7 %, and Catholic ones went from 30.8 % to 19.5 % of the total. In 2024 there were 21,499 marriages between a man and a woman, 326 between two women and 311 between two men.

Curious facts

• According to Vatican News, an old writing by the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer says that birds began their courtship on Saint Valentine's feast; by mid-February, nature wakes from the European winter.
• In 2025, February was the month with the most marriages registered (3,048), but in 2024 it was January (2,868 against 2,329 in February): it is not a fixed rule.
• In February 2025, 2,525 civil marriages were registered, against 1,562 in January.
• Saint Valentine is sometimes shown holding the sun, as his feast falls close to the arrival of the European spring.

Frequently asked questions

Is 14 February a public holiday in Costa Rica?

No. It is not among the public holidays of article 148 of the Labour Code, according to the Ministry of Labour's official 2026 calendar. In 2027, 14 February falls on a Sunday.

Why is it celebrated on 14 February?

Because it is Saint Valentine's feast in the Roman Martyrology. His link with lovers began when the Benedictines spread his cult in France and England.

Is February the month with the most weddings?

The TSE's monthly figures are registrations, not weddings, and they show no rule: in 2025 February had more registrations than any other month, but in 2024 January came first.

Sources

• Vatican News: “San Valentino, martire sulla via Flaminia”, saint of the day, 14 February.
• INEC: 2024 Demographic Overview (marriages by type and by type of couple, 2004-2024).
• Supreme Electoral Tribunal: 2025 Statistical Bulletin, tables 20 and 23 (marriages registered by month).
• Supreme Electoral Tribunal: 2024 Statistical Bulletin (marriages registered by month).
• Ministry of Labour and Social Security: 2026 holiday calendar (4 December 2025).