Observances galore fall on Feb. 14, 2018

List of options offers something for just about everyone

Happy Valentine’s Day, readers! And Happy Arizona Statehood Day!

That’s right — both observances fall on the same day every year.

And this year, Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, falls on Feb. 14 as well.

Valentine’s Day has existed on Feb. 14 since at least the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared the day St. Valentine’s Day. Valentine greetings, meanwhile, date back to the Middle Ages, with written valentines first appearing after 1400, History. com reports.

Arizona Statehood Day, meanwhile, dates back to 1912, when our state became the 48th in the Union, after President William Howard Taft signed the Arizona Statehood Bill in Washington, D.C. This year, our state will observe its 106th birthday.

Coincidentally, it’s also Oregon Statehood Day, which became the 33rd state in the Union in 1859.

As for Ash Wednesday, the observance marks the start of the traditional season of Lent, which is the 40-day period of prayer, penance and reflection leading up to Easter, USA Today reports. The timing changes each year, depending on when Easter falls.

With three major observances on Feb. 14, one would think the day was filled. Yet according to Holidaysand-Observances.com and Holistory.com, there are a variety of other observances today, too.

It’s Frederick Douglass Day, International Book Giving Day, League of Women Voters Day, World Marriage Day, Quirky Alone Day, National Have a Heart Day, Library Lovers Day, National Donor Day, National Ferris Wheel Day, National Women’s Heart Day, Race Relations Day, and National Crème-Filled Chocolates Day, too. That last one sounds especially delicious.

TheSpruce.com, meanwhile, reports that today is also Read to Your Child Day — and that’s one that is near and dear to our hearts, promoting both literacy and family bonding time.

However you choose to celebrate Feb. 14, whether it’s with one observance or multiple, we hope you have an amazing day!

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