MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) – A total of 424 Moscow couples intend to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day, a spokeswoman for Moscow's civil registry office said on Monday.

More than 1,000 couples got married in Moscow on December 12, 2012, the last time during this century when the same number appeared in the date three times.

Russians began celebrating Valentine’s Day after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the holiday has become almost as popular as Women’s Day, marked on March 8.

In 2008, Russia introduced an alternative to Valentine's, the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness, also known as the Day of Sts. Peter and Fevronia, the Orthodox patrons of marriage. The holiday is marked on July 8, with a daisy as its symbol. However, this holiday is not nearly as popular and widely celebrated as Valentine's Day.