Valentine's Day

February 14 is Valentine's Day. Although it is celebrated as a lovers' holiday today, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love, it originated in 5th Century Rome as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Catholic.

Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him. When Claudius found out he Imprisoned and decapitated Valentine. During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously heal her from her blindness before his death. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine." The phrase has been used on his day ever since.

Charles, duke of Orleans, sent the first true Valentine card in 1415 to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.

Cupid, another symbol of the holiday, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty.

In the past decades Valentine's Day celebration have taken a different turn. It is no longer just about messages and cards, but also, celebrating it with your loved one.

So Treat your loved one this Valentine's Day with a range of exciting ideas from partybookings.com, the UK's leading organiser of festive celebrations and events. From London Medieval Banquets, to Thames River Cruises, or go on a Gardening workshop amidst the luxuries of a four-star hotel, dancing, or the cupid capsule at the London eye...make this, a Valentine's weekend to remember.