Valentine's Day Party Ideas & Valentine's Day Party Entertainment Ideas!

About Valentine's Day

It is impossible to be certain of the origins of our modern celebration of St Valentine’s Day. The Catholic Church recognises 3 saints named Valentine (or similar) who were all martyred for their religious beliefs.

The most popular story centres around Bishop Valentine who defied the Roman Emperor Claudius during the 3rd century AD by marrying couples in secret after the emperor outlawed the practice. The Bishop was captured and jailed where folklore has it that children posted notes of support through the bars of his cell. On the day of his execution, February 14th 269 AD, he allegedly left a final note for the jailor’s daughter signed ’from your Valentine’. This is possibly the origin of the exchange of love messages and modern Valentine’s card-giving.

In 496 AD Pope Gelasius designated February 14th a memorial to Valentine, leading to the saint becoming the patron of lovers, though the church no longer officially recognises St Valentine.

Other beliefs have been incorporated into the celebration, with the ancient Greek God of love, Eros and his Roman equivalent Cupid, the cheeky cherub with the passion-tipped arrow, being used as symbols of love on the designs of modern cards.

‘The rose was sacred to Cupid’s mother, Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love, hence the tradition of roses as a gift of love.

Medieval European customs cite February 14th as the day that birds choose their mates, especially doves, swans and lovebirds who pair for life.

The day developed romantic connotations when the names of girls were written out and placed in a pot. These were then selected by each of the village boys, who then wore the name (their heart) on their sleeve for the rest of the week.

This custom may derive from the Roman feast of Lupercalia, beginning on February 15th in honour of the Goddess Juno,. young boys would select a girl’s name from a jar and pair with them for the week-long festival, often becoming partners for life. After all, everyone knows what happened to the uninhibited Romans when the wine started flowing at their debaucherous ‘festivals’…..!

Romantic Valentine's Day Entertainment Ideas

Let Music Be The Food Of Love

Setting the mood is an important part of getting any Valentine's day party right. For romantic music, hire a harpist or string quartet to set the scene. Crooners such as our Frank Sinatra or Rat Pack Tributes or swing singers are also very popular choices and work well with a romantic Italian theme.

For party theme ideas think hearts, roses, Venice & intimacy.

Romantic Valentine's Day Party Ideas & Themes

Romantic Dinner Accompaniment

Humorous Dinner Entertainment

Throw A Valentine's Day Party With Your Couple Friends