Valentine’s Day is coming up and we think you should consider a romantic short-break to Wales. Once you get to know Wales you quickly discover that it has some of the most awe-inspiring – not to mention romantic – landscapes in the country. From the breathtaking beauty of the mountains in Snowdonia to the blissful award-winning beaches on Gower and the quiet rolling hills of the Brecon Beacons, Wales has something for everyone this Valentine’s Day. But first, here is a little bit of history about the famous celebration of Love.
What is Valentine’s Day and how did it start?
Valentine’s Day or St Valentine’s Day, is celebrated every year on the 14th of February. It’s a day when people can show their affection for their loved one by sending cards, flowers or chocolates with messages of love.
Who was St Valentine?
The day gets its name from a famous Saint. The popular belief about St Valentine is that he was a priest from Rome in the third Century AD. Marriage was banned at the time, so St Valentine arranged marriages in secret, but was discovered and thrown in jail and sentenced to death. There he fell in love with the jailers daughter and when he was taken to be killed on the 14th of February he wrote her a love letter signed ‘from your Valentine’.
How did Valentine’s Day start?
The very first Valentine’s Day was in year 496!
Having a particular Valentine’s Day is a very old tradition, thought to have originated from a Roman Festival called Lupercalia, held in the middle of February, which celebrated the beginning of Springtime. Its thought that as part of their celebration, boys drew names of girls from a box. They would become partners during the festival and sometime’s they would get married. Later on, the Church wanted to turn this Festival into a Christian celebration and decided to use it to remember St Valentine too. Gradually St Valentine’s name started to be used by people to express their feelings to those that they loved.
Fall in Love with Wales
If you are looking for a romantic getaway in Wales, look no further, whisk your loved one off their feet and take them on a luxury glamping break in Hay on Wye. The welcome at our Riverside Glamping site is warm and genuine, the accommodation luxury and unique, and views of the River Wye blissful. A stay at By the Wye is the perfect romantic short-break in Wales. Arrive, switch off, and relax in beautiful woodland surroundings with views of the Brecon Beacons Dark Sky Reserve overhead and the sounds of the River Wye babbling along, soothing you off to sleep.