Despite rain, snow, and sleet expected this weekend, restaurants like Patio on Broadway in Providence are seeing high reservations for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14th and is thought to be connected to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. The holiday's modern traditions are largely attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer, who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romantic love in his poetry.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men.

Each Valentine's Day, millions of Americans gift their partners or loved ones with flowers, cards or candy as a token of their affections on Feb. 14. But while some see it as a commercialized "Hallmark holiday,