00:00The story of Valentine's Day seems to be charming and delightful, but it's filled with some rather
00:05strange stuff. Traditions that make you ask, who thought this was a good idea? In ancient Rome,
00:11February was about the festival of Lupercalia. The festival involved sacrificing goats, and young
00:17men would run through the streets, gently whacking women with strips of goat hide, which was believed
00:22to improve fertility. But after several centuries, the church looked at this whole goat thing with
00:27fresh eyes and said something like, um, we need to rebrand this instead of a livestock ritual. Take
00:32a look at our roster of saints. Who can we promote to a starring role? What about Valentine? Perfect.
00:39So the church set aside February 14th to honor St. Valentine. But initially, the day had absolutely
00:45nothing to do with love and romance. That wouldn't come until much later during the Middle Ages,
00:50when poets began to link the feast day to the time when birds chose their mates.
00:55Always wondered. Stream it now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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