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February 12, 2025 58 mins

Valentine’s Day has changed over the past millennia or so. From a martyred saint, to a feast day, to courtly love and gifting roses and chocolates, where did our current Valentine’s Day traditions come from? Hint: British postal reforms are more important than you’d think!

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, religious persecution, torture, beheading, violence, execution, feces, and sex. 


Housekeeping

- See us LIVE! Buy a ticket to our March 23 live show in Portland at spiritspodcast.com/live. And if you live in or around NYC, RSVP to our free cocktail popup at jointhepartypod.com/popup

- Recommendation: This week, Amanda recommends Deal or No Deal Island. Also, protesting in DC.

- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books

- Call to Action: Listen to Big Game Hunger today!

- Submit Your Urban Legends Audio: Call us! 617-420-2344


Sponsors

- Tempo, where you can get 60% off at TempoMeals.com/SPIRITS 


Find Us Online

- Website & Transcripts: spiritspodcast.com

- Patreon: patreon.com/spiritspodcast

- Merch: spiritspodcast.com/merch

- Instagram: instagram.com/spiritspodcast

- Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/spiritspodcast.com

- Twitter: twitter.com/spiritspodcast

- Tumblr: spiritspodcast.tumblr.com

- Goodreads: goodreads.com/group/show/205387


Cast & Crew

- Co-Hosts: Julia Schifini and Amanda McLoughlin

- Editor: Bren Frederick

- Music: Brandon Grugle, based on "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod

- Artwork: Allyson Wakeman

- Multitude: multitude.productions


About Us

Spirits is a boozy podcast about mythology, legends, and folklore. Every episode, co-hosts Julia and Amanda mix a drink and discuss a new story or character from a wide range of places, eras, and cultures. Learn brand-new stories and enjoy retellings of your favorite myths, served over ice every week, on Spirits.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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