What does Valentine's Day Celebrate?

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Who Smarted? — “What does Valentine's Day Celebrate?”

Date: February 9, 2026
Host: Trusty Narrator (Atomic Entertainment/Starglow Media)
Guests: Cupid (character), Chet Nickerson

Main Theme & Purpose

This lively episode of "Who Smarted?" explores the traditions, origins, and quirky symbols of Valentine’s Day. With humor, interactive trivia, and character-driven banter, the podcast unpacks why Valentine’s Day is celebrated, how familiar customs developed, and what’s really up with hearts, Cupid, chocolates, and more.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Is Valentine’s Day Really About?

• Celebrates friendship and love:
  • Cupid: “Valentine’s Day is a celebration of friendship and love. Of course, you can let your friends and family know you love and care about them every day. But Valentine's Day is a special day to remind you of your loved ones.” [03:15]
• The hosts note that it’s not as major as Christmas or Halloween, but it’s a fun opportunity to share appreciation with friends and family.

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How Did Traditions Start?

• Ancient Roman Roots:
  • The holiday traces back to an ancient Roman festival at the start of spring.
  • Cupid: “The citizens of ancient Rome had a festival to celebrate the start of spring. It happened around the time we celebrate Valentine’s Day today. And many of our traditions come from this festival.” [03:51]
• Cupid’s Origin:
  • Cupid: “Did you know that I, Cupid, am the ancient Roman God of love?” [03:58]
• Festival activities:
  • Boys drew names of girls from an urn to be “festival partners”—the classroom Valentine card exchange echoes this custom [04:18].

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Symbols and Traditions

1. Doves and Lovebirds

• Doves were considered ancient symbols of love.
  • Cupid: “Doves were a symbol of love. And some people still use doves or lovebirds as a symbol of love for Valentine’s Day today.” [05:21]

2. Naming the Holiday

• The Roman spring festival wasn't called Valentine's Day—it was called “Lupercalia.”
  • Named after Saint Valentine—a Roman who secretly married couples against the emperor’s wishes [06:03–06:36].

3. Valentine’s Day Poems

• French nobleman the Duke of Orleans is said to have sent the first Valentine’s Day poems to his wife—while he was in jail.
  • Cupid: “The Duke of Orleans, a French nobleman, is believed to have written the first Valentine’s Day poems in letters to his wife.” [07:01]
  • Trusty Narrator: “Aw, that’s so sweet.” [07:14]

4. Hearts and Valentine Cards

• The heart has long been a symbol for love:
  • Cupid: “When you give someone a heart shaped valentine, it’s like telling them that you’re giving them your heart.” [08:10]
• Medieval traditions (ribbons on hearts) trace to jousting knights whose loved ones gave them ribbons for good luck [08:54].

5. Lace on Valentines

• The word “lace” comes from Latin "lacqueus" (to snare or net). Adding lace means you hope to "capture" someone's heart [09:09–09:22].

6. Cupid and His Bow & Arrow

• The segment personifies Cupid:
  • Cupid: “According to the legend, anyone I hit with one of my arrows falls in love.” [12:45]

7. Modern Traditions: Cards, Candy, Flowers

• Valentine’s Cards/Hallmark:
  • Fun fact: Hallmark, the greeting card company, is “the largest greeting card company in the world,” dating back to 1910 [13:43].
• Candy and Chocolates:
  • Cupid: “It’s traditional to give something sweet to a sweetheart on Valentine’s day. And like everything else on Valentine’s Day, the heart theme is strong, as chocolates come in heart shaped boxes.” [14:36]
• Flowers:
  • Roses and flowers show affection—“Flowers are pretty, smell great, and let someone know you care about them.” [14:59]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Quote | Speaker | Timestamp | |---|---|---| | “Valentine’s Day is a celebration of friendship and love. Of course, you can let your friends and family know you love and care about them every day. But Valentine’s Day is a special day to remind you of your loved ones.” | Cupid | 03:15 | | “The citizens of ancient Rome had a festival to celebrate the start of spring. It happened around the time we celebrate Valentine’s Day today. And many of our traditions come from this festival.” | Cupid | 03:51 | | “Did you know that I, Cupid, am the ancient Roman God of love?” | Cupid | 03:58 | | “When you give someone a heart shaped valentine, it’s like telling them that you’re giving them your heart.” | Cupid | 08:10 | | “It’s traditional to give something sweet to a sweetheart on Valentine’s day...” | Cupid | 14:36 | | “I wrote a special Valentine’s Day poem... Roses are red, violets are blue. I don’t even like pizza as much as I like you.” | Trusty Narrator | 06:41 | | “I gotta say, it’s weird talking to a really old baby who’s also a God, but it’s also pretty sweet.” | Trusty Narrator | 14:00 | | “Heart and smart and something else. But all kidding aside, why are there so many hearts on Valentine's Day?” | Trusty Narrator | 07:29 |

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & how people celebrate: [00:01–01:35]
• Cupid arrives; symbols and early traditions: [01:51–04:34]
• Classroom Valentine exchange tradition & puns: [04:34–05:01]
• Doves and Roman love traditions: [05:01–05:30]
• Naming the holiday (Saint Valentine): [05:46–06:36]
• First Valentine’s poems; hearts as a symbol: [06:52–08:10]
• Ribbons and luck (medieval tradition): [08:23–09:02]
• What lace represents: [09:09–09:22]
• Cupid’s matchmaking arrows: [12:42–12:55]
• Modern traditions: Hallmark & candy: [13:43–14:36]
• Flowers and wrapping up: [15:10–16:02]

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Character & Humor Highlights

• Chet Nickerson’s running “meat cake” joke adds comic relief:
  • Chet: “Is it a heart shaped meat cake?” [01:19]
  • Chet: “Meat cake. Um, sorry, this reporter is not a big fan. Fan of meat ca. Actually, I’d love some meat cake.” [15:37]
• Friendly teasing between Trusty Narrator and Cupid about Cupid’s baby form and powers [04:08, 07:52, 09:37].

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Tone & Language

Playful, approachable, full of puns and lighthearted banter, the tone is perfectly targeted for kids, families, and classrooms. Educational facts are woven seamlessly into jokes, dialogue, and trivia questions, keeping the learning fun and interactive.

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In Summary

Listeners learn that Valentine’s Day has ancient roots, honors both friendship and romance, and is packed with cool traditions — from Roman festivals and a secret-marrying saint, to poetry, hearts, candy, and clever cards. Whether you’re into heart-shaped pizzas, meat cakes, or just giving a friend a “be mine” candy heart, the heart of the holiday is about caring for the special people in your lives.

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Transcript

[Trusty Narrator]

And now it's time for who's Smarted? Psst. Hey, smarty pants. You may or may not be aware, but there is a special holiday coming soon. It's the one where you might see a lot of hearts and red and pink things. It's a day when we let our friends and family know how much we care about them. Any idea what holiday I'm talking about? Go ahead and shout it out. That's right. Valentine's Day. Smarty pants. Do you know some of the ways people celebrate Valentine's Day? How do you celebrate Valentine's Day? I'm hearing some great answers. You can give and receive Valentine's Day cards to and from your friends and family. Or maybe you'll get a box of candy like chocolates or those little hearts with cute things written on them. Or you might have a little party in school. Of course, some of you might not celebrate Valentine's Day at all. After all, it's not one of the major holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or even Halloween. Personally, I enjoy Valentine's Day because I get to throw a Valentine's Day party for my who Smarted friends. And every year, I order a special heart shaped pizza from my favorite pizzeria and a heart shaped cake from my favorite bakery.

[Chet Nickerson]

Oh, is it a heart shaped meat cake?

[Trusty Narrator]

No, chocolate. Oh, sorry, Grandma. I'm afraid more people prefer chocolate cakes to meat cakes.

[Chet Nickerson]

Oh, that's okay. Besides, I brought a box of meat cupcakes for everyone to try.

[Trusty Narrator]

That sounds delicious. You can put those in the oven to heat up. In the meantime, I've invited someone who knows a lot about Valentine's Day to help us learn more about this special day. Ooh, I think I hear them now.

[Cupid]

Greetings, smarty pants. It is I, Cupid, here to help the trusted narrator learn about my favorite holiday, Valentine's Day.

[Trusty Narrator]

Smartypants, you may have seen Cupid on Valentine's Day Cards or decorations. Even though he looks like a baby with wings. No offense, Cupid is an important symbol of Valentine's Day.

[Cupid]

No offense taken. I am a baby with wings who can talk and shoot arrows and play the harp.

[Trusty Narrator]

Exactly. And today you'll be helping us answer questions like, what is the true meaning of Valentine's Day? When and where did the Valentine's Day traditions we all know come from? And why is a flying harp playing arrow shooting baby the mascot of Valentine's Day? It's time for a big whiff of science and history. But hopefully not Cupid's diaper. On who's smarted.

[Chet Nickerson]

Who'S Smarted. Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. But who's smart?

[Trusty Narrator]

And so, Cupid, Valentine's Day is really fun to celebrate. I love to give and get cards and candy. But what are we celebrating on this day?

[Cupid]

Well, Trustee, Valentine's Day is a celebration of friendship and love. Of course, you can let your friends and family know you love and care about them every day. But Valentine's Day is a special day to remind you of your loved ones.

[Trusty Narrator]

Which is why I'm throwing a who's Smarted themed Valentine's Day party for all my smarty friends. They've helped me learn about science and history, joined me on fun smarting adventures, and have helped make who Smarted such a fun show to listen to. By the way, smartypants, do you know where and when some of the Valentine's Day traditions started? Was it ancient Rome, ancient Greece, or ancient Egypt?

[Cupid]

If you said ancient Rome, you're right. The citizens of ancient Rome had a festival to celebrate the start of spring. It happened around the time we celebrate Valentine's Day today. And many of our traditions come from this festival. By the way, did you know that I, Cupid, am the ancient Roman God of love?

[Trusty Narrator]

You're a God? Whoops. Sorry about the diaper joke earlier.

[Cupid]

Oh, I didn't hear it. What was it?

[Trusty Narrator]

Oh, nothing. Never mind. Anyway, you were saying.

[Cupid]

At the ancient Roman festival celebrating the start of spring, boys picked the names of girls from an urn to find a partner for festival events. Sometimes festival partners even fell in love with. If your class at school has a box for Valentine's Day cards that relates to this tradition.

[Trusty Narrator]

Of course, today, the Valentine's Day box is about having fun with friends and classmates. When I was in school, I remember making special valentines for my friends. I drew pictures of a heart shaped pizza and wrote valentine. You have a pizza. My heart. Get it?

[Cupid]

Yeah.

[Trusty Narrator]

Give me a break. I was 8.

[Cupid]

I didn't say anything. Anyway, back in ancient Rome, the symbol of love was a bird whose name rhymes with love. Any guess what it is?

[Trusty Narrator]

A bird that rhymes with love. Rhymes with love. Hmm. It's not a pelican. Or any seabird for that matter. Blue jay, robin, hawk. Smarty pants, I hope you're better at this than me. Oh, wait a second. I got it. Dove. Dove. Rhymes with love.

[Cupid]

There you go. Doves were a symbol of love. And some people still use doves or lovebirds as a symbol of love for Valentine's Day today.

[Trusty Narrator]

Right. But you can put anything you want on your Valentine's Day card. So pizza is okay too?

[Cupid]

Sure, why not?

[Trusty Narrator]

Now, wait a second. True or false, Smartypants? The spring festival was always called Valentine's Day. The answer is false.

[Cupid]

The ancient Roman festival of health and fertility was called Lupercalia.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ah. So how did Valentine's Day get its name? Smarty Pants isn't named after a dog, a king, or a saint. The answer is a saint.

[Cupid]

Saint Valentine lived in Rome, but he lived a long time after the ancient spring festival. There were a lot of stories about St. Valentine's life. One involved an emperor named Claudius II. Claudius II didn't want people to get married. He thought single men made better soldiers because they wouldn't have a family to work.

[Trusty Narrator]

Um, that does not sound like a great beginning for a holiday about love.

[Cupid]

I'm getting into it. As you can probably guess, St. Valentine wasn't too happy about all this, so he decided to let couples get married in secret.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ah, now we're talking. By the way, I wrote a special Valentine's Day poem for all of the smarty pants. Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't even like pizza as much as I like you.

[Cupid]

Could use a little work, but I guess it's the thought that counts.

[Trusty Narrator]

Speaking of poems, who was the first person to write Valentine's Day poems? Was it St. Valentine, Cupid, or the Duke of Orleans?

[Cupid]

While Valentine's Day may be named after Saint Valentine, and I, Cupid, am the God of love. The Duke of Orleans, a French nobleman, is believed to have written the first Valentine's Day poems in letters to his wife.

[Trusty Narrator]

Aw, that's so sweet.

[Cupid]

Yeah, that's the good part. The bad part is he wrote those poems while he was in jail.

[Trusty Narrator]

Oh, well, at least he had plenty of time to think up some good rhymes. Say, that rhymes. You know what else rhymes? Heart and smart and something else. But all kidding aside, why are there so many hearts on Valentine's Day? What is the central organ in your body that pumps blood have to do with love? Smarty pants. Do you know?

[Cupid]

Well, hearts have been a symbol of love since ancient times. Just like me, right?

[Trusty Narrator]

Except you don't look a day over one year old. No offense.

[Cupid]

None taken. Anyway, the reason why hearts are a symbol of love, and by far the most popular Valentine's Day symbol is that when you give someone a heart shaped valentine, it's like telling them that you're giving them your heart.

[Trusty Narrator]

Aw. And we can't live without our hearts. So that makes it extra special. Of course, some valentines have ribbons on the heart. Wouldn't aortas make more sense.

[Cupid]

Scientifically? Yes, but ribbons on valentine hearts is a tradition dating back to the middle ages when knights competed in jousting tournaments, the loved ones often gave them ribbons.

[Trusty Narrator]

Hmm. Why would knights loved ones give them ribbons? Is it A, to put bows in their horses manes, B to make their armor look fancy, or C for good luck?

[Cupid]

While the answer is C for good luck, I suppose knights could use the ribbon to decorate their armor or horses.

[Trusty Narrator]

I've also seen valentines with fancy white lace. Does that have any special meaning or tradition too? Or does it just look nice?

[Cupid]

Well, the word lace comes from the Latin word lacqueus, which means to snare or to net.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ah, so giving someone a valentine with lace on it means that you're hoping to capture their heart.

[Cupid]

Exactly. Although I can also help with that.

[Trusty Narrator]

I was wondering why you were carrying a bow and arrow. Although I'm not sure what archery has to do with love or that it's safe letting a baby use a bow and arrow.

[Cupid]

Alright, enough with the baby jokes. The reason I have a bow and.

[Trusty Narrator]

Arrow is coming up right after this quick break. As the trusty narrator, I've taken the smarty pants on countless adventures. I'll do anything for the fans, but off mic, I prefer to keep my adventures in the safe space of my own backyard. However, even a homebody like me can't avoid the unexpected chaos that comes with family life. Take last week for example. My niece was staying with me when she came down with a nasty cold in the middle of the night. I couldn't leave her alone to get medicine. And that's when I remembered Doordash is there for you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. With a few taps on my phone, I had cough syrup and tissues delivered right to my door. Doordash saved the night and my niece was back to her energetic self in no time. Oh, and did I order a little ice cream for myself? Yes, I did. And Doordash brought it right to my door. So while I may not be the biggest fan of real life adventures, I'm grateful that Doordash is always there to help me navigate life's little emergencies. When life happens, get a little order delivered with doordash order. Now let's do this.

[Will Harris]

From the artist that made K Pop, Demon Hunters and Spider Verse, I'm Will.

[Cupid]

Harris, and I'm the first small to play professional roar ball with the fiercest.

[Will Harris]

Animals in the most dangerous stadiums and producer Stephen Curry.

[Chet Nickerson]

You don't belong here. You're too small.

[Cupid]

Wanna bet?

[Will Harris]

You're never too small. Let me show you what I got to dream big.

[Chet Nickerson]

Well done. Card.

[Trusty Narrator]

Night Night Goat.

[Chet Nickerson]

I need to hear it.

[Cupid]

You goats are real. I like it.

[Will Harris]

Parental Guidance Suggested holding theaters Thursday.

[Trusty Narrator]

Hey there homeschool parents. Trusty here and wow. February. Oof. Am I right? The days are short, the calendar is packed, and you want to keep learning consistent and moving towards spring goals without more stress for you. For your kids, that is where IXL comes in. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling. It offers interactive personalized practice across math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. Whether your kids need to reinforce a tricky concept or they're ready to zoom ahead, IXL handles the heavy lifting at your kids pace, including immediate and simple explanations of anything they get wrong so you don't have to be an expert on, well, everything. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and who SmartEd listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when you sign up today at www.ixl.com smarted. Visit www.ixl.com smartEd to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Now back to who's Smarted? Hey, easy with that bow and arrow, Cupid. You almost hit me.

[Cupid]

What's wrong, trusty? You don't want to fall in love?

[Trusty Narrator]

Huh?

[Cupid]

According to the legend, anyone I hit with one of my arrows falls in love.

[Trusty Narrator]

Whoa. That sounds like a pretty amazing power for Valentine's Day.

[Cupid]

It is. I'm quite the matchmaker. Of course, many people celebrate Valentine's Day by showing love to friends and family.

[Trusty Narrator]

Exactly. I made some fun valentines for my friends to show I care. For example, I made one for Chet that says, breaking news. You're a great friend. Oh, and this one for my niece Gia that says, whoa, you're awesome.

[Cupid]

Those are great. Trusty and even though early valentines usually contain serious messages, you're certainly not alone in sending funny valentines. Also, I appreciate that you made your own valentines, but lots of people also buy their Valentine's cards and gifts in stores. In fact, Valentine's Day is sarcastically referred to as a Hallmark holiday because so many people buy and exchange Valentine's Day cards made by companies like Hallmark.

[Trusty Narrator]

Smarty pants, true or false? Hallmark is the largest greeting card company in the world. The answer is true. They're also the oldest as they were founded in 1910.

[Cupid]

Yep, but not as old as me.

[Trusty Narrator]

I gotta say, it's weird talking to a really old baby who's also a God, but it's also pretty sweet. Oh, and speaking of, there's something else we need to talk about that I'm sure a lot of smarty pants look forward to on Valentine's Day. Go ahead and shout it out.

[Chet Nickerson]

Meat cake.

[Trusty Narrator]

No, not that I'm talking about candy, but why is candy, in particular chocolates such a big part of Valentine's day? Is it because A, people need to get rid of leftover Halloween candy, B, candy is sweet, or c, it would be gross to give out meat cake?

[Cupid]

Obviously, the answer is B, candy is sweet. It's traditional to give something sweet to a sweetheart on Valentine's day. And like everything else on Valentine's Day, the heart theme is strong, as chocolates come in heart shaped boxes. Or you can get candy hearts with cute messages written on them.

[Trusty Narrator]

This one says, be mine. I think I'll give it to the pizza when it gets here.

[Cupid]

You, my friend, might have a pizza problem. Besides candies, giving flowers are also a big part of the Valentine's day tradition. Flowers are pretty, smell great, and let someone know you care about them.

[Trusty Narrator]

Yep, I made a giant 3D heart out of roses that I'm gonna give out to all my friends at the party. But for now, I want to hang it high up on the wall. Oh, say, cupid, would you mind flying up and hanging this flower heart for me?

[Cupid]

Sure thing, Trusty.

[Trusty Narrator]

There, that looks great. I love it.

[Cupid]

Well, as you know, love is my specialty.

[Trusty Narrator]

Ooh, I hope that's the heart shaped pizza.

[Chet Nickerson]

This is Chet Nickerson reporting live from the trusty narrator's Valentine's day party, where a flying baby carrying a bow and arrow can be seen hovering above the living room. Meat cake. Um, sorry, this reporter is not a big fan. Fan of meat ca. Actually, I'd love some meat cake.

[Cupid]

Works every time.

[Trusty Narrator]

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. A super shout out to longtime smarty fan Emmy in Yerevan, Armenia, you wrote to tell us that who Smarted is the funniest podcast you've ever heard and that you've also watched every episode of our show, brainchild of on Netflix.

[Cupid]

Wow.

[Trusty Narrator]

And I know you want an episode on Armenia. Well, we have something big planned for you. Stay tuned. Emmy. This episode, Valentine's Day, was written by Sarah Sweetick and voiced by Taya Garlett, Adam, Tex Davis, and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn. Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room studios. Our associate producer is Max Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colber. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.