Since the airing of the Parks and Recreations episode of “Galentine’s Day” February 11, 2010, the term Galentine’s now serves as a precious holiday for ladies—single or in a relationship—to celebrate their love for one another officially on February 13, preceding Valentine’s Day. Over the past decade, the world adopted Galentine’s Day as a day to appreciate female friendships and to showcase that receiving cheesy heart-shaped candy boxes does not require a significant other.
The fictitious holiday began with Leslie Knope, the protagonist in the National Broadcasting Company’s (NBC) hit sitcom, Parks and Recreation, she expressed Galentine’s as a day to ditch boyfriends and husbands, leaving ladies to celebrate each other and grab lunch or kick it breakfast style with friends. In the “Galentine’s Day” episode, Knope believed that to celebrate Galentine’s Day, women should spend the day rejoicing the important friendships in one’s life in all its non-romantic forms regardless of relationship status.
“I feel like Galentine’s Day is not only about having a partner but a great time to celebrate all relationships whether it’s friends or family. I wanted to celebrate to show appreciation for my friendships and to spend the day with my girls. I’ve celebrated by hosting a party with fun activities and treats to spend quality time with my girls,” junior Kaydence Malcom said.
After the initial release of the episode, the holiday skyrocketed in popularity and businesses began to promote the day of celebration through advertising group spa discounts, brunch deals and special happy hours for ladies all around the world. On Galentine’s Day, Knope arranged gift bags for her closest friends which included a bouquet of hand-crocheted flower pens, a personalized mosaic composed from pieces of crushed-up bottles from their favorite soda and a 5,000-word essay on their remarkable personalities. Now, women follow in her footsteps by celebrating Galentines through booking reservations at well-liked restaurants, exchanging gifts or building exquisite flower bouquets.
“Its entire premise is that women forget about any significant others for the day — and solely focus on celebrating the female friends in their lives. Contrary to the popular criticism that Galentine’s Day patronizes single women, the celebration is meant to be a day of empowerment, and a reminder for women to support and uplift one another,” “People” magazine writers Claudia Harmata and Alexandra Schonfeld said.
While the beauty of Galentine’s Day reigns throughout the 21st century, February 13th, previously garnered the name of Mistress Day. Mistress Day focused on unfaithful husbands and boyfriends who would spend the day with other lovers, and leave February 14th—Valentine’s Day—to spend time with their wives or girlfriends.
On the other hand, Galentine’s Day continues to develop and embrace the spirit of female friendships while inhaling joyous moments and exhaling gratitude toward the women who make one’s life richer. This holiday embraces the opportunity to create long-lasting memories and remember the value of meaningful friendships in one’s life.
