Today is February 13th, simply known to some as the day before Valentine’s Day. However, in recent years, this date has become a popularized holiday known as Galentine’s Day, a day of “celebrating platonic friendships, usually among women.” Like every other great American holiday, Galentine’s Day has become commercialized- but before we get into that, let’s take a look back at its history.
On February 11th, 2010, many tuned in to NBC to watch the sixth episode of the second season of the beloved TV sitcom, Parks and Recreation. The show’s main character, Leslie Knope, spends the episode celebrating her female friends. She does this by starting a tradition of hosting a breakfast for all of her closest girlfriends (and even her mom) at their favorite local diner. An assortment of brunch favorites are served, such as chicken and waffles. Knope even gifts each of her friends items varying from a mosaic picture of them made out of their favorite soda bottles, to a personalized 5,000 word essay about why they are amazing.
Fast-forwarding to today, almost a decade later, Knope has created a real life holiday. When you Google who invented Galentine’s Day, surely enough Leslie Knope, a fictional television character, is credited.
So, how has this holiday become a commercialized, cultural phenomenon? With the help of social media and popularity gained from Parks and Recreation, February 13th is now a day filled with memes, brunch celebrations, and plenty of #galentinesday hashtags. I have personally seen Galentine’s Day posts on my Instagram and Twitter feeds from clothing brands and restaurants. For example, I’ve noticed that stores will have limited-time sales on clothes for women to wear while they celebrate the holiday with their friends. Restaurants have even caught on to the trend, advertising for women to come in with their friends for a Galentine’s breakfast or brunch.
However, some say this holiday is an “anti-Valentine’s” celebration. I don’t think that’s the case. To me, this is a great way for girls to celebrate the female friendships they have, regardless of whether or not they have a significant other! After all, the world could use more celebrations like this.
-Hannah Lewis
For more information, read this article: What is Galentine’s Day?
IMC Hawks Blog 
Hi Hannah,
I love that Galentine’s Day is a thing because everyone wants to celebrate people who mean the most to them. I agree with you that it shouldn’t be viewed as an “anti- Valentine’s” celebration because spreading love and appreciation on a special day should not be limited to just romantic relationships. Valentines Day can leave people feeling sad if they do not have a special someone to celebrate with but the newer holiday helps eliminate that feeling. After all, don’t some people think that Valentines day is a Hallmark holiday? I say, spread love any day but friendships are special and Galentine’s Day gives a reason for you to celebrate friendships. I am so glad you brought up Galentine’s Day so that more light can be shined on cherishing friendships this upcoming February 14th.
Hey Hannah!
This was an excellent article! I love the idea of Galentines Day! I think it is so important for women to empower each other in a society where we feel so self-conscious and are constantly being brought down. In our day to day lives, I think it is so easy for us women to forget to remind our friends how much they mean to us. I love the idea of a day devoted to supporting one another and bonding. I agree with you that, I do not think it is an anti-valentines day holiday. It is so cool to me that we can take time to value our female friendships, as sometimes they can be more important than our intimate relationships. My sorority is even having an event tonight with another on-campus sorority to promote friendships and women. I have always heard the term “Galentines” but never knew the origin behind it. My boyfriend loves to watch Parks and Rec so I think it is so cool that that is where it originated from, I thought it was simply a social media term. I think it is awesome that it is not just a term used but is becoming a real holiday that women are celebrating! I am a little late to create an extravagant celebration for Galentines this year, but now that I know more about it I really want to do something for my friends next year. Thanks for such an interesting and informative article!
Victoria Nelson ❤
Hannah,
I really enjoyed this article! It made me smile because I love celebrating Galentine’s Day with my friends and it’s always so much fun. It’s a great way to come together and show how much you love each other. Leslie Knope is a brilliant woman for coming up with this! I think it’s both funny and great how a fictional television character created this holiday. I agree that this isn’t a “anti-Valentine’s” celebration, but a celebration of friends. I think everyone could use a little more love in their life whether its giving or receiving. I will forever celebrate this holiday with my friends. Thanks for the fun article before Valentine’s Day.
First of all, I would like to say that I love your stance on Galentines day and your addition of Parks and Rec as well as Leslie Knope drew me straight into the article because I am a big fan. I enjoy Valentines day because it is a day to celebrate your loved ones, but Galentines day is a whole new level. We all love our boyfriends and husbands, but I think as a female, I can say, I love my girlfriends jut as much, and nothing is better than girls who are all excited to celebrate Valentines day. In my personal relationship, we don’t make valentines day a big deal. Dinner and flowers is all that is expected from my boyfriend, but for my girls, we go all out. My current roommate actually couldn’t;t even wait until valentines day to surprise me! she came into my room this past Monday night and brought me my favorite candy! Galentines day is definitely something that deserves to be celebrated because your best girlfriends deserve love too.
Hey Hannah!
Awesome article, I watched all of Parks and Rec and actually had no idea that Leslie Knope was the first to use the term “Galentine’s Day.” I agree with you that this day shouldn’t be seen as an “anti-valentines day” thing. I think it’s important to take a day out of the year to celebrate your female friends that have been by your side through thick-n-thin. I know for a lot of people Valentine’s Day can be sad and boring if you don’t have a significant other to spend it with. Galentine’s Day can bring happiness and remind people that friendships are important to celebrate. Thanks for this article and showing the importance of February 13th!
Hey Hannah,
I love Leslie Knope and the tradition she started! What a great way for women to support women! I think it’s super interesting that industries are starting to capitalize on this 21st century holiday. Social media must be a huge factor, because if people are talking about it then industries want to be part of the conversation. I would love to know some specific examples of industries marketing to the target audience of single women. I’m sure it’s on social media, I just haven’t seen anything myself.
One thing I think that could get lost in this new holiday is that Leslie Knope didn’t buy giant teddy bears for her friends or boxes of chocolate. She made them gifts and wrote them letters. That is really rare today and I think that’s actually what makes her version of Galentine’s Day so special. I hope industries don’t mess it up too much and that us ladies remember that it’s more about the heart behind Galentines Day that matters, not the pressure to have a perfect meal or a perfect gift. Also, I think it’s funny that they do it a day before Valentine’s. Wouldn’t it be better to buy discount chocolate the day after? Just a thought 🙂 Anyway, Happy Galantines day to you! And great article!
I love Galentine’s Day! I see it as a day in which men and women can show each other “love” in a way that doesn’t always have to have a romantic connotation to it. It’s also a good way for single individuals who are looking for something more to find each other. I believe that it is beneficial to all relationship statuses and does not take away from the festivities on Valentine’s Day. If you truly care for someone, everyday you should be treating your significant other as if its Valentine’s Day. I say that to say this, the love between couples should be strong enough to “withstand” Galentine’s Day events and, if other single people having a good time disrupts that connection then you have something else you need to be focusing on.
Hey Hannah,
I loved reading this post. I’ve never heard of Galentines-day! I think it is an awesome holiday though, it’s a good day to show appreciation to your girl friends. I agree that it should not be looked at as some “anti-valentine’s day” holiday. Why should Valentines day be looked at as a negative day just because you don’t have a significant other? I think Valentine’s day is about love in general, not just about a significant other. Now knowing the given information that there is a holiday to celebrate the appreciation of your girl friends, I think it all evens out! After reading this I searched the tag #galentinesday, and so many pictures and posts popped up on Instagram and Twitter. Thanks for the awesome information, it was a very good post.
I am totally in agreement (also, Parks and Rec is an amazing show and Leslie Knope rocks). I actually happened to spend some time with my girlfriends today, walking the loop and watching a gorgeous sunset in Wrightsville Beach. After taking some pictures, one of my friends remarked that today was Galentines, according to the assortment of Snapchat filters. I didn’t even realize it had a designated day, even though the term has been familiar to me the past couple of years. The cute little doodle on Snapchat depicted flowers and champagne flutes that we could toast each other with. Valentines Day is hard day for a lot of people. It seems to be a day where if you aren’t in a relationship, the world is ending. However, I think both Galentines and Valentines are great holidays because at the end of it all, they are just celebrating love. We love our families, friends, and significant others, and we can celebrate that every day, and maybe with something a little extra on February 13-14.
I loved this post! Valentine’s day has always been my favorite holiday because of all the great memories as a kid. I remember the school parties with handmade card boxes, funny valentines cards, and all of the delicious treats attached. It was always a day of celebrating friendships but now as a college student a lot of the magic has worn off. Valentine’s day can be depressing for those that don’t have a significant other. That’s why I love this idea of Galentine’s day. It brings me back to when the holiday was just about showing people how much you cared about them. Happy Galentine’s Day!
I love Parks and Rec and think it’s fantastic that through a show that pushed strong female characters so strongly as a positive influence, there is now even a day that celebrates the friendships between women! So many times Valentine’s day is so much about what we can give each other, we forget that the real purpose of the day should be to recognize the value of our loved ones. Galentines provides an awesome precursor to get observers in that mood by beginning with recognition of what makes your friendships so special before you celebrate the relationship between your significant other the next day.
Hi, Hannah!
I loved this article and couldn’t agree with you more! I feel as though there has been a sort of stigma surrounding Valentine’s Day in the sense that it can only be celebrated if you are in a romantic relationship. However, growing up in a household where I received gifts from my parents every Valentine’s Day, I appreciate all of the challenges to this stigma! It’s a day filled with love and appreciation, and who better to show some love to than my best girl friends? They empower me, lift me up, and welcome me into their lives. After all, if you really think about it, most of our first “Valentine’s” were our kindergarten classmates – no romance needed. In an era filled with people trying to drag women and each other down, this is exactly the kind of day and press that we need.
Hi, Hannah!
I loved this article and couldn’t agree with you more! I feel as though there has been a sort of stigma surrounding Valentine’s Day in the sense that it can only be celebrated if you are in a romantic relationship. However, growing up in a household where I received gifts from my parents every Valentine’s Day, I appreciate all of the challenges to this stigma! It’s a day filled with love and appreciation, and who better to show some love to than my best girl friends? They empower me, lift me up, and welcome me into their lives. After all, if you really think about it, most of our first “Valentine’s” were our kindergarten classmates – no romance needed. In an era filled with people trying to drag women and each other down, this is exactly the kind of day and press that we need.
Hey Hannah!
Cute post for Galantine’s. It’s crazy because I actually just started watching Parks and Recreation about last year but I had always thought Galantine’s day was a thing! I know that it can just be seen as another plea to advertisements, but I actually think that it’s a really important holiday. As we all know, being single for Valentine’s isn’t always the most fun, especially as a girl, so I think it’s a great thing that can help lift the spirts for you and your girls. I also think that it’s really important to make your friends feel loved and appreciated (no matter the holiday) and that’s a great excuse to show them. I also think it’s cool because it’s geared more towards women, so it’s a cool way for us to get together and empower each other in a positive way that’s not seen as a crazy feminism movement. Happy Galantines!
Hannah,
As a huge fan of Parks and Recreation, I’m glad someone wrote about Galentines Day this year! I was not aware that Leslie Knope was the originator of Galentines Day so that was an interesting fact I learned from your article. I think it’s so important to celebrate friendship (especially female friendship) around a time that seems like it’s only about romance. I see the holiday as a way for women to support women no matter their romantic relationship status. Female friendship is something this generation truly takes to heart. In the past few years, female friendship has been promoted through social media, clothing, music, and movies. There is nothing wrong with Valentines day and celebrating a romantic relationship, but friendship is a large pillar in human lives that should also be celebrated. As one of the most iconic TV woman of this generation, Leslie Knope created a new holiday that reflects the true importance of female friendship. Thanks for the information! Happy Galentines Day!
Hi Hannah!
I personally love the idea of Galentine’s Day. I think it’s a great way to celebrate Valentine’s day beyond more than just couples. Why not use it as a reason to spend time with your closest girl friends? Me and the girls I work with do an annual Galentine’s date night where we all go to dinner and then a movie. We just did ours this past Monday and it also doubled as a surprise bridal shower for one of the girls. Needless to say it was a fun time and a great memory. My best friend and I always get each other little Valentine’s gifts. I think you can definitely view the holiday as being more than just romantic love, but love for everyone including your friends.
Happy Galentine’s Day!
In fact, I just got back from a Galentine’s Day Party/Shindig! It was so surprising to see the amounts of products that are fine-tuned to this holiday. From balloons, napkins, cups, and even straws, it is a new market that has become so successful. Girls celebrating girls, listening to music by only female artists, taking pictures with each other, it personally seems out of hand. That we as girls will spend over twenty dollars on various merchandise, just to show others that we are a part of this new trend/holiday. It is successful in reaching a target of any girls of all ages, shown in ‘Parks and Rec’ with a daughter inviting her mother, and makes girls yearn to be a part of this brand. Very cool read that sparked lots of thought!
Hannah,
I loved this little piece on the history of Galentines Day! I really had no idea where it came from, for a while I actually thought that it was a holiday that only college students celebrated and I was sheltered since I didn’t really know about it until my Sophomore year of college. The idea I absolutely love! Having a special day to celebrate your most cherished girlfriends! Also it’s another way to include everyone, because we can’t forget our single friends! I never really thought more of it, but now after reading this I do! I’ve never actually watched parks and recreation. I also agree that this isn’t an anti-valentines celebration at all, I think it’s beneficial! Hopefully the new-ish holiday won’t become too commercialized.
Hey Hannah!
This is an awesome post! I have known that Galentine’s day is always the day before Valentine’s, on February 13, however I did not know the history of it. Galentine’s day is the perfect time for us to celebrate and cherish our girl friends. I think Galentine’s day is cool because even if you do not have a “Valentine” to celebrate, you still get to celebrate the holiday with your girl friends. I believe having a strong female support system is such an important thing and we do not appreciate our girl friends enough. Thanks to Galentine’s day we have a whole day dedicated to celebrating our amazing friendships with our girls!
Hannah,
I loved your blog post! I myself have celebrated Galentines Day for years, with my best friends. I love this holiday, especially for those who may not have a significant other and feel left out during the holiday. It gives you a time to celebrate your close girl friends, support them, and make them feel loved. It is a day where you can show love and affection to both men and women without it having to be romantic affection. I also like this holiday because I feel like it isnt as centered around material things, but instead showing love and affection.
Hey Hannah, Parks and Rec is one of my favorite shows and I will never forget the first time I watched the episode where Leslie invented Galentines day. The past few years I have indeed celebrated it with some of my close girl friends; last year we made chocolate covered strawberries, ate ice cream and watched movies together! This year I actually have a boyfriend so I will be celebrating with him but I definitely wouldn’t have been opposed if my girls wanted to get together the day before; I love my friends and any day that I would get to celebrate our awesome friendship I would always be down for.
Hi Hannah! I absolutely love your article and i agree on your view of Galentine’s day! Even though I celebrate Valentines day with my boyfriend, Galentine’s day is a day for me to appreciate my friends and show them a little love. I am a hopeless romantic and live for this holiday but its nice knowing that we have Galentine’s day to appreciate friends without the romantic touch. I can see why some girls play this day as the “anti-valentine’s day” because they might’ve been hurt in the past or just don’t have a romantic side to them and they see this Galentine’s day as a way to appreciate their friends and family. Overall I love both of these holidays and will always celebrate them! So Happy Galentine’s/Valentine’s day to you!
hey Hannah, It’s really awesome you wrote about Galetinesday! I think it’s such a great holiday and I don’t think it’s bashing Valentines day at all. I actually think it’s amazing one of my favorite TV characters was able to make this into a real holiday and tradition. It’s all about female on female love and women empowerment. I think for a lot of women valentines day can be depressing because they don’t have a significant other to share it with but Galentines day still gives single girls something to celebrate and thats how amazing and beautiful women are. It says with or without a romantic partner we are amazing and just because we are single on valentines day theres nothing wrong with that!
Hannah,
I loved reading this article! I think Galentine’s Day is such a fun and exciting holiday because it allows you to celebrate the love you have for your friends and not only a significant other. I agree with your point that it shouldn’t be viewed as negative and as being an “anti-valentine’s day,” it instead allows for even more love to be celebrated. Galentine’s day has been such a positive holiday because of how much attention it’s gotten through the media. Not only have TV shows created episodes that are based around the holiday, like you discussed, but also through social media. I actually read something on Cosmopolitan magazine the other day talking about Galentine’s Day and what a fun day it is!
I don’t think Galentines-day is an anti valentines celebration. Before this was a big thing me and my closest female friends always had a deal on valentines day. We also went out and made little gift bags to give each other so by the end of the day we had a bookbag full of gifts. This did happen on Valentines Day but same thing. I find it good that girls take the time to celebrate our love for each other. Every Girl can celebrate Galentines-day. Leslie Knope was not single while celebrating her friendships.
Hannah,
I loved this response on Galantine’s day! Honestly, I had not heard much about this “holiday” before this year, but I love the concept. Also, wonderful connection to such a popular show such as Parks and Recreation. On a separate note, I worked at my restaurant last night, on “Galantine’s Day”, and we actually had a lot of girl groups coming in which was different form our usual clientele of couples and large parties… maybe there is a relation to the “holiday”? Apart from this, I have also seen posts from friends on social media with the hashtag “#galentines”! I also hope that others do not think of this movement as an “anti-Valentine’s” celebration because I agree that this is not the motive behind this movement.
Thank you for your insight,
Lindsay Stanley
Hello Hannah! I really enjoyed reading this; I love Parks and Recreation but I never knew that Leslie Knope was credited with being the founder of this awesome holiday. That’s so cool, go Knope! It is really interesting that something so simple that made its first appearance on a Netflix series has now made its way to being a very popular holiday celebrated by many people. It’s funny how quickly things catch on, and marketers will quickly hop on the opportunity to take something and make it into another way to make money. Not that Galentine’s Day isn’t something to be celebrated, but that is a great example of something that marketers see as a way to advertise and lure the public in. Whether it be restaurants enticing ladies to bring their ladies in for a nice bite, or clothing stores displaying fashionable items for women to represent their Galentine’s Day pride, these are ways for marketers to make more money off the public for a one-day experience.
Galentine’s Day is a really cool day of celebration in my opinion, and I think it is awesome that it is now considered a holiday by tons of people. And for those who think it’s anti-Valentine’s Day, I think they’re just looking at it from sort of a negative perspective. It’s awesome that there’s a day that women can take the time to truly honor and value the friendships they have with other women. Personally, I think we need more of that! While yes, it is a way for advertisers to throw more ways to spend money in our faces, I like to look at if from the perspective that on this day women can get together and have a great time with each other and let one another know how much their friendships mean to each other! Thank you for sharing this article!
Hey Hannah!
This is a great article! I love Parks and Rec and think it’s so interesting that people have really taken to “Galentine’s Day” and started actually celebrating it. I, personally, also celebrate Galentine’s Day. I think it’s a great alternative for people who are either sad about being single or want to celebrate how awesome their friends are. This is why I agree that it’s not against Valentine’s Day, but rather takes away from its hype and puts more focus on friendship!
Hi Hannah! Your view on Galentine’s Day is just like mine! In fact, I think it’s a great way to celebrate the friendships in your life. Love is so much deeper than romantic relationships. Showing your friends you love them is just as important!
I like the idea of Galentine’s Day because we grow up to believe that Valentine’s Day is a time for romantic love. In fact, every Valentine’s Day I didn’t get candy or a card from a significant other, but my parents. That’s probably true for most people. Galentine’s Day makes the day more about all different sorts of love, not just romantic love. Right now, we need to put as much love in the world as possible, so the holiday is a hit. I’m pleased to see the reaction people have with it, its okay to be single just as much as its okay to be in a relationship. As long as you’re happy and have love in your life, Feb. 14 should be special for you.
Hey Hannah!
I was interested to learn that Glanetine’s Day was something that originated from a TV show. I never got into Parks and Recreation so that was a fun fact for me. I also agree with you that Galentine’s Day is not an anti-Valentine’s celebration, but rather a way for some to celebrate the holiday with the rest of the country. During my single Valentine’s Days in the past, I never really knew how to participate in the holiday without being in a relationship. It was like a Halloween party but I wasn’t allowed to dress up with everyone. In my opinion, Galentine’s day is a way to celebrate the holiday without having a significant other. I think it is a way to include as many people as possible and have the holiday affect more than just couples. On the other hand, people often suggest that Valentine’s Day is a propagated holiday designed for the market and sales. Is Galentine’s Day just an extension of that idea and a way for companies to make more money off of the one holiday? It’s not just the ones who feel left out or the females trying to tell their girly friends that they love them who are rooting for Galentine’s Day. Just some food for thought. Loved the read!
Taylor Hennessey
I think Galentines day is awesome! It is a great opportunity for girls to celebrate and love on each other. I don’t think it takes away from Valentines day, either. Both are cute, fun holidays that, yes, are commercialized holidays, but cute nonetheless. I think it’s time people stopped hating on Galentines and Valentines and just let everyone have their fun! Wether you’re single or in a relationship on this day, it is a great opportunity to show love to others, especially your GALs. 🙂
I really enjoyed reading this response on Galantines day! I was unaware that this was an actual day to celebrate but I think it is very important. Something I have learned over the years is that your girl friends will always be there when guys won’t, so its that much more important to cherish and spend time with them. A lot of times when people get into relationships, they obliviously start to distance themselves from their friends. Galantines day is a great day to celebrate and let your girl friends know you care about them!!
Wow, interesting article! I had no idea of such a holiday. I guess it’s because i’m a guy. But it made me think there should be something on that day for guys, like Malentines day. This would ensure you girls have no distractions.
I like the reference to parks and rec, it gives the article credibility.
Hey Hannah!
First off, I love the topic you choice! Galentine’s day should be a legitimate holiday, and this is probably the only episode from Parks and Rec that I can remember (I am more of an Office fan). Your last comment on how this day is not an ‘anti-valentines day’ was great to bring up because whenever I have talked about galentines day in front of some people they tell me to stop hating on people who are in love or to stop being bitter about it. Jokes on them because I am bitter about more important things. But It is important to celebrate your gal pals and your friendship. Great post!
Hannah,
First off I had no idea Galentines day was actually a real phenomenon, I thought it was a play on words. I LOVE that it was started by Leslie Knope, a fictional character, and grew do to social media. That is so cool to me how we as a society can come together to pull things together like that and make it a real celebration! I personally don’t necessarily agree with the holiday because I believe Valentine’s day is about love. Not specifically for a significant other, but for friends and family and everyone you love. So I personally get annoyed when people get angry with the holiday because they are “single”. I love Valentines day and celebrating everyone in my life who I love! Although, now that I know Leslie Knope was the creator of this “holiday” I love it so much more!
Erica Hardy
Hannah,
I loved this!!!! I love Parks n Rec and all things Leslie Knope. I think that the idea of Galentines day spreads such a healthy message. It isn’t about your relationship status but about women gathering around one another expressing their love. I’m so glad that this TV show has touched lives in such a positive message, especially for women. Women should spend their time lifting one another up rather than putting one another down, which you see a lot in today’s society. Thank you for this post, it brightened my day, now I’m gonna go watch this episode!!
Hi!
I love the idea of Galentines Day! I do not watch the show “Parks and Rec” a lot, but that is so interesting to know Galentines Day was created by them! I personally think it is great that women get a day to celebrate their friendships, but like you mentioned, it is another way for brands to try to get people to buy their products. I saw a few boutiques too having a small sale on clothes for Galentines Day. Thank you for your post, it did get me thinking!
Meredith Wilson