After the chaotic excitement of the holiday season and the inevitably dull January that followed, the beginning of February signals the next excuse to go out and celebrate: Valentine’s Day. The only problem is that the holiday may feel daunting for those who don’t have a significant other to celebrate with. But there’s no need to worry since Valentine’s Day is preceded by a fictional holiday celebrating female friendships: Galentine’s Day. Coined by Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s Day falls on February 13 — the day before its more well-known counterpart. This is a holiday that’s all about celebrating with girlfriends, wherever and however it may be.
While some may scoff at this alternative holiday, there’s no denying the impact Galentine’s Day has had in the media and in real life. Just doing a simple Google search reveals how mainstream Galentine’s Day has become in recent years. And with Hallmark selling Galentine’s Day cards and Walmart creating a Galentine’s Day display every year, it’s apparent that corporations have seized the opportunity to add to their Valentine’s Day sales. The media has also capitalized on Galentine’s Day, with dozens of articles from Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and Elle being published on what to wear, what to eat, and where to go to celebrate Galentine’s Day.
But rather than simply dismissing Galentine’s Day as a corporate scam, there is some merit to the holiday. Galentine’s Day serves as a counternarrative and an alternative to a holiday that is the ultimate celebration of our society’s glorification of straight, cis-het couples. From an early age, young girls are exposed to media and conversations that encourage finding a good boyfriend or husband. Many grow up yearning for someone to celebrate Valentine’s Day and enjoy cute, classic Valentine’s Day activities with. Galentine’s Day tells us this doesn’t have to be the case, that we don’t need to mope around waiting to find a partner to celebrate the next Valentine’s Day with.
Other than the cliched, and in some sense, exclusionary, nature of Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day is significant for other reasons as well. It’s easy to forget that not everyone is looking for a partner right now. Our society tells us that if we don’t have a partner, we’re searching for one, and if we do have a partner, we’re automatically content. But for many different kinds of individuals, this isn’t necessarily true. For people going through a bad breakup or heartbreak, Valentine’s Day can be a painful reminder that they want to forget by celebrating with friends. For people who are going through a rough time and just really want to spend time with their friends, Galentine’s Day is a welcome occasion. And for those in long-distance relationships unable to visit each other but have friends nearby, Galentine’s Day can hopefully be a source of comfort.
Galentine’s Day attempts to fulfill many of the gaps that Valentine’s Day fails to consider, embracing anyone who doesn’t necessarily want, or have the opportunity, to spend time with their significant other. Maybe it’s a little silly, but it’s time we acknowledged the importance of Galentine’s Day — and other alternative holidays that give everyone an opportunity to celebrate.