Why Galentine's Day is an important celebration of female friendship
It's February, which means the shops are filled with red heart-fronted cards. But look closely and you'll notice not all of them are addressed to your Valentine: some are there to celebrate Galentine's Day.
The day originated in an episode in Parks and Rec, the sitcom by Amy Poehler. In an episode from season two (first airing in 2010) of the much-beloved show, Poehler's character, Leslie Knope, hosts a 'Galentine's brunch' on 13 February.
She dubs it, 'The best day of the year,' and given how quickly the term attached itself to our lexicon, highlighting a deep hunger for celebrating platonic love, we'd be inclined to agree.
What is Galentine's Day?
Put simply, Galentine's Day is the equivalent of Valentine's Day for platonic love. That it's celebrated so close to Valentine's itself speaks volumes about its mission: to end the trumping of romantic love over that of friendship.
That's a vital message, says women's relational health educator Danielle Bayard Jackson, who explains that friendship is our first chosen love. 'Friendship is the first time you cared for someone outside of yourself and your family, the first experience you had with learning how to be compassionate. I think we often forget that friendships are our first loves,' she says.
'Friendship is not something we should push to the side. Doing that continues to place romantic love in the position of something that's highly aspirational and the ultimate goal, which can mean friendships get sidelined to achieve it. But friendship is everything: it should even be at the base of romantic love.'
Why does celebrating Galentine's Day matter?
'We have days reserved to celebrate everything else, why not our friendships with other women?' asks Jackson. However, as with Valentine's Day, we can't put emphasis on a single day and forget to prioritise our friendships year-round.
'That means I'm making sure I end work time because I have plans with my friends. Not putting them on the back burner because we want to invest in someone we're dating. Not cancelling because we would rather lounge at home,' she reminds.
'There's research that finds women who have female-dominated circles advance more professionally and make more money. That seeking out other women in times of distress decreases our cortisol. That strong female bonds in childhood sets us up for romantic success in adulthood. There are so many ways that we better regulate our emotions when women come together.'
Sounds like a cause for celebration to us.
Is Galentine's Day only for singles?
Knope says that Galentine's is about putting, 'Uteruses before duderuses […] ovaries before brovaries.' That's a great quote to stick on your fridge, but in 2025 Galentine's Day also has a more inclusive rebranding.
Anyone of any sexuality can take part in Galentine's Day. Galentine's Day is also for those who don't have a Valentine as much as it is for those who do.
'I've been married for seven years, and I look forward to Galentine's Day every year,' says Jackson. In fact, she thinks we need to steer clear of the singles-only messaging around the day. 'The suggestion that you only celebrate friendships if you don't have a romantic relationship isn't right: romance is not a substitution, it's an addition.
'I think that we've got to continue to use language that shows it's important for everyone to celebrate your friends and that your romantic relationship status is completely irrelevant. If we continue to make it a singles thing, it keeps promoting the narrative that friendship is a placeholder until you have a romantic relationship.'
Whether you go for mid-morning waffles like Knope and her pals or opt for a girl's night in, go forth and celebrate your friends on 13 February.
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