I’m sure we all know the day February 14th, the day to appreciate the love you share with your significant other. The day where roses are red and violets and blue, yada yada. February 14th is the holiday known as Valentine’s Day. This day may make you feel on edge, yet a bit jumpy. Does my gift say “I love you”? Would this dress fit the vibe of the “secret” place he’s talking about? Full of expectations and thoughts, you’re not sure what to think and of course “Valentine” by Laufey is on replay. As you get ready for your Valentine’s date, you call your closest friend for advice and support. Of course your bestie comforts you for the millionth time. She’s the person you can always count on and what better way to say thank you than celebrating a day with her as well?

Now I’m not saying to ditch your boyfriend, but spending time with your girlfriend would be just as meaningful. Plus, you can’t go wrong with spending time with your friends; it’s the perfect day to stay boy sober. This doesn’t only apply to taken people; some may dread this holiday because it’s just another year alone. So if you’re stuck with the Valentine’s blues, I got another holiday that resembles the same tenderness—no man required!

This holiday takes place on the 13th of February, a day before Valentine’s day. This self-made holiday is known as Galentine’s Day. Based on the name, I think one can assume what this day is all about; “gals” aka our girl-friends! Galentine’s Day is a day to appreciate our girl-friends, like what Friendsgiving is to Thanksgiving, Galentine’s Day is to Valentine’s Day!

But where did this holiday come from? Galentine’s Day all began in the 18th episode of a show called, “Parks and Recreation” in the second season. It goes back all the way to March 11, 2010, more than a decade ago! Amy Poehler’s fictional character, Leslie Knope, was the first one to introduce and explain this made-up holiday.

“What is Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it… ladies celebrating ladies. So, basically, it’s the greatest fake holiday ever!” Leslie Knope said.

In the show, Lesie Knope gets her female friends together for a breakfast brunch on February 13th to celebrate their friendships and exchange gifts, recalling all of their past memories. In other words, Galentine’s Day is a day to bring all the women you love and adore in your life together and dedicate it to the girls who make up our support system. Spending a day together where we get to do our favorite activities like hanging out, talking about secrets, and creating memories of a life-time is joyful.

Freshman Emily Flores shares her take on why Galentine’s Day became popular and who she loves to spend this memorable day with.

“I think it’s popular cause you usually have a lot of like girlfriends, so you decide, might as well do it altogether,” Flores said.

Flores shared that there are special women in her life she enjoys celebrating with.

“Usually, my mom and cousins and then I have a friend, Melanie. I’ve known them for so long, and we do a lot of stuff together,” Flores explained.

It seems like Flores embraced the same Galentine’s Day spirit as Leslie Knope, bringing together the females she’s most fond of and simply enjoying each other’s presence. Although Galentine’s day began as a gathering at a breakfast brunch, social media has definitely had an impact on this tradition.

Galentine’s has evolved during the past 15 years, turning into its own tradition for many females and their loved ones. This day turned into a special holiday that reminds us to honor the people in our lives who don’t always get the recognition they deserve. With social media present in our day-to-day lives, many people get creative ideas on ways to celebrate. It also portrays women focusing on things beyond just romantic relationships and learning to celebrate different aspects of relationships.

Flores shared her thoughts on the impact social media has had on the way girls spend the day.

“We’re on social media all the time and they see new ways to celebrate it, so then they’ll change it up and everything,” Flores said.

English teacher Chyna Tran, master of Galentine parties, mentioned her view on social media’s impact.

“I feel like because of social media, now it’s gotten competitive in regards to the aesthetics of it all. Now it’s becoming a whole ordeal,” Tran said.

She also shared how she’s seen many people hiring event planners, arranging table settings and having flower arrangements. Many of us can agree that Galentine’s has taken up our whole feed during the month of February. It appears that Galentine’s is evolving into various traditions for girls. But, how is this any different from Valentine’s? No need to worry, Tran filled in the picture and explained the difference between the two.

“Valentine day’s tradition is, you go to a nice restaurant, you get flowers, and men present chivalry to the women. So Galentine’s day kinda breaks from the norms and it’s more collective in a group setting, so you get warmth and love in a different way,” Tran said. “It brings people together, especially your girlfriends and you really make an effort to cherish those friendships and something different from the daily gathering…you can gather your girlfriends and just bond, laugh, gossip even if you want to,” she said.

I mean what’s better than a day with your girls; afterall Lesle Knope said, “Treat ya selves!”

But Tran also mentioned another thought as Galentine’s Day becomes more known.

“Now brands and companies, any little piece of pop-culture they will use to their advantage for capitalism. Even the word ‘demure’, I swear I’ve gotten like, 15 different emails when the word ‘demure’ was a thing. So they will definitely use these new pop-culture events to their advantage,” she said.

Seems like as Galentine’s Day progresses to grow in fame, brands and companies have been getting more involved. Whether it’s your local nail tech having a post like, “Bring your bestie for a Galentine’s deal!” or a deal for a spring girlfriend’s weekend in Cape May, it’s safe to say Galentine’s Day has become an official-ish holiday. It also gives us ideas on how to share our appreciation with others. After all, the more the merrier!

One holiday that is raising people’s curiosity, is Palentine’s! Tran was kind enough to explain her experience with this holiday.

“I’ve done one where we call it Palentine’s day, where it’s a mix of the girls and the guys. So instead of excluding the men, we’ve done a Palentine’s Day,” Tran said.

We live in a day where Valentine’s Day highlights romantic love and Galentine’s day celebrates and serves as a reminder of the importance of our friendships, especially the ones who support and complete us. This self-made holiday has evolved into something real for people in our community. Whether you decide to celebrate Galentine’s Day or not, remember to appreciate the women in your life, after all, like Leslie Knope says, “It’s only the best day of the year!”