“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year”
The first Galentine was Leslie Knope. An icon and role model, Leslie Knope is one of the lead characters in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, who is responsible for the creation and popularity of Galentine’s Day. But flowers must also be given to the Parks and Rec writer Aisha Muharrar who was behind the infamous “Galentine’s Day” episode!
Galentine’s Day, celebrated annually on February 13th, serves as an important reminder to celebrate the women in our lives, whose friendships we may take for granted but who are always there for us. It’s nice to carve out a day away from romantic love and partners and instead look at platonic love between women.
As a lesbian, I’m celebrating women 24/7/365. But I do understand that some women are in fact in relationships with men. And I love this for them! But as I get older and watch more and more of my friends disappear into their romantic relationships, I’m reminded how much we need things like Galentine’s Day because platonic relationships are just as important. Most people want a person and partner to go through life with, but getting to go through life with a community? That’s the goal.
Build a community with and without your romantic partner
Relationships of all kinds need nurturing and attention. Taking an interest in getting to know and helping out the people around you takes time and care, but will pay off in the long run. No one really expects the worst to happen to them, like being caught in the middle of a natural disaster, having a long term relationship end, being evicted, getting sick or injured, a death of a partner or loved one, or finding themselves in an abusive relationship. Life has a way though, and you need people around you to help lift you up.
Building relationships with your neighbours, co-workers, and other friends means that when you’re sick, someone will bring you soup. And it also means that you get to help them, and who doesn’t love to feel useful? It’s great to build connections as a couple, but I also encourage couples to have friends individually, because breakups do happen, and the custody battle over friend groups is never fun.
Back to Galentine’s, why is it important to celebrate?
Romantic relationships are not for everybody, nor do they come to some people as easily as others. Galentine’s puts the pause on romance and the focus on friendship and seeing our friends as whole individuals outside of their partnership. As womanhood becomes more broad and women choose different paths to fulfillment, we need stronger networks of women to support each other. A lot has been said about celebrating women beyond marriage and having kids, like celebrating home ownership or career goals, and I think Galentine’s is a great way to bring everyone together and celebrate all different paths of life.
I know I certainly wouldn’t be who I am today without the women in my life. From family to friends to teachers to strangers in the women’s bathroom, my life has been dotted with wonderful women who have lifted me up and cheered me on. So even though I can’t celebrate the day with all these women, it is a nice annual reminder to reflect on the many women who have made me who I am today.
Men should take some organizing tips
I think the loneliness epidemic has been hitting us all quite hard, especially following the pandemic, but it seems that from my anecdotal lens that women are bouncing back a little easier. What surprised me the past few years when talking about Galentine’s Day plans with male friends is how they felt left out of the plans. From the outside it looks like Galentine’s is the platonic version of Valentine’s, so to limit it by gender may seem unfair, but as I’ve said above, it’s so much more than that.
To me, it seems that casual hangouts are commonplace among both men and women, but planning out special days seems to be an art lost on men. So I think a small call to action to the men out there is to start planning more elaborate hangouts with your bros or gender neutral friend groups. Enough of grabbing a beer and watching the game, plan a watch party at your house and have everyone bring something to share. Dress in your suits and enjoy a nice meal out as guys. Make more of your friend time special! And this goes for everyone: plan hangouts with your friends with the same attention and care that you do for your dates.
Galentine’s comes once a year, but friendships can last a lifetime. We will all be better off if we take care of our friends with more love and affection. Building community and networks takes time, but the rewards are so worth it. Happy Galentine’s, Palentine’s, and Valentine’s Day to all the wonderful people who make up my community <3
