Galentine's Day Guide - What it is, Fun Facts, and How to Celebrate (2024)

What do waffles, crocheting and essays have in common? They’re all part of the original Galentine’s Day! Learn the history of the day & more!

Who would have though that an unofficial, made up, holiday would be so widely celebrated!

Below is our ultimate Galentine’s Day guide including the history of the day and how it came to be.

We also have a list of fun ways to observe the day. Have you celebrated Galentine’s day before? Let us know in the comments below.

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What is Galentine’s Day?

Galentine’s Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the wonderful female friendships in your life! This special day is an unofficial holiday, but one that is fun to celebrate none the less.

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It’s a day to gather with your friends, and celebrate the love all around you, not just the love of romantic relationships.

While it’s traditionally a day for gal-pals, we encourage inviting any of your friends that you’d love to shower with extra love! The more the merrier!

When is Galentine’s Day?

Galentine’s Day occurs annually on Feburary 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. If you’re interested in learning more about Valentine’s Day make sure you check out our guides to Valentine’s Day symbols and the colors of Valentine’s Day.

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Sometimes people celebrate it on other days in February out of convenience, but the 13th of February is the official date of Galentine’s Day.

While the holiday falls on the 13th, its first appearance was in an episode of Parks and Recreation that aired on February 11, 2010.

Parks and Rec Galentine’s Day history

The writers of the show Parks and Recreation created an episode titled “Galentine’s Day” (season 2, episode 16). In this episode, the character Leslie Knopes threw a party celebrating her female friends.

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The party was a brunch centered around Leslie’s love of friendship and breakfast food (especially waffles!).

She gave her friends an extravagant gift bag filled with all sorts of eccentric gifts including a handmade mosaic of their faces, a bouquet of crocheted flower pens, and a personalized 5,000 word essay of why they’re so awesome.

When the Parks and Rec Galentine’s Day episode aired in 2010, it was seen by 4.98 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. With those numbers, it’s not surprising that this holiday became so popular!

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How to celebrate Galentine’s Day

Welcome to your Galentine’s Day guide! Here are some creative ideas to help celebrate this special day.

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  • Host a waffle brunch, and make a gift bag for each of your friends who attend! We’re not suggesting you write them a 5,000 word essay like Leslie Knopes did, but we’re not discouraging it either. 😉
  • Print out our free Valentine’s Day word search and word scramble and have your guests solve them. These word puzzles are filled with love!
  • Have a Parks and Recreation marathon marathon! Make sure you watch episode 16 of season 2 to see the Galentine’s Day episode!
  • Do you have some friends you’d love to shower with love, that are far away? Write them a letter to let them know how special they are to you!
  • Gather your best gal pals and have a girl’s night in.
  • Learn how to crochet. Maybe you can even crochet flower pens like Leslie Knopes did! Roses are a symbol of Valentine’s Day, so you could add a crocheted rose pen to your bouquet.
  • Have a girls’ night in and give your gal pals a party favor like this s’more in a jar gift.

If you want to learn more about the symbols of Valentine’s Day, make sure you check out our posts about Cupid, including the story of Cupid and Psyche and the story Daphne and Apollo.

Don’t forget to tell your friends on Twitter about Galentine’s Day!

Use the hashtag #GalentinesDay to spread the word about the day on social media. Here is a tweet to get you started:

Today is Galentine's Day! Head over to Always the Holidays to see why today is the perfect day to throw a waffle brunch for all your friends! ❤️ 🥞 💐 Click To Tweet

What is a national day?

If you enjoyed reading this post about Galentine’s Day, you might be curious about other lesser known holidays, like national days.

National days of the year are a fun way to celebrate odd and unusual foods, animals and items that you come into contact with. Be sure to check out this national day’s guide for more fun days to celebrate.

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There are almost 2000 national days in the year and more than 150 of them are celebrated in February. To see them all, check out the list of national days in February, and the February word search printable of national days.

Is food your thing? Each day of the month has a food or drink associated with it, too. You’ll find all the February food holidays here.

Be sure to also check out these other national days this month:

  • National Cherry Pie Day – Looking for a delicious dessert to bring to your Galentine’s Day party? Head over to this post for a homemade cherry pie recipe and facts about National Cherry Pie Day.
  • National Carrot Cake Day – Not a cherry pie fan? Check out this recipe for carrot cake and some fun facts to celebrate National Carrot Cake Day.
  • Get Out Your Guitar Day – Looking for some music for your Galentine’s Day party? Maybe you can make your own! Head over to Get Out Your Guitar Day to get inspired!
  • National Football Hangover Day – Are you one of the millions of Americans using National Football Hanover Day as an excuse to call out of work? Go to the post to learn more!

Pin this post on Galentine’s guide for later

Would you like a reminder of this post for Galentine’s Day? Just pin this image to one of your boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

If you need a cocktail to serve at your Galentine’s Day party, make sure to check out this video showing how to make a Valentine’s Day themed love potion cocktail.

Galentine's Day Guide - What it is, Fun Facts, and How to Celebrate (7)

Galentine's Day Guide - What it is, Fun Facts, and How to Celebrate (8)About the author

Since graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. She is a freelance writer, specializing in content related to fashion, food and drink and film industry topics. Find out more about Jess here.

Galentine's Day Guide - What it is, Fun Facts, and How to Celebrate (2024)

FAQs

What are some fun facts about Galentines day? ›

Fun Fact: Galentine's Day was created by Leslie Knope, the Parks and Recreation fictional main character. She invented the holiday as a tribute to her close girlfriends.

How do you celebrate Galentines day? ›

This day, as the name suggests, is usually dedicated to honoring friendships between women. You get to spend it however you like with your galentines—by going out, taking a trip, enjoying a cozy night at home, or simply showering each other with gifts and affection the same way you would a partner.

What does Galentine's day stand for? ›

Observed on February 13, the day before Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day celebrates platonic friendships, usually among women.

Who created Galentine's day? ›

Instead, Galentine's Day was founded by a badass fictional character: Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation. The friend-filled holiday dates back over a decade to season two, episode 16 of Parks and Rec.

Did you know fun facts? ›

The first commercial passenger flight lasted only 23 minutes.
  • No number before 1,000 contains the letter A.
  • There were active volcanoes on the moon when dinosaurs were alive.
  • Sudan has more pyramids than any country in the world.
  • The circulatory system is more than 60,000 miles long.
  • The Pope can't be an organ donor.
Mar 26, 2024

What is the guy version of Galentine's day? ›

Malentine's day is a day for men to meet up and celebrate their amazing friendship.

What are the rules for Galentines day? ›

There are no strict rules when it comes to Galentine's Day festivities. Some choose to go the original path that is based on the television show. This consists of eating breakfast, sharing Valentine's Day goodies, exchanging gifts and an overall celebration of female friendship.

Is Galentines only for single girls? ›

Is Galentine's Day only for girls and singles? Galentine's Day is definitely NOT for just the singles and girls. While the name has gal in it, anyone and everyone can celebrate Galentine's Day.

What is Galentines explained? ›

Valentine's Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century. Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 ce by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.

Why is Galentines important? ›

Galentine's Day is a global holiday that celebrates women's friendship. Galentine's Day is typically marked as February 13, but can be observed any day. Galentine's Day events are typically all-female occasions of mutual "empowerment...a reminder for women to support and uplift one another."

What is a Galentine slang? ›

That's right: Galentine's Day—a day for women to celebrate their friendships with their lady friends. It's Valentine's Day with your gals. It's right there in the name.

What is Galentine's day quote? ›

You'll always be my Galentine. There's nothing better than best friends. Except best friends with chocolate and wine. Making memories with you is my favorite thing to do.

What is another word for Galentines? ›

The term Palentine originates from the combination of the words "pal", which is another word for friend, and "valentine". Palentine's Day emerged as a gender-neutral version of Galentine's Day, which focuses on women's friendships.

What is a galentines dinner? ›

Galentine's Day is a celebration of female friendship on the 13 February. Invite friends, family and loved ones to a sophisticated dinner party. These handpicked recipes are achievable yet impressive, with just the right amount of pizzazz for the occasion. Discover our starter, main and dessert ideas.

What does galantine mean? ›

galantine in British English

(ˈɡælənˌtiːn ) noun. a cold dish of meat or poultry, which is boned, cooked, stuffed, then pressed into a neat shape and glazed.

Why are people calling it Galentines? ›

The word—a blend of Valentine's Day and gal—was introduced to the world by the chipper and dedicated Leslie Knope, the fictional Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of the also-fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana, in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, which ran from 2009 to 2015.

What is the history of Galentine? ›

Valentine's Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century. Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 ce by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.

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