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Galentine's Day: Why the appeal of 'ladies celebrating ladies' endures

The Feb. 13 holiday, invented by NBC sitcom 'Parks and Recreation,' is in its eighth year of bringing gal pals together to honor friendship. Observers and participants note the timeliness of an event that highlights women and interpersonal connections.  

Holidays made up by TV shows may come and go, but today marks one that hasn鈥檛 lost its appeal: Galentine鈥檚 Day.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 Galentine鈥檚 Day?鈥� exclaims Leslie Knope, the cheerful main character from the NBC sitcom 鈥淧arks and Recreation,鈥� in Season 2. 鈥淥h, it鈥檚 only the best day of the year!鈥�

Eight years after that episode first popularized the idea, celebrations of women鈥檚 friendship are taking place across the United States on and around Feb. 13. While the bubbly Ms. Knope (played by Amy Poehler) and her friends shared gifts and stories over breakfast, today鈥檚 festivities are held in museums and movie theaters, bakeries and bars 鈥撀燼nd often invite anyone, regardless of gender, to participate.

Not unlike other holidays, Galentine鈥檚 Day has been propelled along by commercial appeal. Eateries and book publishers are among those who keep the day alive and entice celebrants. But observers and those involved in the day note that an event that honors women and interpersonal connections is timely. 聽

鈥淚 think especially right now in the world that it鈥檚 comforting to have that camaraderie going on鈥�,鈥� says Kari Redman, general manager of Cure Coffeehouse in Norfolk, Va., which hosted a celebration this past weekend for the third year in a row. 鈥淭hey love it,鈥� she says of customer response.聽聽

Alicia Clancy, author of the 2017 book 鈥淏e My Galentine,鈥澛燼bout the positive aspects of women鈥檚 friendships, sees an uptick in women鈥檚 empowerment influencing the rise of Galentine鈥檚 Day. She notes that five or 10 years ago, the environment felt more competitive between women, but that as more opportunities have opened up there鈥檚 more space for collaboration.

鈥淸F]emale friendship, the concept of 鈥榞irl tribes,鈥� and empowering each other, has really picked up and taken off and I think the current political situation is probably contributing to that a bit in that women are really striving for equality right now,鈥澛爏ays Ms. Clancy. 鈥淚 think we鈥檝e learned as a gender that we鈥檙e going to have to stick together in order to achieve that.鈥�

Real-life celebrations dreamed up by a group of TV writers may seem odd to some. But holidays and TV have long been linked. Festivus, the anti-commercialism day celebrated Dec. 23 by 鈥淪einfeld鈥� fans (including Republican Sen. of Kentucky), is still going strong. 鈥淔riendsgiving,鈥� a Thanksgiving celebration with friends rather than family, is often attributed to another NBC sitcom, 鈥淔riends.鈥� (But, as the researchers at Merriam-Webster , the word actually has its origins elsewhere in culture.)

And look at the ubiquity of the phrase 鈥淐harlie Brown Christmas tree,鈥� points out Daniel Gifford, an assistant professor of history at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. 鈥淭he idea that, well, this came from a television show, so it鈥檚 not really real or it鈥檚 not really important, I actually don鈥檛 buy that鈥�,鈥� says Professor Gifford, who has taught courses including 鈥淎merican History through its Holidays.鈥� 鈥淭his is just another form of cultural expression.鈥澛�

Galentine鈥檚 Day may have an advantage in that it lends itself more naturally to celebration than, say, the 鈥渇eats of strength鈥� portion of Festivus. Knope, on 鈥淧arks and Recreation,鈥� explained her Galentine鈥檚 Day ritual this way: 鈥淓very Feb. 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and we just come and kick it breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It鈥檚 like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.鈥澛�

The holiday gives those who are single or not interested in a dating relationship an alternative to Valentine鈥檚 Day. To Bruce David Forbes, professor of religious studies at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and author of works including 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Favorite Holidays: Candid Histories,鈥� Galentine鈥檚 Day is similar to Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving, the focus is on the relationship with one鈥檚 family. For Galentine鈥檚 Day, it鈥檚 on the relationships between women. In fact, Clancy says she had a yearly celebration with women friends around Valentine's Day that celebrated one another even before "Parks and Rec." They just didn't have a particular name for it.

At the Cure Coffeehouse, the festivities this past weekend included a special brunch menu based on the world of 鈥淧arks and Recreation鈥� as well as giveaways and other diversions. For the event, the coffeehouse teamed up with For All Handkind, an organization that helps those who are new to the world of handcrafted goods, creating a 鈥渃rafternoon鈥� where patrons had the opportunity to make glass wall hangings. (Knope likely would approve: She offered her 鈥淧arks and Rec鈥澛爈adies a gift bag that included handcrafted crocheted pens and mosaic portraits made from shards of bottles of their favorite diet soda.)聽

A few states away, Sloan*Longway, a museum and planetarium in Flint, Mich., celebrated its third Galentine鈥檚 Day on Feb 9. It welcomed patrons for an evening event that included karaoke, various shopping opportunities, and a photo booth.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a fun night out鈥�,鈥� says Olivia Kushuba, the venue鈥檚 special events manager. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun way to hang out with your friends while still getting to get pampered and shop. It鈥檚 just a unique way to spend time with your friends.鈥澛�

Although Dr. Forbes says he doubts Galentine鈥檚 Day will still be celebrated in a decade, its future will likely depend on the fervor of fans. 鈥淔estivus鈥� hit the 20-year mark last year, for example. And Gifford, in a post-interview email, explains, 鈥淸S]o many holiday traditions put a lot of work and labor onto women鈥檚 shoulders. This seems to do less of that, and may actually be popular and have longevity because of that.鈥�

For Rachel Heffington, who attended Cure Coffeehouse鈥檚 Galentine鈥檚 Day celebration with a group the past two years, the appeal of the new holiday is simple.

鈥淚t was mostly women and we were just all having a great time with our various friends and sisters,鈥� says the 20-something food blogger. 鈥淚 loved the spirit of it. It was so supportive and instead of women comparing each other, we were just all there together, having fun, celebrating our friendship.鈥�