Galentine’s day, a special day dedicated to celebrating female friendships in your life is popularly celebrated on the 13th of February. It started off as fiction, after the word was first heard in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation in 2010, today, it is the blend of the word gal and Valentine’s Day.
With a family and career to manage while going through all the ups and downs of life, friends can prove to be an anchor and help navigate through the dark days while giving the best laughs on the way.
A true friend is one who turns up in the hour of need, is there to hold your hand, give you a telling when you need it, and most importantly, the one with whom hours feel like minutes, and silence is never awkward.
Assuredly, all friends deserve the appreciation and what can be a better way to do so than to dedicate a day to them?
Origin
To the surprise of many, Galentine’s day first originated just as a fictional celebration, where the character of Leslie, in a 2010 episode of Parks and Recreation decided to celebrate the female friends in her life. She decided that the festival will be celebrated on February 13 and planned a boozy brunch for her friends.
What’s 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, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.
— “Galentine’s Day,” Parks and Recreation, 2010
Merriam Webster further elaborates on how the word paved its way from the fictional world to the real:
After that 2010 debut, the word was mentioned in episodes that aired in 2012 and 2014, and by 2016 evidence of the word’s appeal was starting to show up in national and international publications
Its lexical success is also clearly signified by the marketing campaigns it’s inspired, as Megan Garber detailed in The Atlantic in 2017. We’re also seeing evidence of galentine being used on its own to refer to one’s best “gals”—beloved female friends.
So, Coming To The Point, How Can One Celebrate Galentine’s Day?
To make your friends feel special on Galentine’s day, here are a few things you can do:
1. Give Them Chocolates
What can make a girl more happy then a box of chocolates? Spoil your friends on this Galentine’s by giving them a fancy box of chocolates and we promise you a smile on their face!
2. Watch Movies Together
Don’t want to put in a lot of effort but want to have a good time with your friends? What can be better than hitting the movies and just having a great time with your friends? Or even better, stream your favorite show or movie on Netflix!
Popcorn + movies + friend combination does for the soul what sleeping in on weekends does for the body – you get the drift, right? If you’re short on options at the cinema, here’s a list that might help you.
3. Spoil Them By Taking Them To A Fancy Restaurant
Who wouldn’t like scrumptious dinner or lunch to take a break from a hectic routine? Spoil yourselves for one day and visit a restaurant of your choice!
Give Them A Customized Gift
Want to go all the way? Get your friend a customized gift that will always remind them of your friendship. Make them a card, a video, a painting, or anything that holds significance to both of you and translates into the value you hold for each other as friends.
The Significance Of Female Friendships In One’s Life
I remember my friend sending me this one quote, “Sharing your problems with your friends will not solve them but at least they will make them feel smaller.” This quote has remained with me to this day. Assuredly, a friend is your confidant and one who takes on many roles to be by your side and comfort you when needed.
The best thing about friendship is how it can be interchangeable. At one point they are your crime partners with whom you would probably have had bunked the school with, while sometimes they are your confidants with whom you share with them your innermost thoughts and sometimes your long-kept secrets. At times they are your therapists as they listen to you without passing any judgment whether the stuff is related to your personal or professional life. They are also the ones to motivate you, push you out of your comfort zones, and turn your weaknesses into your strengths. They do at times even become like your parents when they think it is necessary to put you in your place!
Did you know about Galentine’s Day before you read our article? What have you planned for your friends this year? Do share with us!
