Slang dictionary
Galentine’s Day
摆听gal-uhn-tahyns dey ]
黑料网 is Galentine's Day?
Observed on February 13, the day before Valentine鈥檚 Day, Galentine鈥檚 Day celebrates platonic friendships, usually among women. It originated on the show聽Parks and Recreation.
Where does Galentine’s Day come from?
On February 11, 2010, the TV sitcom Parks and Recreation released an episode called 鈥淕alentine鈥檚 Day鈥� (Season 2, Episode 16). In this episode, the effervescent and earnest lead character Leslie Knope explained the made-up holiday聽Galentine鈥檚 Day: 鈥淓very 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.鈥� The word galentine itself blends gal and valentine.
Since the episode, Galentine鈥檚 Day聽has expanded into the broader popular culture. Some actual Galentine鈥檚 Day celebrations involve getting together with friends to exchange small gifts and eat brunch, especially waffles, Knope鈥檚 favorite on Parks and Recreation.
Happy belated Galentine's Day to all my lady friends, celebrating w/ a Leslie Knope style waffle brunch 馃槃馃挄
— kels 馃挍鉁� (@kelseyyy_w)
One 2017 New York Post op-ed called out the 鈥渞ebranding鈥� and commercializing of Galentine鈥檚 Day. According to writer Hailey Eber, making Galentine鈥檚 Day mainstream takes the fun and sincerity of 鈥�eschewing Valentine鈥檚 Day鈥� out of it. But as Megan Garber wrote for The Atlantic, the 鈥�normalizing鈥� of Galentine鈥檚 Day is a 鈥渟ubversive鈥� action that should be celebrated.
Examples of Galentine’s Day
Who uses Galentine’s Day?
While Galentine鈥檚 Day is more popular among women, the holiday itself can also include, as long as the relationship is non-romantic, male and other nonbinary friends.
Just as one can be someone’s valentine on Valentine鈥檚 Day, one can be a galentine on Galentine鈥檚 Day, e.g., 鈥淲ill you be my galentine?鈥� As such, a galentine is a playful, affectionate term for a close friend. Galentine is also sometimes used as a blend of gay and valentine and is not to be confused with galantine, a fish dish.
Galentine’s Day branding
Galentine鈥檚 Day has become widely used by brands to sell products marketed for women, particularly self-care products or gifts. In January 2017, Target curated items under a special Galentine鈥檚 Day section on its website. The items were mostly cooking appliances or food, DVDs of romantic comedies, and crafting activities. Other brands like Shari’s Berries and Penguin Books also jumped on board in 2017, using the hashtag #GalentinesDay to market products on February 13. Lifestyle blogs also publish articles explaining how to throw聽Galentine鈥檚 Day parties.
Celebrities have also joined in the festivities. In 2017, Blake Lively teamed up with cosmetics brand L鈥橭real to throw an Instagram-ready Galentine鈥檚 Day party, and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda created a Galentine鈥檚 Day playlist for his followers on Spotify.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of Galentine’s Day like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Galentine’s Day that will help our users expand their word mastery.