The Unexpected Origin of Galentine’s Day

Many contemporary holidays have their roots in ancient festivals and traditions, some dating back to before the dawn of recorded history. Valentine’s Day, for example, has connections to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a pagan celebration that included animal sacrifice and possible nudity. Halloween, meanwhile, is connected to Samhain, a Celtic holiday associated with spirits crossing back from the land of the dead into that of the living.

This is not the case with Galentine’s Day. This very new holiday has its roots in what some superfans would call one of the modern era’s sacred texts, but most would call a sitcom they watch when they need to turn their brains off: the quirky NBC hit Parks and Recreation.

How Parks and Recreation Created Galentine’s Day

Galentine’s Day was conceived in the 16th episode of season 2 of Parks and Recreation, which aired on February 11, 2010. Entitled “Galentine’s Day,” the episode follows Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) as she and her boyfriend Justin (Justin Theroux) try to set up his mother with a former partner.

In this seminal episode, on the day before Valentine’s Day, Leslie throws her annual “Galentine’s Day” celebration and gathers the women in her life together for breakfast. Knope's tradition struck a chord with many viewers, and since then, Galentine’s Day has become more and more of a thing each year.

“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year,” Knope says in the episode. For many women, that’s become a reality. In an interview with Fortune, a woman named Catherine O’Sullivan said that despite 21 Valentine’s Day celebrations with her husband, her favorite Valentine’s Day ever was a day she spent with a friend before her marriage.

“For me, it was 10 out of 10. That whole day was intentional,” she said, recalling the empowering joy of spending time with a pal “on a day that’s usually filled with pressure to be in a relationship, or sadness because I wasn’t currently in one.”

What Is Galentine’s Day?

While Parks and Recreation was the first documented source to name Galentine’s Day, women have certainly always gathered together to celebrate Valentine’s Day with each other. Today, though, Galentine’s Day has become a fixture across the world among women who are choosing to celebrate the day before Valentine's Day—or Valentine's Day itself—with friends, either because they’re single or because it’s simply a fun excuse to gather.

In keeping with Parks and Recreation tradition, Galentine’s Day is typically celebrated on February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. However, it can be celebrated any day of the year, and has become a popular choice for women electing to spend time with female friends on Valentine’s Day.

After all, Valentine’s Day can trigger loneliness and insecurity even in people who are in relationships, so it’s no surprise that some people are renouncing it entirely in exchange for some much-needed girl time.

Galentine’s Day can involve going out for a spa day or a dinner date, or simply gathering with your pals. Sometimes, it involves sharing gifts or writing notes to each other; other times it can mean hitting the town for a wild night out. No matter what, Galentine’s Day is a reminder of the indomitable power of sisterhood—and of sitcoms.