What is Galentine’s Day and how is it celebrated?

For some, the prospect of celebrating Valentine’s Day on 14 February fills them with joy as they prepare to shower their significant other with saccharine declarations of love.

For others, a far more exciting event takes precedence – Galentine’s Day, which falls on 13 February every year.

As the name would suggest, Galentine’s Day is a celebration of female friendship.

The term was popularised following the release of a 2010 episode of US sitcom Parks and Recreation.

Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, explains its meaning while throwing an annual Galentine’s Day bash for her friends.

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“What’s Galentine’s Day? It’s only the best day of the year,” Knope says during the 16th episode of the show’s second series.

“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.”

Galentine’s Day has gained traction in recent years, with an increasing number of women, both single and in relationships, using the day to acknowledge the strength of their female friendships.

There are several events taking place to mark the occasion, such as a Revolution and Bumble BFF brunch in Glasgow on 17 February and nationwide screenings of Legally Blonde and Mean Girls at Everyman cinemas.

Some have expressed their opposition to the day, stating that the celebration of bonds between women is something that should be recognised all-year round.

“An unpopular thought but Galentine’s Day gets up my nose as much as Valentine’s. I don’t need a day to celebrate my female friendships,” tweeted journalist Poorna Bell.

“To me, that’s forged in the midnight Ubers, the tissue pressed into their hand as they cry, the belly laugh as you’re walking down a street.”

A 2017 survey conducted by YouGov found the majority of Brits have a very unfavourable view of Valentine’s Day.

Only four per cent of the participants said that they love the celebration, and 87 per cent stated that they believe the annual event has become too commercial.

Read all about the unromantic origins of Valentine’s Day here.