What Is Galentine’s Day? Amy Poehler Is Made-Up Holiday’s ‘Godmother’

ACROSS AMERICA — To every woman who never wanted a dozen long-stemmed red roses that would only droop like a sad love song in a few days, who rejects date night at a fancy restaurant filled with fancy people, and who just wants to kick back with her girlfriends for a day, we say this: Happy Galentine’s Day!

Galentine’s Day on Feb. 13 is built on the same spirit as Valentine’s Day on the 14th in many sweet ways, but also like Valentine’s Day, it is entirely and completely made up. But it has such a following that Merriam-Webster added it to the dictionary last year.

Men — under pressure to join what’s expected to be what a National Retail Federation says will be a $26 billion Valentine’s Day spending frenzy this year — can celebrate, too. In a nod at gender equality or just to make them feel better about it, this made-up holiday the day before the other made-up holiday is sometimes called PALentine’s Day.

Merriam-Webster hasn't acknowledged PALentine’s Day yet. But those who observe it could be a group of friends who hang out together or a friend who stands in as a date when the bum of an ex skips out, according to the Urban Dictionary.

Here are five things to know about Galentine’s Day:

How Galentine’s Day Got Started

Galentine’s Day on Feb. 13 became a thing in 2010, and we have actress Amy Poehler to thank. Here’s how her character, Leslie Knope, explained it in an episode of “Parks and Recreation”:

“What is 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.”

How It Gained International Appeal

Nearly 5 million people watched the Galentine’s Day episode of “Parks and Recreation,” giving the series a boost, according to Merriam-Webster, citing Nielsen Media Research.

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Galentine’s Day was mentioned again on episodes in 2012 and 2014, and by 2016, the phrase became popular in publications both in the United States and abroad “as people everywhere embraced the very idea of a holiday for celebrating friendships,” Merriam-Webster explained.

‘Malentine’s Day’ Hasn’t Caught On

The root word is “gal,” and that may be off-putting to some men, but as noted before, it is a celebration of friendship and celebrations aren’t necessarily gender-specific.

But still.

There should be a manly sounding male equivalent, according to Deana Rohlinger, a professor of sociology at Florida State University, who wrote for The Conversation in 2020 that she finds it surprising that a corresponding “Malentine’s Day” hasn’t caught on.

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“If anything, it seems that men should crave such a holiday,” she wrote. “As a sociologist who studies gender, culture and politics, I know that men are reporting that they feel increasingly isolated as they age, and that this isolation can negatively affect their physical and mental health.

“But it seems that a set of cultural pressures prevent a holiday like ‘Malentine’s Day’ from catching on.”

It’s Been ‘Thoroughly Hallmarked’

The fake holiday created by a fictional character has become so popular that, not surprisingly, retailers and other businesses have come up with a complete line of Galentine’s Day cards. eCards and gift deals.

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As far back as 2017, Megan Garber, who writes about culture for The Atlantic, noted: “So, too, Galentine’s Day, which has been, at this point, thoroughly Hallmarked. #GalentinesDay hashtags have been rampant on Twitter and Instagram in the days preceding February 13.”

It’s The Perfect Holiday, Though

There are no rules, Seriously, do what you want. You don’t have to get dressed up or wear some sexy red lingerie that is a pain you know where. You can skip the gifts and just shower each other with more attention than you do during a normal day.

Take a brisk hike. Or stay in and drink wine. It’s you and your friends’ day, and no card company or jewelry store or specialty shop filled with thoroughly impractical undergarments can tell you what to do with it.

Again, there are no rules. Carry on.