Marina JohnsonIndianapolis Star
Galentine’s Day, a play on Valentine’s Day, celebrates a different type of love, friendship.
Typically celebrated the day before Valentine’s Day, on Feb. 13, the unofficial holiday encourages women to get together and celebrate platonic love and the power of friendship.
Even better, the celebration of Galentine’s Day all started with a TV series, “Parks and Recreation,” set in Indiana.
What is Galentine's Day? Ideas for celebrating the Valentine's Day alternative with your besties
What is Galentine's Day?
Galentine’s Day is dedicated to celebrating sisterhood, friendship and platonic love, and was originally introduced by the fictional character Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, in a “Parks and Recreation” episode airing in 2010. The “holiday” eventually made its way into the real world, and has become increasingly popular with time.
Where can you watch 'Parks and Recreation'?
The comedy show, highlighting characters like Leslie Knope, is set in the fictional Pawnee, Indiana. All seven seasons, or 125 episodes, can be streamed on Peaco*ck. The show originally aired in 2009 and concluded in 2015.
What 'Parks and Recreation' episodes celebrate Galentine's Day?
Three episodes in the series discuss Galentine’s Day, beginning with season 2, episode 16, when the unofficial holiday celebration was first introduced. The episode, called “Galentine’s Day” originally aired on Feb. 11 of 2010. According to an episode description, “Leslie and Justin try to reunite Leslie’s Mom with an old flame for Valentine’s Day, only to discover he’s a total loon. And Justin’s rude behavior during the entire episode causes Leslie to look at him in a new light.”
The next episode to mention Galentine’s Day was season 4, episode 14, titled “Operation Ann.” Airing on Feb. 2 of 2012, the IMDB episode description says, “Ann’s friends try to set her up on a date for Valentine’s Day, while Ron and Andy try to help Ben solve Leslie’s series of complicated riddles to reveal the location of their Valentine’s Day date.”
When is Galentine’s Day? Here's its origins, how to celebrate with your girlfriends
The last episode to mention the holiday is season 6, episode 17, again titled “Galentine’s Day.” According to the description, the episode aired on March 20, 2014. “Leslie throws a hasty Galentine’s Day in attempt to find a replacement for Ann. Tom and Ben look to finalize a deal on tents for the Unity Concert, while Ron finds himself looking after Andy,” according to IMDb.
