The day before Valentine’s Day, is the celebration of another special day, Galentine’s Day.
Let’s dive into some trivia about this day.
- Galentine’s Day is a global holiday that celebrates women’s friendship
- Galentine’s Day is typically marked as February 13
- But can be observed any day between February 1 and Valentine’s Day
- Galentine’s Day events are typically all-female occasions of mutual “empowerment…a reminder for women to support and uplift one another”
- Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope is considered by many to be the patron saint of Galentine’s Day
- The annual festival of sisterhood was imagined into existence by the Parks and Recreation writing staff led by Michael Schur
- Galentine’s Day merchandise is now sold at mainstream outlets like Walmart, Party City, Amazon and Etsy
- Retailers also use the holiday a pretext for organizing pop-up shops marketing products to female customers
- Resorts and restaurants offer Galentine’s themed package deals
- An advice column in a London newspaper described the protocol of Galentine’s Day: “Just remember that Galentine’s Day was born out of rebel spirit, intended as a rebuff to the conventions of Valentine’s Day. It’s about doing exactly what you want to do, and feeling thankful for having friends that let you do it”
- Michelle Obama celebrated Galentine’s Day in 2020 and posted a photo on her Instagram and Twitter
- The caption read, “This #GalentinesDay, I want to shout out my girlfriends who help me stay sane and grounded through all of life’s ups and downs…Whether we’re catching up over the phone, venting over a cup of coffee, or laughing it out during an 80s-themed workout, I know I can lean on these ladies—and that’s made all the difference”
- The official Parks & Recreation Twitter replied with a GIF of Leslie Knope expressing approval
- “Galentine’s Day” is the 16th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation
- It is the 22nd overall episode of the series
- It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 11, 2010
- In the episode, Leslie and her boyfriend Justin seek to reunite Leslie’s mother, Marlene, with her teenage flame
- Meanwhile, April’s feelings for Andy continue to bloom, while Ann appears to be growing apart from Mark
- The episode was written by series co-creator Michael Schur and directed by Ken Kwapis
- “Galentine’s Day” featured a guest appearance by John Larroquette as Frank Beckerson, the long-lost love of Marlene Griggs-Knope, who was played by Pamela Reed
- It also featured the last in a string of guest performances by Justin Theroux as Leslie’s love interest, Justin Anderson
- According to Nielsen Media Research, “Galentine’s Day” was seen by 4.98 million household viewers
- This marked a continued improvement in ratings for the series
- It tied a record set with the previous episode, “Sweetums”, for the season’s highest rating among viewers aged 18 to 49
- The episode received generally positive reviews
- The fictional holiday has become revered and celebrated in the years after the show’s airing
- “Galentine’s Day” received generally positive reviews
- The subsequent episode, “Woman of the Year”, would also tie the two episodes for a series-high rating in that 18 to 49 age group
- Awareness of the holiday spread thanks to social media
- With #GalentinesDay trending on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr on February 13, 2017, seven years after the original episode aired
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