Happy Galentine's Day, ladies! Let the party begin

China Daily

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Women, both single or married, like to toast female friendship on Galentine's Day. (China Daily)

Move over Friendsgiving. Galentine's Day is on the way.

Designating Feb 13 for women has endured since 2010, when Amy Poehler'sParks and Recreationcharacter, Leslie Knope, declared the fictional holiday her favorite day of the year on the NBC show. "Ladies celebrating ladies," Knope explained of her Galentine's breakfast bash with friends.

Since then, women in real life have embraced the idea of gathering when Valentine's Day rolls around. Galentine's Day isn't just for Feb 13, and it isn't just for dateless, single women.

Jessica Gottlieb and Stefanie Pollard live in Los Angeles and will celebrate with a brunch for gal friends Feb 12.

"We're a couple of married ladies who do love our husbands but plan on celebrating Galentine's Day," says Gottlieb. "It was about women cherishing each other and our strengths, and knowing that we need one another for physical health, emotional stability and career success."

Kaila Fiske in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is multitasking this year, celebrating Feb 14 with her partner but reserving Feb 17 for dinner and a mass gals night with 11 girlfriends to seeFifty Shades Darker.

"Most of us are in relationships and we want an excuse to get together, just the ladies," she explains. "We want to celebrate ourselves."

Kim Terca lives in San Francisco and plans a destination Galentine's Day with a friend in Miami - in Havana.

"This year we're taking advantage of our freedom to run off and do whatever we want," she says. "Cheers to being single!"

Kate Conroy in Plainfield, New Jersey, is the Galentine's planner among her female friends. This year will be her third brunch. Significant others have started to show up, and there's an after-party.

"At our first one, someone did a toast and when it was my turn to say a few words I started with: 'When I stole this idea fromParks and Rec, I assumed people would mock the idea'," she says.

They didn't. About 20 participated last year.

It's mother Alexandra Jamieson's first Galentine's. She's setting aside Feb 13 to host 12 women for a "bad art party" in her Brooklyn apartment.

"We'll tap into our inner child and just get creative and messy," she says. "I'm not single but my female friendships are so important to me. I believe Galentine's Day should be mandatory for all of us!"

Galentine's Day has been an annual event for Rosie Brown in Campbell, California, since 2015. She and a group of girlfriends made glass terrariums one year and took a cooking lesson the other.

"It's a special way of honoring our friendships and making everyone feel loved," Brown says.

Michelle Peterson is a Galentine's newbie. She's putting a karaoke night on the calendars of a few girlfriends for Feb 11.

"I'm single and all my friends are in relationships, so I wanted to be sure I got some friend time near Valentine's Day," she says.

As for Valentine's Day itself, she'll treat herself to some chocolate, a glass of red wine and a solo ticket toFifty Shades Darker. That, she says, "seems like the ultimate single-girl thing to do".

(CHINA DAILY)