A lot of people believe that Galentine’s Day is a pity-party holiday for you and your friends who are severely single. But this stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. Celebrated on February 13, Galentine’s Day can best be described as the platonic version of Valentine’s Day; it is an unofficial holiday to celebrate your girl gang (or friends of any gender) who stuck by you through the best and worst times.
This holiday is not a byproduct of Valentine’s Day, in fact, it was coined by Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation. She explained in that episode that Galentine’s Day is about leaving the husbands, boyfriends, and all romantic relationships at home, to celebrate the people you share the most memes with and whom you call at every minor and major inconvenience, aka your sisters from different misters.
Now, there is no right way to celebrate G-day—you could go out to brunch and then get massages or hit your go-to bar for happy hour. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're spending quality time with your squad, and considering the fast-paced life we live, it’s something we don’t get to do as often. So to make things even more special, we have listed down a few unique (yet doable) things you can indulge in with your gang. Get to planning!
Secret Cupid
Galentine’s Day is about celebrating your girl squad and appreciating them for all that they do for you. And what better way to do that than through a fun game of Secret Cupid? If the name isn't a dead giveaway yet, Secret Cupis is the lesser commercialised variation of Secret Santa, packed with all the same fun. You know the drill—you throw the names of your squad in a bowl and each one picks a chit to know who they have to buy a gift for. But this time, you won’t need to make wishlists because your closest girlfriends are bound to know what you need better than you do!
Glamping
Before you negate this point because your girlfriends are not the outdoorsy type (there is always that one person in every group), glamping is not your typical camping trip. There is no need to bring your tent, smear layers and layers of mosquito repellent, or use outdoor toilets. Glamping is all about camping in luxury. Basically, you get some of the perks of staying in a hotel (like privacy, comfort, and hygiene) while still immersing yourself in nature. This is going to be a day (or two) that you and the squad will never forget.
Sip-and-paint party
If you’re looking to do something a little different this Galentine’s Day, you could try hosting a sip-and-paint party. The beverage could be coffee, juice, or something stronger. It’s a fun way of getting your creative juices flowing and making small souvenirs to commemorate your friendship. If none of you can host this, there are plenty of art studios that offer various creative workshops. Taking a class with your girls is a serious bonding experience!
Drawing inspiration from the iconic Friends episode, you could have an ex-cleansing session with your bffs. The name is not to be taken literally since that could end up being a bigger catastrophe than all of your previous relationships put together. But you could get together to play a drinking game and dish on your exes, for instance. The point is to remove all the toxic negative energy from your life so you can attract happy, healthier partners. And who better to do this with than your sisters who are in similar boats?
Hit the arcade
Get out of the house and do something way out of the ordinary like going to an arcade. There's bowling, laser tag, paintball, bumping cars, and virtual rollercoasters, all of which tap into the competitive side of your inner child giving you a day you’ll surely want to relive. To take things a notch higher, get a Polaroid camera to have adorable physical pictures from your G-day celebrations!
Also Read: The best V-day gift for your partner, based on their zodiac sign
Also Read: Here's why it is important to ask your partner to be your Valentine even in a committed relationship