Valentine’s Day? More Like Galentine’s Day!

Photo Credit: Sara Maya Budhiraja

With this year's Valentine's Day festivities coming to a close, Hamber students shared what they did to celebrate this joyous time of year. While for some, this might have meant going out with that special someone, having dinner with family, or relaxing by themselves, many students chose to celebrate this Valentine’s Day with their gal pals! But, what is Galentine's Day? What’s its significance? And how can you celebrate it?

Galentine’s Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the importance of female friendship. Both single and taken friends, typically girls, join together to exchange gifts, share endearing messages, and embrace girlhood in a loving and supportive environment. Galentine’s Day supports the idea of stepping away from other relationships to take some time and focus on the connections you have with your friends. 

The popularity of Galentine’s Day has been on the rise over the last few years, with thousands of TikTok videos being posted with #Galentines. This social media publicity has increased the amount of young people starting to participate in Galentine’s Day celebrations. 

Many students from Hamber, like Monique Petrichuk (11), chose to celebrate Galentine’s Day this year. “I plan on doing a Galentine’s Day, with my friends,” Petrichuk said when asked about her plans in advance of Valentine's Day. 

Ariel Rawson (11) also looked forward to a Galentine’s Day. “I get to make candles and different treats, like cookies, with my friends and watch a movie!”

There are endless possibilities for how you can spend your next Galentine’s Day. Like Rawson, you can do arts and crafts, watch movies, make festive foods, and enjoy quality time with your friends. According to Cosmopolitan, some of the most popular Galentine’s Celebrations include participating in a bake-off, organizing a Secret Cupid (a version of the game Secret Santa), putting on face masks, and making friendship bracelets.