Valentine’s Day has been designated the love month where people are expected to celebrate their loved ones. But unfortunately, most people only celebrate with their significant other. Valentine’s has become a holiday where only boyfriends, girlfriends, partners and spouses are celebrated.

This train of events is what gave birth to the Galentine’s Day. Unlike Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day is unofficially celebrated on Feb. 13. It is a celebration of female friendship.

This brilliant idea was born almost a decade ago through the character of Leslie Knope in the American sitcom—”Parks and Recreation.” It has been adopted by many people ranging from celebrities to college faculty and students.

Vanelis Rivera, an English instructor, said, “I first heard about the holiday from the TV show ‘Parks and Recreation.’ One of my friends loves the show and she started adopting it and wishing me a happy Galentine’s Day. So, I started to celebrate my friends either by going to dinner or hanging out.”

Rivera said she encourages people to celebrate their friends, especially when it is a group of women. Sisterhood is always long-lasting and significant to foster.

Galentine’s Day has become somewhat of an adopted holiday by Americans. However, fewer people are aware of this holiday’s existence, especially down south.

“I found about Galentine’s Day last year through my friends in monroe. They said we were celebrating it and I had no clue what they meant until they told me,” said Ariana Brown, a junior pre-speech language pathology major. “I would encouragae this day because people can feel lonley on Valentine’s Day. It’s nice to know your friends are always with you, especially in college.”

The great thing about the Galentine’s is that it is not scheduled on the same day like Valentine’s. This means all your Valentine’s date preparations are still valid! On Galentine’s, both single and taken women are encouraged to get together to celebrate each other, love on each other and support each other.