As Valentine’s Day approaches, students prepare not just for the usual celebrations of romantic love, but also for an alternative celebration quickly gaining popularity: Galentine’s Day. This unofficial holiday honors the bonds of female friendship and is making its mark at SCHS.
Junior Mariama Diallo acknowledged the role of social media in mainstreaming Galentine’s Day.
“I feel like it really became popularized when it came onto TikTok because that’s how I found out about it. I feel like it was romanticized on TikTok – it made it look really fun and girly, so everyone wants to participate,” Diallo said.
The trend has led many like senior Siyona Sharma to create their own traditions to celebrate the holiday.
“It’s been really fun for us to get that nostalgic feeling. The first year, we decorated cookies using leftover Christmas decorations, and we dressed up, took photos together and revisited our childhood playground,” Sharma said.
Beyond being a fun tradition, senior Anjali Swaminathan reflected on the significance of women supporting each other in a society where they often face challenges and criticism.
“Girls supporting girls is a really important thing, especially today, where there’s a lot of men that try to bring women down,” Swaminathan said. “It’s important to block that out and just celebrate the female friends that you have.”
Sharma expanded on the importance of women encouraging each other, highlighting how women are often sidelined or pitted against each other.
“Oftentimes, when there’s a man present, women are the side piece or not as important, and they’re put against each other. You see that in the media and real-life relationships,” Sharma said. “Celebrating the bond that women have rather than putting them against each other or pushing them to the side is really important.”
English teacher Hanna Anderson added to Sharma’s perspective, pointing out that while Valentine’s Day is seen as a couple’s celebration, its true essence can extend beyond romance.
“I think just because we don’t have to celebrate relationships all the time with our significant other. I think sometimes people misconstrue that as Valentine’s Day, and that’s what it’s supposed to be about, a romantic relationship,” Anderson said. “But if it’s also supposed to be about love, then why not love amongst friends.”