While another Valentine’s Day approaches, a new celebration of relationships has taken off that honours friendships

The newish festival of Galentine’s Day is fast taking root, giving girlfriends a special day to mark all that is fabulous about female friendship

It’s the new alternative to Valentine’s Day and gal groups are grabbing and running with it. Galentine’s Day, the day before Valentine’s Day, is the TV trend that became reality and gives girlfriends the chance to celebrate the pure joy — and substance — of female friendship.

It all started when Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), the lead in the cult US television series Parks and Recreation, declared February 13 the day to get your close lady friends together and take time out, whether you’re partnered or not, to mark the value of great friends.

Her description says it all, “Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come out and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies.”

Though only a few years old, Galentine’s Day is fast becoming a tradition in Australia, with a big Victorian winemaker running an inaugural weekend of events, and a Parks and Rec- inspired trivia night in Sydney with all the trimmings — including the breakfast waffles beloved by Leslie and her TV squad — just two of the events on offer. Hobart events are surely not far off.

In essence, though, Galentine’s Day is not about attending structured events, but just getting together to cherish friendships that add real meaning to life. That Leslie and her gang chose breakfast as the format reflects its simple intention: no fuss, all fun.

Girls’ wellbeing educator and author Dannielle Miller goes so far as to issue a formal invitation for high tea to her “galentines” – the girlfriends she describes as “soulmates”.

IT’S LIKE VALENTINE’S DAY ONLY INSTEAD OF CELEBRATING YOUR LOVE FOR YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER, YOU SPEND IT WITH YOUR BEST GIRLFRIENDS

“My spirit animal, Leslie Knope, declared that before Valentine’s Day, all the fabulous ladies should gather and bask in ladylove,” goes her invitation. “It’s like Valentine’s Day only instead of celebrating your love for your significant other, you spend it with your best girlfriends, who are, after all, your soulmates and therefore deserve a holiday all to themselves.”

She has 10 girlfriends at her get-together — “that’s how many I can fit at the table,” she says. “Particularly because I am single there is a cultural assumption you don’t have a lot of love in your life when the reality is different. There are always ways you can feel loved and connect with other people. The loneliest I’ve ever been in life has been when I was in the wrong relationships. For me, you have to make the effort to make strong connections and nurture relationships, particularly with women as those will be a way for you to feel known, understood and supported.”

Miller goes out of her way to foster valuable friendships, “and Galentine’s is a lovely way to acknowledge that sisterhood, the connection. As a single girl that means an extraordinary amount to me. My girlfriends play an enormous role in my life”.

Perhaps as a sign that Galentine’s is starting to take root, some marketers have begun creating campaigns around giving female friends experiences to share together. The winemaker Brown Brothers is holding a series of events that are designed to be enjoyed by girlfriends over the weekend-long event.

“It’s the first year we’ve celebrated Galentine’s Day,” says the company’s public relations manager, Caroline Brown. The company chose Galentine’s over Valentine’s this year.

“We have called out Valentine’s Day in the past through social media, but we’ve never made it a big deal. So many people ditch Valentine’s Day or shut it out if they don’t have a special someone, but it’s a great time to get together with your friends and celebrate.”

Psychologist Heather Gridley says Galentine’s is a great idea, and the female equivalent of celebrating “bromance,” which has also become popular: “I think anything that celebrates that there’s more than one way to have relationships is a good thing. Because certainly Valentine’s Day can be very miserable for people who would like to be in a relationship but are not, and even if you are in a relationship it can be difficult.”

Gridley says that having “a diversity of relationships is often good,” but the number of those friendships is not as important as their quality.

She adds that while not all women are fortunate to enjoy a group of deep and rich friendships, those who are in high-functioning female friendships benefit greatly from the mutual support through the most difficult life stages including losses of a parent, partner, child or another friend.

For Melbourne University academic and pop culture commentator Dr Lauren Rosewarne, the place of female friendships in the culture is as “the glue that keeps us sane, and that which reminds us the endless stream of problems caused by men aren’t just in our heads”.

She cites research substantiating that people who have strong bonds and quality relationships with others, live longer and are happier.

“Friendships with women remind us that we’re not alone; that often very gendered experiences we have in relationships, within families, in the workplace and also in public life, are not endured alone,” Rosewarne says.

“Knowing that there are people out there who know you, love you and who can bring you chicken soup when you are ill and hold your hair back when you’re ill are reassurances and quality-of-life enhancers that money can’t buy.”

Even winemaker Brown Brothers is on the Galentine’s bandwagon, with the Milawa vineyards in Victoria preparing to host picnics so galentines can grab a hamper and lunch in the grounds, hold flower crown workshops run by a florist, have “yoga in the vines” sessions and a “pedal to produce” bike ride around local producers and gourmet food makers, grabbing snacks along the way.

As a down-home means of celebrating the love, wisdom, fun and steadfastness of the cherished women in your life, no doubt even breakfastqueen Leslie Knope would approve.