The Zest Vol 01: The Rise and Culture of Galentine’s Day
In many ways, friendship is a lifelong network of women who witness, advise, defend and uplift each other
Right from the last days of January, there’s a shift in the air one notices, at least online. From curated “For him” and “For her” packages to brands incorporating the colours pink or red into their icons, and a general discourse of labels and who is who in one’s life. Ah, yes, the month of love is upon us.
Every year, on the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day is celebrated. A day dedicated to the reflection, appreciation and show of love. But truly, this celebration is all month long.
When I was younger, I looked forward to Valentine’s Day because there was a tradition in my school (and later in my place of worship) to exchange gifts. I liked the thrill of picking a random name through a raffle draw system (that we always manipulated) and being all mysterious about it till the day. I’d be excited to see who picked me; more so, I would be excited to see the reaction of the person whom I picked. I spent a lot of time and effort curating gifts I believed were useful and thoughtful for this person. But on the side, I was thinking of gifts for my friends as well, because apart from gifting the one you picked, it soon became part of the tradition that gifts were exchanged between friends, too. We were taught that love transcended romance. Romance was all well and good, but at 14, you know the people you spent a lot of time with? The people you chose and loved? Your friends. And I soon realised it didn’t stop at secondary school.
It was from this sentiment between women that the term “Galentine’s” was coined. This unofficial holiday, celebrated yearly on the 13th of February, first occurred in a 2010 Parks and Recreation episode. On Galentine’s Day, you get all the girls together, exchange gifts and celebrate the bond within female friendship. Whether a lady was single or not, the term exists to appreciate friends as platonic soulmates.
Bringing it back home, it’s important and comforting to know that the concept of friendship and camaraderie, especially among women, has always been prominent within many African cultures. From birth, where mothers, aunties and neighbours collectively look after a child, to the sharing of stories in courtyards, braiding each other’s hair, and learning creative skills side by side, these bonds are formed early and strengthened over time. There is nurturing when a girl is coming of age from older sisters, cousins and family friends, and there is also the quiet, everyday companionship of girls who grow up together in the same streets, schools and communities. These relationships extend into adulthood and are present through major life transitions: support during childbirth, communal grieving during deaths and the constant showing up for one another. In many ways, friendship is a lifelong network of women who witness, advise, defend and uplift each other.
This culture is ingrained into us, and now it shows up in many different ways, in the way we concern ourselves with our friends’ growth, whether in career, health or even interests. It shows in the group chats that double as therapy rooms and business brainstorms, in the spontaneous check-ins, and in the quiet accountability we hold each other to. Want to start a crochet hobby? Involve your friends. Need guests for your YouTube channel? Call your friends. Going out for brunch? Wear matching bubus. Need a kickstart or advice in your career? Ask your friends. Thinking of your brand hosting an event? Collaborate with your friend’s brand.
It’s this sense of collaboration that has allowed Galentine’s Day to evolve beyond a trend, even on the African continent, with not just a few events on the day, but many events scattered throughout February. And I should know because through Experiences by Marmalade, where we scour the internet finding events that resonate well with our audience, we noticed something special about the influx of this year’s galentine events in Lagos, Nigeria, specifically. We’re seeing more curated, expanded, and niche galentine events not just hosted by big brands who want to play into the theme, but also by smaller brands whose owners would host these events anyways. The girls are playing much more into their interests.
To the Lagos list of events, I have added galentine pizza parties, macrame weaving, flower arrangement design, brunch, charm bar, film screenings, and so much more. These are activities that move beyond the usual formula and lean into creativity, skill-sharing and genuine bonding. These are spaces where women are showing up to have fun, learn something new, support small businesses, discover shared interests, and, in many cases, build communities that last beyond a single evening.
And I’m all for it.
As for where we see this going, brands are definitely going to get more involved with better thought-out events, tapping influencers, creators or even social clubs for their event curation, and moving beyond surface-level aesthetics into experiences that feel intentional and community-driven. We also see more collaborations happening between smaller women-owned brands — shared venues, co-created products, joint workshops — and we definitely see an influx of women putting out self-hosted events within their networks, simply inviting other women to come have a good time. In many ways, the future looks less like a single “holiday” moment and more like an ongoing ecosystem of meet-ups, skill exchanges and safe social spaces that continue well past February.
This is a no-judgement zone, so let us know in the comments whether you resonate with the idea of Galentine’s or not.