This Valentine’s Day weekend, Pitt students are carving out space to honor their friendships.

First popularized by the sitcom “Parks and Recreation” in 2010, Galentine’s Day has come to represent a celebration of female friendship. For some Pitt students, this nontraditional holiday has evolved into a day that more broadly commemorates platonic love.

Larren Wells, a senior creative nonfiction writing and biology major, plans to line her apartment floors with picnic blankets and homemade food for a celebration she’s dubbed “Palentine’s Day.”

“We called it ‘Palentine’s Day’ specifically because the guys are coming,” Wells said. “Last year, some friends and I — those of us who were single — went out on actual Valentine’s Day, and it was just the girls. This year, I wanted to see everybody.”

Among the friends attending Wells’ “Palentine’s Day” celebration is Ruben Thota, a senior natural sciences major. This year marks his first Valentine’s Day being single in several years and his first time celebrating the holiday in a platonic setting with Wells and the rest of their friend group.

“I think celebrating your friends is just as valuable,” Thota said. 

Thota said he believes men rarely have their own version of Galentine’s Day, which he attributes to a cultural push toward nonchalance that “forces [men] to suppress [their] feelings.”

“Guys, generally, don’t usually do things like this,” Thota said. “Some guys will get really cringe or think it’s really corny, but at the end of the day, you’re just openly expressing love for your friends. How is that corny?”

Wells described “Palentine’s Day” as a way for her to recognize the countless small acts of love her friends show one another, from giving a ride home when someone is exhausted to organizing a surprise half-birthday party months after the actual date. 

“Just remembering the small things that friends like to do and then planning those things, or seeing something they like and then getting it — it’s a way to say that you’re thinking about them,” Wells said.

Lindsey Kenney, a senior majoring in anthropology and museum studies, will also be attending Wells’ Palentine’s Day and said her closest connections throughout life have always been with other women. 

“Female friendships are very important,” Kenney said. “I value the guys in our group, but as a girl, I feel a special place in my heart for the other girls.” 

Kenney said the thought of falling out with her female friends carries almost the same weight “as a breakup.”  

“These people are really close to my heart. I don’t have romantic feelings for them, but they’ve seen me grow, change and become who I am today and they will continue to watch me become who I will be,” Kenney said. “They hold a really big space in my heart that just couldn’t be replaced by a romantic relationship.”

For seniors like Wells, Thota and Kenney, graduation in May makes celebrations like “Palentine’s Day” feel especially precious.

“I think that having quality time with each other has become a priority for senior year, especially as we get more and more sentimental about graduation,” Wells said.

For students who are in romantic relationships, Valentine’s Day weekend can often mean striking a balance between celebrating their partner and their friends. Priyanka Jois, a first-year public health major, will spend Feb. 13 with her friend group for Galentine’s Day and Feb. 14 with her boyfriend. 

“I definitely want to spend time with him when he comes here because we’re long distance, but I also love the friends I’ve made so far at Pitt and I want to celebrate them just as much,” Jois said.

Jois said she pitched the celebration to her friend group, planning candy, snacks and a movie for Friday night.

“My friends are really important to me, so I think it’s important to celebrate those friendships and set aside a day like Friday to recognize how important everybody is to you,” Jois said. 

Alyssa Kulp, a first-year biology major celebrating Galentine’s Day with Jois, said that meeting her friend group helped her transition into Pitt. 

“Coming here and meeting all of these girls has ended up being a really good experience,” Kulp said. “We’ve built a friendship that helps all of us thrive because we know we can all depend on each other.”

For Bobbi Crawford, a first-year undeclared major celebrating Galentine’s Day with Jois and Kulp, that support has been essential to navigating college.

“I truly would not have made it through this year without these girls,” she said. “They are the most supportive girls I know.”

Abby Lubitz, a first-year pharmacy major celebrating alongside Jois and the group, said they intentionally chose to stay in instead of going out when they celebrate on Friday. 

“Some of us have boyfriends, so we already have plans on actual Valentine’s Day,” she said,  “but when we’re together, we just want to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.”