Happy Galentine’s Day, mamis! What, you never heard of the holiday? According to Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope, who made it a thing, “it’s only the best day of the year.” And she ain’t lying. Galentine’s Day, observed February 13, is a day to celebrate love — between your hermanas!

As the fictional character played by Amy Poehler in the series said, it’s “ladies celebrating ladies.” Whether you’re single or in a relationship, it’s a time to bring your closest gals together, either for brunch, evening cocktails, mani-pedis or an old-school slumber party, and bask in the beauty, love and joy of your friendship.

No Galentine’s Day commemoration would be complete without some girl power tunes. Here, a celebration playlist you and your bella squad can bang out to while toasting to being ride-or-dies.

1. Remind your mamis what’s in store for them this Galentine’s Day with “Ladies Night.”

This Lil’ Kim classic, featuring Boricua Angie Martinez, Left Eye, Da Brat and Missy Elliot, will undoubtedly get the squad hyped for the Galentine’s festivities to come.

2. Today’s all about feelin’ good, so you have to bring out Demi Lovato’s “Confident.”

On Galentine’s Day, you shower your femme squad with compliments — as you probably do any day of the week — and try your best to make sure the whole gang knows their worth.

3. Remind your nenas they are bomb just as they are with Bomba Estéreo’s “Soy Yo.”

Sure, if we’re being real with our chicas, as we should be, there’s room for all of us to grow as individuals, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t great already. Colombiana Li Saumet will have all the gals loving on themselves, and all their complexities, with this 2016 banger.

4. If this is a single ladies kind of festivity, pull out Paloma Mami’s “Not Steady.”

If your squad is the type that yells “soltera para siempre” as they toast their champagne, you need this chilena’s bop about not wanting to settle down blasting at the pari.

5. Remind your amigas that lovers “Can’t Hold Us Down” with this Christina Aguilera and Lil’ Kim classic.

Even if your squad is mixed, with single ladies and mujeres in relationships, both will appreciate la ecuatoriana’s still-relevant message about not letting your boo, or the patriarchy, keep you down.

6. After all, you can’t tame a boss bitch.

Just ask puertorriqueña Kelis, whose 2006 jam “Bossy,” featuring Too $hort, will have all the girls embracing their inner jefa.

7. Ride out with the nenas as the car radio blares Selena Gomez’s “Me & My Girls.”

Pre-game: check. It’s time to hit the dance floor, and this young mexicana will have you and your chicas feelin’ alive and set to shake the night away.

8. Put your worries aside with Mariah Carey’s “It’s Like That.”

As the venezolana says, “no stress, no fights … no tears, no time to cry.” Tonight is all about you and your girls livin’ it up. So heed Mariah’s advice and “open off that Bacardi” and feel “so hot tamale.”

9. Feelin’ it yet? Good! ‘Cause Cardi B’s “Money Bag” is about to have all the mamis twerking.

Like the dominicana’s own “bloody gang,” your crew is so bad that you’re out on the dance floor lookin’ “like bridesmaids,” so do like Cardi and drop that confident ass low.

10. But make sure Ivy Queen’s “Quiero Bailar” reminds everybody else that this is a Galentine’s Day party.

Swaying those hips is catching some attention. No one hates when some of the girls dance up with folk who aren’t in the crew, but let the Bori reggaetonera let the desperadxs know this is a girls’ night and the crew is going home together — punto.

Read: Watching Women In Her Life Abandon Relationships When Romance Arrives, This Latina Is Calling For A New Love Hierarchy

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I have always been the kind of person who has friends from all different walks of life, but it wasn’t until I moved to New York City and learned what it was like to have Latina friends that I felt like I found my people. It’s not that I don’t have many friends from different cultures, but there are some things that only my Latina friends can truly understand. 

I admit that we’re a pretty diverse bunch, but there are certain things that most of us have experienced and that’s what ties us so closely together. From recognizing why my nameplate necklace means SO much to me to laughing about all of the family drama that Latinxs have, here are 20 things that only your Latina friends will understand.

1. Why I’m still a bit scared of the chancla.

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I mean, aren’t you? My mami’s chancla was definitely a very common occurrence in my childhood and one that I do NOT want to repeat. So, yes, I’m still a bit scared…

2. That my nameplate necklace means a lot to me.

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I have had a nameplate necklace ever since my teens and I absolutely love it. Although my original necklace was stolen when I was in my early 20s, I have had my newest one since the year after and I still love it.

3. That it’s practically impossible to shop for skincare products.

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There’s a lot of great skincare products out there that are made for our very complicated skin, but they’re still sometimes hard to find. For me, the biggest issue is that I have very oily foreheads but dry cheeks. And only my Latina friends truly understand WHY this is such a pain.

4. And beauty products for that matter.

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Until recently, there weren’t a whole lot of beauty products that were made specifically for different skintones. The truth is that Latinas come in many different shades and colors, and this has been a struggle for us.

5. How much I love red lipstick.

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Seriously, red lipstick is the bomb. I know that this one is technically a beauty stereotype for Latinas but it’s one that I find to be true… at least for me. And, yes, a lot of my Latina friends love red lipstick, too.

6. Why Sundays at the salon are the best.

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Didn’t you spend many a Sunday at the salon with your mami? I certainly did. Sure, it wasn’t every Sunday and it wasn’t always consistent, but it was definitely a joy and it’s how I learned about beauty initially.

7. And, really, why Self-Care Sunday was a thing to us before it was a trend.

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In fact, I would say that Self-Care Sunday was a thing in the Latinx community long before it became a trend on Instagram. Taking care of our beauty and relaxing was just how we always spent the end of our week.

8. That mami can drive us crazy but we still love her.

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I can say this over and over again to my Latina friends and it never stops being true. Sure, my non-Latinx friends have moms that drive them crazy too but there’s just something special about the way a Latina mami behaves that only my Latina friends can understand.

9. How annoying it is to answer all those baby questions at family parties.

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Every single party I’ve ever gone to, somebody is sure to ask about two things: My love life and when I am planning to have kids. Now that I am married, the question is all about kids, over and over and over again.

10. Why our big (and small) families can be full of drama.

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Admittedly, my Cuban family is pretty small but that doesn’t mean that it is any less filled with drama. I’ve heard from many of my Latina friends that it gets even worse when you have dozens of first and second cousins to contend with.

11. How dating can often be complicated.

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Dating has always been complicated for me. To be honest, my first two relationships were with Latino men and that brought on a set of unique problems (mostly related to machismo). And I am just NOT a fan of that bull, so I didn’t stand for it in the long run.

12. Especially if you date non-Latinx peoples.

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Before I met my husband, I mostly dated non-Latinx men. This was also difficult because, although I wasn’t dealing with machismo, I was frequently dealing with a LOT of stereotypes that they had about what it’s like to be with a Latina (i.e. the whole “fiery” thing, gross). It was pretty horrible, to be honest.

13. That dancing is the very best.

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I love to go dancing and my Latina friends are the ones I usually love to dance with. The beauty of this is that they, like me, grew up with dance in their lives so we can always connect on this. It’s pretty special every time we do it.

14. And so is eating out with your amigxs.

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Most of my friends love food, whether they are Latina or not. In fact, that’s probably a big basis for my friendships: A love of food. But only my Latina friends truly understand how important food is to me and we L-O-V-E going out to dinner.

15. Why it’s so difficult to find quality hair care products.

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That whole “pelo malo” thing that many Latinas grew up with is real. It’s pretty scary and annoying, to be honest, and one that many of us have to deal with in one way or another. Frizzy hair? Yeah, ALWAYS an issue.

16. How annoying it is when nobody can pronounce or spell your name.

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I love Starbucks but it’s really funny (and a bit frustrating) that they can never seem to spell my name correctly. It basically hapepns every time that I go there or anywhere else, so I’m used to it by now.

17. That speaking Spanish isn’t a requirement to be a Latina.

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I grew up speaking Spanish, but not every Latina does. In fact, I would say that the majority of my Latina friends don’t… And you know what? That’s okay. It’s one of the thing that makes us different.

18. Why you always play salsa music when cleaning on a Saturday. ALWAYS.

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Just like we know where Self-Care Sunday really came from, we also have a big tradition in our house growing up: Playing salsa music loudly when cleaning every single Saturday. It’s tradition and it’s one that I still love.

19. That we are all diverse and beautiful.

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Just look at all of these powerful and diverse Latinas! We’re a pretty incredible bunch, you have to admit. And the best part of being a Latina and having Latina friends is acknowledging that we are a pretty awesome, diverse bunch.

20. And that nobody can understand you quite like your Latina friends.

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One of the reasons that my Latina friends are so special to me is because they understand me better than anyone else. Even though we all grew up in different homes and with different cultural backgrounds, there are many things that make us all the same. And I love that.

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