Since antiquity, people have celebrated the end of singledom. However, how did these gatherings appear centuries ago? And how did they end up being connected to drinking, partying, and late hours?
The modern bachelor/bachelorette party is a relatively new phenomenon. The term “bachelor party” was first used in 1922. It wasn’t until much later that these parties became customarily associated with binge drinking and adult entertainment. Bachelor and bachelorette parties are rites of passage. You’ve got a young person going from one status to another. Moreover, since ancient times, people have celebrated the end of singledom with gendered rituals and festivities.
Pre-wedding customs have placed a strong emphasis on the bride’s cleanliness and purity for thousands of years. According to historians, women in ancient Greece dedicated the day before marriage, called proaulia, to offering and sacrifices to gods, particularly Artemis, the goddess of chastity and childbirth. To commemorate “virgin nights” Swedish Brides-to-be would bathe with her friends who were probably virgins in a ceremony known as the mökvällarr. It wasn’t just about purity at the party; ladies would stay up late drinking and eating. Imagine trying to look beautiful after a night of heavy drinking and eating, a day after this equivalent of a bachelorette party.
There are other examples of men and women getting a free-pass to misbehave like how they toasted one another on the eve of a friend’s wedding in ancient Sparta, one of the first known pre-wedding customs followed by men. However, the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century played a significant role in the development of contemporary bucks night strippers Melbourne customs.
During specific life events, like a boy finishing an apprenticeship, men would treat each other to beers at a bar, play practical jokes on each other, hide each other’s tools and boots, and Stuffing feathers and tar into their overcoats. These customs predated the customs surrounding bachelor parties that we observe today.
Pre-wedding festivities originated from the workplace customs that women adopted when they entered the workforce at the turn of the 20th century. For instance, a bride’s co-workers would shower her with gift they reckon she will need in her role as a wife. This was an early form of the bridal shower.
however, most celebrations lacked debauchery and news of a semi-naked belly dancer performing as the entertainment would have caused an uproar and police would be called in. bachelor parties have become more popular among men as a last-ditch effort before marriage. The post 60’s wave of feminism saw women starting to celebrate more like men. Bucks and Hens nights have grown more and more extravagant. A portion of it can be attributed to what we see in the media: In the past few years, there has been a constant flow of cultural representations of bachelor parties, thanks to the “The Hangover” movie series. This has sparked an industry for bachelor parties in Thailand, the location of the 2011 film “The Hangover Part II.” These portrayals put pressure on the best man or maid of honor to really pull off the party planning.
These parties are evolving along with shifting ideas about gender and sexuality. Men and women are celebrating together more and more. Additionally, there is a shift away from binge drinking. For example, more men are choosing to go mountain biking instead of going out to bars. Furthermore, as people marry later in life and move around more frequently, the custom has become less about wild parties and more about getting together with friends from different walks of life – still, it wouldn’t be a bucks party without bucks night strippers Melbourne.
