What people term a bachelor party in the United States, in Canada and in South America becomes a stag party or a stag night or a stag do in UK and in Ireland. It is a party held prior to a bachelor’s entry into his married life. The sole idea behind such a party is giving a taste of everything a man holds dear to his heart that he needs to give up after marriage. Thus, a bachelor’s party is the soon-to-be-groom’s final opportunity of enjoying all those things his life partner would not approve of; to be more precise, it is the groom spending time with his male friends who organize a night or weekend of fun and frolic that takes on a different forms from simple go-carting or an evening in the pub to a out-of-country weekend trips.
Mostly, the stag parties are confined to a few harmless vices such as binge drinking and gambling; visiting a strip club or getting a stripper down to the party premises are rarer phenomenon. All in all, a stag night is a rite of passage from bachelorhood to a responsibility-laden marital life.
It is one of the male siblings of the bachelor who gets the task of organizing the party; else, it is the best man who is handed the responsibility. Usually, the activities planned are kept secret and the groom comes to know about them once the party commences.
The Australian counterpart of a stag party is a Buck’s night and is on the raunchier side. Such parties often showcase strippers and topless waitresses together with poker games. The heavy drinking part, of course, does not require to be mentioned.
When it comes to UK, the party lasts for two or more evenings and translates to a stag weekend. The general rowdiness doesn’t abate and neither does the food, which typically includes roasted items that go well with alcoholic drinks.
The other thing that receives a great emphasis is the gift for the groom, which can be at par with the vulgarity and rawness that dominates a stag party and stays enveloped (most of the times) within various modes of fun and excitement. This could be as simple as the general pranks played upon the groom or as raunchy as making him spend a few hours alone with professional, high profile call girls or strippers; however, the latter is something that’s arranged for one in a million stag parties. Not every groom is as lucky in this aspect.
