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A bachelor party (also called a stag party, stag night (UK, Ireland and Canada), or bucks party (Australia)) is a party held for a bachelor shortly before he enters marriage, to make the most of his final opportunity to engage in activities a new wife might not approve of, or merely to spend time bonding with his male friends (often in his wedding party afterwards). A bachelor party may involve activities beyond the usual party and social gathering ingredients (often drinking alcohol and gambling), such as going to a strip club, hiring a female stripper or escort, and in some traditions more hazing-like tests and pranks at the future groom's expense, which shows the whole thing is also a rite of passage from bachelorhood (associated with an adolescent lifestyle, often in the common past of most participants, e.g. in their student years) to (more 'responsible') marital life.
The task of organizing a bachelor party is often traditionally assigned to a male sibling of the bachelor or to the best man; otherwise any (close and/or reputedly party-minded) male friend will organize it.
The tradition is thought to have originated with a bachelor dinner that was traditional in ancient Sparta.
Variations
In the United Kingdom it is now common for the party to last for more than one evening, hence the increasing prevalence of the phrase "stag weekend". A spin off has been the growth of the Stag Weekend Industry in the UK with various companies taking the "hassle" out of the weekend. It has also become increasingly common for a stag party to include some form of activity such as paintballing or motorsports rather than just drinking.
It has also become common for a similar party to be held for the bride-to-be. This is known as a bachelorette party or hen night.
A tame version is the so-called Stag and Doe party, in which both the bride and groom attend.
Bachelor parties have also been the subject of many movies, especially comedies.
UK
In the UK, stag weekend trips are becoming mini-holidays with the groups taking part in various day time activities as well as the expected night out on the town and the inevitable strippers. Popular UK destinations include Brighton, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Nottingham and Edinburgh. There is now a growing trend for stags to go abroad, with Dublin topping the list, followed by Prague, Amsterdam and Maastricht.United States
In the United States, Las Vegas, South Beach (Miami), and Atlantic City are popular bachelor party destinations.Australia
The groom's 'mates' may, after all getting drunk, subject him to various humiliations and/or endurances, sometimes even in public, such as leaving him tied to a pole.Canada
In Canada, Montreal is one of the most popular bachelor party destinations due to the city's large number of strip clubs with dance "contact" (also as with Vancouver). The female equivalent of a stag party in Canada is often known as a "stagette".Malta
In Malta, the bachelor's male friends frequently take the bachelor out and get him drunk, then treating him to a night of jovial abuse. For example, it is common for the bachelor to end up naked and tied to things, such as monuments in roundabouts or the front door of his future mother-in-law.See also
Sources and references
Erotic dance | Marriage | Parties | Rites of passage | Sex industry
Polterabend | Junggesellenabschied | Vrijgezellenfeest | Svensexa
"Bachelor party"