Traditionally the task of organising the night is given to the bridesmaids’ and not the Hen herself. It is therefore important to plan the activities of the party well in advance to make certain that the attendees and mostly the bride to be is well entertained. This is to ensure that the bride to be and of course all the guests carry long lasting memories of the party. The stag party is what most people in Singapore call what is in many other nations a bachelor/bucks party.
In countries such as South Africa it is also referred to as a Bull’s party. So whatever you’d like to call it the celebration itself dates back to the Sparta’s in a time in ancient Greece when the men would throw the soon to be married man one final party. It began with soldiers toasting each other the day prior to the wedding. Effectively their friend was giving up his status as a “stag”. This party consisted of several activities that under normal circumstances might be seen as inappropriate such as gambling and binge drinking.
Whilst drinking is still a very large component of the stag party, these days the stag party is often held at least 1 week prior to the wedding and the organiser of the party (usually the best man or collectively the groomsmen) plans several activities throughout the day/night including poker parties and the use of strippers.
Additionally, pranks on the groom throughout the night are very common. Things such as dressing him up as a convict with a ball and chain or making him wear clothing of his wife to be are just a sample of the pranks the groom can expect. But this is not done to offend or hurt the stag, it is designed to be light hearted and encompass the fact that their friend is leaving bachelorhood for marital life.
In the past bachelorhood was more commonly associated with the groom’s life during his adolescent stage. This was as important in the past as are high school and college years presently. Marital life on the other hand signifies leaving the irresponsibility of the past life and joining a more responsible group of individuals.
The final and most important part of a stag night is this: Keep it as secret as possible from the guests and especially the stag. Even if the group has an idea of what is being planned it is always good to keep a couple of surprises up your sleeve for the night. These parties have evolved in such a way that they have often been depicted in movies and television shows.
The activities of these parties may vary from one location to the other. In some rare circumstances parts of the Stag party and Hens party are combined together, when this takes place it is commonly referred to as a Stag and Doe party.
Nonetheless, the bride to be has her separate party known as a Hen party. In Singapore, many stag parties finish at a strip club. The groom’s mates may often indulge in heavy drinking and may then subject the groom to multiple humiliating situations, both in public and in private. Extreme examples of this involve strapping the stag to a pole with little/no clothes or putting him on a train to a distant destination.