Deer traditions go back even before early Roman civilization. The stag party is known as a stag party in Australia, a stag party in South Africa and America, a stag party in the UK. The word deer is associated with manhood. The correlation is relatively old when deer were supposed to be very virulent in their abilities to court the female counterpart.
The tradition is observed even today, but has taken a more elaborate and extravagant form. Previously it used to be more of the ‘night before the wedding’ celebration, which was more proper in the sense of a stag party. These days, guys are very careful not to plan the party too close to the wedding. No bride would want her husband to be half intoxicated with a terrible headache and unable to pronounce the vows!
Traditions differ in various countries. In European countries like France, the French terminology for bachelor party would translate to bachelor’s burial. Pretty dramatic, but it’s also true.
The tradition seems to be more or less the same all over the world. The day begins with a light gathering and fun activities. The activities part is sometimes typical of the region. Mainly it would involve doing things that a married man can never do at any point in his life. This would translate into adventure sports and dangerous but fun activities.
In Argentina, the groom-to-be is stripped of his clothes and driven naked in a car around the city so that all the people know that the boy is going to get hooked. Such pranks are also common in other countries, where the groom-to-be is said to be tied to a bare pole.
It is said that in Switzerland, random squares are drawn on the groom’s pants and he is taken to a bar, where the girls are asked to cut out the patches with scissors!
Another common custom is to dress the boy in funny clothes that say funny messages. For an extreme makeover, the deer dresses up as a woman! When else can you see your best friend dressed in ‘man’kinis and G-strings!
The bachelor party is usually a blur for most. This is an extreme binge with pub crawls. This may or may not involve strippers.
The ultimate essence of the bachelor party is having a fun time at the groom’s expense!