Everyone knows what a stag/bachelor party is. The tradition dates back so far that the only information available on its origin is educated speculation. A best man is enlisted who is then responsible for organising the bachelor/stag party which, generally speaking, involves the mass consumption of alcohol and usually a stripper, but there are differences between the bachelor parties of different cultures.
UK: The British stag party now usually stretches over more than one day, like a weekend or even a week away. A lot of the time the day will be taken up by activities of a laddish nature followed by night merriment and boozing. With cheap airlines on the rise, weeks or weekends away to affordable destinations are becoming more and more common, top of the popular destinations list are Riga, Dublin, Krakow and of course Amsterdam.
United States: In the United States the term stag party will rarely be heard because there it is referred to as a bachelor party and although they include pretty much the same kind of activities as a British stag party, the American version is more symbolic of the grooms last free days without being tied down to a marriage, whereas the British version is more a celebration of the marriage. Popular bachelor party destinations are Miami Beach, New Orleans, Chicago and (it almost goes without saying) Las Vegas.
Australia: The Australian version, most commonly know as a Bucks night, usually involves topless waitresses and/or a stripper and sometimes a poker tournament. It is also fairly common for the groom to be subjected to embarrassing pranks by the party members, these sometimes include, being tied to a pole naked, being placed on a plane to an obscure location, or being forced to dress as a woman / put on a “mankini”.
Canada: They call it a stag party in Canada as well, and the most popular destinations are Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver because of all their strip clubs etc. In reference to women’s parties, they are sometimes called Stagette nights, bachelorette parties or doe parties.
Denmark: The celebration is called a Polterabend in Denmark and usually a group of friends will meet up for breakfast, and during the day take part in activities like paintball or go-karting or the like, usually followed by dinner in a nice restaurant, and then of course, the night out. The Danish Polterabend is no stranger to strippers who are sometimes included in the last event of the evening, and more often than not the groom himself is not told when exactly the Polterabend will be taking place.
France: The French call the Stag party enterrement de vie de garcon which, literally translated, means burial of life as a young boy, and the same for women, but burial of life as a young woman (enterrement de vie de jeune fille.) Like in most English speaking countries, these celebrations often include large amounts of alcohol consumption and sometimes a stripper.
So, customs for stag/bachelor parties vary from country to country, but they are all based around the same idea, drunken care free behaviour, and quite often, strippers.
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