The Origins of Hens Night and Some Hens Night Ideas
Written by John Arthur
Hens’ night ideas are becoming wilder with the ladies of this generation. Following the tradition of bucks’ night of fun to celebrate the last night of freedom before tying the knot, the hens have embarked on these playful adventures as well. For some ladies, they enjoy a hens’ night with champagne cheers and bar-hopping around town, naughty games and kinky parties, hunks in G-strings and pole-dancing, but for some, they choose to have a pampering session at the spa, a creative pursuit that’s still some kind of titillating like nude painting classes, a fun day with nature like picnics or diving, and even a girls’ night in for makeup parties. It’s up to you to choose which parties or gifts for women friends and the brides-to-be you want to prepare. Oftentimes, those clean fun, memorable and worth-the-money plans are the most cherished.
Brief History of Hens Nights
But have you ever wondered how these hens night parties started. Let’s take a look at how these hens’ night ideas have come about and some interesting historical stories related to it.
- There are variations on the name depending on the country, for example; it’s a “bachelorette party” in the United States and Canada; “hen party” or “hen night” in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is a “hen’s party” or “hens night” in Australia and New Zealand, “stagette” in Canada, and “kitchen tea” in South Africa.
- Its modern or commercial form began during the sexual revolution in 1960s, in answer to the gender equality issues. If the groom and his friends have a bachelor, stag or bucks party, then the bride and her friends can have their pre-marital parties as well.
• It may have originated from ancient rituals, traditions and stories from different cultures, such as:
o Cleopatra’s best mates, Natasha and Tanya, organising a “Bring Your Own Asp Milk” party by the Nile as a celebration of her impending wedlock with Mark Antony.
o A result of a legend in Netherlands: how, when a father disapproved a poor miller’s permission of marrying his beautiful daughter, the heartbroken daughter’s good-intentioned friends brought gifts and crafts to the father’s house to fill the gap between the poor miller’s possessions and the father’s required dowry. This changed the father’s mind and he finally gave his blessings.
o The Middle English origin of the female of any bird: hen.
o A term coined from “henna” which is a ritual in India, North Africa and the Middle East, where henna tattoos are applied to the hands of the bride on the eve of her wedding to protect her from bad luck and spirits.
Makeup Parties: Great Hens Night Idea
Despite how the customs and traditions shaped the hens parties today, this pre-wedding event has been practised all over the world to honour the bride-to-be and celebrate female bonding. Many kinds of entertainment are organised by the head bridesmaid to please the guest of honour. One of the interesting themes for hens’ night is a makeup party. Wye Cosmetics can help you plan an unforgettable hens’ party with some drinks, laughter and makeup. All you need to do is book the date and a Wye Cosmetics’ consultant takes care of the rest, so on party day, you can just sit back and enjoy the fun and pampering. A hens’ night has never been this educational, entertaining and glamorous.
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