A
party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a
host for the purposes of
socializing,
conversation, or
recreation. A party will typically feature
food and
beverages, and often
music and
dancing as well.
Some parties are held in
honor of a specific person, day, or event, such as a birthday party,
a
Super Bowl party, or a
St. Patrick’s Day party. Parties of this kind are often called
"celebrations". A party is not necessarily a private occasion. Public
parties are sometimes held in
restaurants,
pubs, or
bars, and people attending such parties may be charged an admission
fee by the host.
Types of parties
Birthday party
Novelty candles may be used.
"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" birthday cake
A
birthday party is a celebration of the
anniversary of the birth of the person who is being honored. The
tradition started in the mid-nineteenth century but didn't become
popular until the mid-twentieth century.[1]
Birthday parties are a feature of many cultures.
In
Western cultures, birthday parties include a number of common
rituals. The guests may be asked to bring a gift for the honored person.
Party locations are often decorated with colorful decorations, such as
balloons
and streamers. A
birthday cake is usually served with lit candles that are to be
blown out after a "birthday wish" has been made. The person being
honored will be given the first piece of cake. While the birthday cake
is being brought to the table, the song "Happy
Birthday to You" or some other dedicated birthday song is sung by
the guests.
At parties for children, time is often taken for the "gift opening"
wherein the individual whose birthday is celebrated opens each of the
gifts brought. It is also common at children's parties for the host to
give parting gifts to the attendees in the form of "goodie bags".
Children and even adults sometimes wear
party
hats (colorful cone-shaped paper hats) at a birthday party.
Birthday parties are often larger and more extravagant if they
celebrate someone who has reached what is regarded in the culture as a
milestone age, such as transition from childhood to adulthood. Examples
of traditional
coming of age celebrations include the North American
sweet sixteen party and the Latin American
quinceañera.
Surprise party
A surprise party is a party that is not made known beforehand to the
person in whose honor it is being held.
Birthday surprise parties are the most common kind of surprise party.
At most such parties, the guests will arrive an hour or so before the
honored person arrives. Often, a friend in on the surprise will lead the
honored person to the location of the party without letting on anything.
The guests might even conceal themselves from view, and when the
honored person enters the room, they leap from hiding and all shout,
"Surprise!" For some surprise birthday parties, it is considered to be a
good tactic to shock the honored person. Streamers,
silly string, and
balloons may be used for this purpose. Evidence of a party, such as
decorations and balloons, are not made visible from the exterior of the
home, so that the honored person will suspect nothing.
Dinner party
Hors d'oeuvres served with cocktails during "cocktail hour"
at a dinner party
A dinner party is a social gathering at which people eat
dinner
together, usually in the host’s home. At the most formal dinner parties,
the dinner is served on a dining table with
place settings. Dinner parties are often preceded by a
cocktail hour in a living room or bar, where guests drink
cocktails while mingling and conversing.[2]
Wine is
usually served throughout the meal, often with a different wine
accompanying each course.
[3]
At less formal dinner parties, a
buffet
is provided. Guests choose food from the
buffet
and eat while standing up and conversing. Women guests may wear
cocktail dresses; men may wear
blazers.
At some informal dinner parties, the host may ask guests to bring
food or
beverages (a
main dish, a
side
dish, a
dessert,
or
appetizers). A party of this type is called a
potluck
or potluck dinner. In the
United States, potlucks are very often held in churches and
community centers.
Cocktail party
Main article:
Cocktail partyA cocktail party is a party at which
cocktails are served. It is sometimes called a cocktail reception.
Women who attend a cocktail party may wear a
cocktail dress. A
cocktail hat is sometimes worn as a fashion statement.
Tea party
An outdoor tea party in Australia, from between 1900 and
1910
In Anglo-American culture, a
tea party is
a formal gathering for
afternoon tea. These parties are traditionally attended only by
women, but men may also be invited.
Tea parties are often characterized by the use of prestigious
tableware, such as
bone china and
silver. The table, whatever its size or cost, is made to look its
prettiest, with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates.
In addition to tea, larger parties may serve punch or, in cold
weather, hot chocolate. The tea is accompanied by a variety of easily
managed foods. Thin
sandwiches such as
cucumber or tomato,
bananas,
cake slices,
buns, and
cookies are all common choices.
Receptions
Receptions are parties that are designed to receive a large number of
guests. They are typically large events, such as holiday events held at
the
White House.
The hosts and any guests of honor form a
receiving line in the
order of precedence near the entrance. They greet each guest in turn
as he or she arrives. Each guest greets the first person in the line
(who, of course, is the person of lowest precedence). The first person
then introduces the guest to the next person in the line and turns to
the next guest. Each guest properly speaks little more than his name (if
necessary) and a conventional greeting or congratulation to each person
in the receiving line. In this way, the line of guests progresses
steadily without unnecessary delay. After formally receiving each guest
in this fashion, the hosts may mingle with the guests.
Refreshments at a reception may be as minimal, such as coffee or
lemonade, or as elaborate as those at a
state dinner.
Dances and balls
Main article:
Dance partyA dance is a social gathering at which the guests dance. It may be a
casual, informal affair or a structured event, such as a
school dance
or a charity ball. Dances usually take place during the evening. An
afternoon dance is formally known as a
tea
dance. Some dances feature specific kinds of dancing, such as
square dancing.
A
ball is a large formal party that features
ballroom dancing. Women guests wear
ball
gowns; men wear
evening dress.
Block party
A block party is a public party that is attended by the residents of
a specific city block or neighborhood. These parties are typically held
in a city street that has been closed to traffic to accommodate the
party.
At some block parties, attendees are free to pass from house to
house, socializing, and often drinking
alcoholic beverages.
Showers
A shower is a party whose primary purpose is to give gifts to
the
guest of honor, commonly a
bride-to-be or a mother-to-be. Guests who attend are expected to
bring a small gift, usually related to the upcoming life event, like
getting married or having a baby. Themed games are a frequent sight
during showers as well.
As a gift-giving occasion, it may not properly be hosted either by
the guest of honor or the close relatives of the guest of honor, as
requesting gifts from friends for a near relative is seen as either
greedy or
begging.
Costume
or fancy dress party
At a
masquerade ball, guests wear
masks to
conceal their identities. Guests at a
costume party or a fancy dress party wear costumes. These parties
are sometimes associated with holiday events, such as
Halloween and
Mardi Gras.
Christmas
caroling party
In
English and
American culture during the
Christmas season, it is traditional to have a Christmas caroling
party. People go from door to door in a neighborhood and sing
Christmas carols.
In Spain, this type of party is called "El Aguinaldo". It's the same
as in England and the United States, but the only difference is that the
kids who sing the carols are given tips.[4]
Christmas songs are called villancios in Spain; they are mainly
sung by children at small parties.[5]
Some popular Christmas carols are "We
Wish You a Merry Christmas", "Deck
the Halls", "The
Twelve Days of Christmas", "Frosty
the Snowman", "Jingle
Bells", "Silver
Bells", "Santa
Claus Is Coming to Town", and "O
Holy Night".
Parties for teenagers and young adults
Young adults at a pool party.
A
house party is a party where a large group of people get
together at a private home to socialize. House parties that involve the
drinking of beer pumped from a
keg are
called keg parties or “keggers.” These parties are popular in
North America, the
United Kingdom, and
Australia and are often attended by people under the
legal drinking age. Sometimes, even older party-goers run afoul of
the law for having provided
alcoholic beverages to
minors. Arrests may also be made for violating a
noise
ordinance, for
disorderly conduct,[6]
and even for operating a “blind
pig”, an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages.
A pool party is a party in which the guests swim in a
swimming pool.
Dance parties are gatherings in bars or community centers where
the guests dance to
house music,
techno
music, or
disco. The music for dance parties is usually selected and played by
a
disc jockey.
A spin-off of dance parties, the
rave
involves dancing to loud
house music,
techno
music, or
industrial music. Rave parties may be attended by as few as a score
of people in a basement or, more likely, by a few hundred people in a
club, to as many as thousands in a large warehouse, field, or even tens
of thousands in a sporting arena, amusement park, or other large space.
Outdoor parties include bush parties and beach parties. Bush
parties (also called “field parties”) are held in a secluded area of a
forest (“bush”), where friends gather to
drink and talk. These parties are often held around a
bonfire.
Beach parties are held on a sandy shoreline of a lake, river, or sea,
and also often feature a bonfire.
School-related parties for teenagers and young adults include
proms and
graduation parties, which are held in honor of someone who has
recently graduated from a school or university.
A crush party is a party in a sorority or fraternity where the
sisters or brothers are given a certain number of invitations (according
to their “crushes”). These are passed on to friends outside of the
sorority/fraternity and given to the “crushes” (while keeping secret the
name of the inviter). There may be some sort of disclosure at the party,
so that the guests can find out who has a crush on her/him.
Singles
dance party and mixer
A singles dance party and mixer is a party which is organized for
people who are not married and who want to find a partner for
friendship,
dating,
or
sex.
Usually a “mixer game” is played, to make it easy for people to meet
each other. For example, each guest may be given a card with an
inspiring quotation on it. The game is to find someone of the opposite
sex who has the same quotation. Couples who have matching cards may be
given a small prize.
These parties are sponsored by various organizations, both non-profit
and for-profit.
Fundraising party
A fundraising party, or fundraiser, is a party that is held for the
purpose of collecting money that will be given to some person or to some
institution, such as a
school,
charity,
business, or
political campaign. These parties are usually formal and consist of
a dinner followed by speeches or by a presentation extolling whatever
the money is being raised for.
It is very common to charge an admission fee for parties of this
kind. This fee may be as high as several thousand dollars, especially if
money is being raised for a
political campaign.
Graduation party
In some places, parties to celebrate graduation from school, college
or university are popular.
Marriage-related parties
Housewarming party
A housewarming party may be held when a family, couple, or person
moves into a new house or apartment. It is an occasion for the hosts to
show their new home to their friends. Housewarming parties are typically
informal and do not include any planned activities other than a tour of
the new house or apartment. Invited family members and friends may bring
gifts for the new home.
Welcome party
A welcome party is held for the purpose of welcoming a newcomer, such
as a new club member, a new employee, or a family's new baby.
Farewell party
In many cultures, it is customary to throw a farewell party in honor
of someone who is moving away or departing on a long trip (sometimes
called a
bon voyage party). Retirement parties for departing co-workers
fall into this category.
Cast party
A cast party is a celebration following the final performance of a
theatric event, such as a
play, a
musical, or an
opera. A
party of this kind may also be held following the end of shooting for a
motion picture
(called a “wrap party”) or after the season’s final episode of a
television series. Cast parties are traditionally held for most
theater performances, both professional and amateur.
Invited guests are usually restricted to performers, crew members,
and a few others who did not participate in the performance.
Pre-party
A pre-party is a party that is held immediately before some event,
such as a
school dance, a
wedding,
a birthday party, or a
bar mitzvah. These parties are usually of short duration and
sometimes involve getting ready for the event (e.g., the guests may put
on makeup or costumes). Guests usually leave at the same time and arrive
at the event together.
After-party
An after-party is a party that is held after a musical or theatric
performance or after some other event, such as a
wedding
or a
school dance. Guests are usually limited to friends of the host.
Parties on
special days
International
Australia
Canada
France
India
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Mexico
New Zealand
Pakistan
Scotland
Sweden
Turkic Countries (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan etc.)
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Parties associated with religious events
Christian
Islamic
Jewish
Famous parties
Miscellaneous
parties
People posing at an outdoor party in
Canada.
-
- A social gathering during which the guests play
party games.
-
- A party that involves multi-player computer games and uses a
Local Area Network.
-
- A form of
direct selling, in which a party is used to sell products
(for example, a
Tupperware party).
-
- A party that is hosted in a private home for the purpose of
supporting a particular candidate, political party, or ballot
measure, or to share information and opinions about an upcoming
election.
-
- A party for which the guests are invited to stay overnight
at the home of the host. These parties are usually for
teenagers or young children.
-
- A party in which the guests wear
togas.
See also
References
Bibliography
- Tung, Jennifer (2005). In Style
Parties: The Complete Guide to Easy, Elegant Entertaining. New
York: Melcher Media, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-932994-11-7.