What would you think is going on if you walked down the street in the middle of the afternoon
in Germany, and you saw a guy in a full-body penis costume? No, it’s not Halloween. It’s
actually the German version of a bachelor party!
Hey everyone! I’m Dana and you’re watching Wanted Adventure Living Abroad.
Just like in other cultures, in Germany, people celebrate leaving the single world behind
them with a bang.
But unlike in the U.S. where bachelor and bachelorette parties are pretty much just
over the top nights of wild partying, sometimes with sometimes without strippers, but invariably
with lots and lots of alcohol involved, the German Junggesellenabschied as it’s called,
is a little bit different.
Especially during those warm summer months, if you go downtown on the weekend in one of
the larger cities of Germany -- Munich, Cologne, Hamburg -- there is a pretty good chance that
you’ll run into at least one group of men or women dressed in some sort of crazy costumes having
a good, usually pretty intoxicated time out in the street.
And, this I should mention, is often something that you see during the day. So in Germany,
I've noticed that the bachelor and bachelorette parties are often a whole day thing, starting
in the morning and then ending super late at night. Whereas in the U.S., the main party's
usually just at night. Although, you might also hang out with your friends during the
day, too. So maybe for girls you go to the spa or something like that to chill and get
ready for the main thing in the evening.
A lot of times I’ve also seen that here in Germany there are specially made t-shirts
for the event and, while I've seen the women’s t-shirts often being something cute, from what
I’ve seen of the guy’s shirts, it's something like how the groom’s fun life is over, or
how they’ve reached the end of freedom, or something about they’re getting married
and that’s why they’re getting wasted. You know, just your typical over dramatization
of the life-ending terror that is marriage.
Aaaahhhhh!
But like I said, in addition to wearing the t-shirts, sometimes the bride or the groom
is dressed up in some kind of extra embarrassing crazy costume. And sometimes I've seen the
other people are dressed up in funny outfits too...I guess it just depends on the party.
I’ve seen a woman in a bumble bee outfit and, like I said at the beginning, a guy in a penis suit.
I’ve also seen women in jailbird costumes and guys dressed up in tutus wearing makeup
and so much glitter that I'm pretty that they had to bathe for like a week to get that stuff
off. You know glitter, that stuff sticks around forever. I wear one shirt with a little bit
of glitter on it on Monday and on Friday I’m still like, oh look, there's glitter on my forehead.
Sometimes I’ve also seen the bride or the groom carrying around a basket full of little
items like low-quality schnapps bottles, cheap lacy underwear, bouncy balls, and other such,
well basically junk.
You give them some money, like 1 or 2 euros, and then you can pick something out of the
basket of basically junk.
I’ve heard that the money is supposed to go towards the wedding, but then I’ve also
heard that actually the money is supposed to go towards paying for the alcohol that night.
I’ve also heard that sometimes the bride or groom is given a list of a bunch of embarrassing
things that they have to do. Like maybe they have to go up to someone in a bar and say
some sort of, just, really corny pick up line to them, or they have to ask someone with
lipstick on to kiss their cheek and leave the lipstick mark.
Another big difference is that in the U.S., the bride or the groom does not ever pay for
the bachelor or the bachelorette party! The other people throw it for them and pay for
it. Whereas in Germany I think sometimes it’s the bride or the groom that covers all the costs?
Or it’s like, if the bride or the groom completes all the tasks on that long list
of embarrassing things to do, then the other people pay for the night. But if they don’t
complete all the tasks, then they have to pay for the alcohol? I’m not really sure on this point.
And one more big difference is that in the U.S. the bride or the groom always knows when
the party is going to take place! Actually, they usually tell the maid of honor or best
man when they want the party to happen.
Whereas I believe here in Germany sometimes the bride or the groom is actually just totally
surprised by the party. Like, one day their friends just show up and surprise it’s party time!
I mean, they're getting married soon, so obviously
I guess they know it's coming, but they don't know when the exact day will be.
So my question for you is: what are the bachelor or bachelorette party customs where you live
and what kind of crazy things did you do at your party or what have you seen other people
doing? Please let me know in the comments below.
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Until next time, auf Wiedersehen!
Never pays for the bacher...
This big basket full of little items like low quality schnapps or cheap lacy underwire...
I'm not really sure what that money is actually for.