Source: www.speakup.com.br
Language level: A2 Pre-intermediate
Standard accent: British
Speaker: Rachel Roberts
EXTREME CELEBRATIONS
How do people celebrate the night before a marriage in your country? Do they walk across fire for their loved one? Do they jump off a bridge? In Britain, people do both of these things. And it’s all part of a wedding tradition. The famous Stag Night, the night a groom celebrates his last night of freedom.
THE OLD DAYS
Traditionally, Stag Nights involved pubs and an excess of alcohol. Today everything has changed. There’s a new name a Stag Do. It involves an entire weekend of events. Women organise their own celebrations the Hen Party.
ORGANISATION
The organisation of a modern Stag Do is very complicated. There are the travel arrangements, there are a reservations at hotels and night clubs, there are costumes to rent and activities to arrange. So specialist companies now exist to solve all these problems. Extreme Elements is one example. They not only provide limousines, hotels and visits to VIP night club. There is also the most important element in the package: crazy, extreme activities. There’s bungee jumping from London’s Tower Bridge: high speed boat rides up the Thames. Sphereing or Zorbing –that’s rolling down a hill inside a gigantic ball: driving a tank, and walking on fire.
EXITEMENT
Why do people choose these activities? Bill Parsons says, “ I chose bungee jumping. It was a test of courage, you know, and something I will never forget. “ James Dillard says, “ I have always wanted to drive a tank. It was a fantastic surprise.” Dillard’s Stag Do was organised by his best man.
THE LADIES
A daredevil experience isn’t for everyone. Women, for example, often choose a day at a Beauty Spa. They enjoy relaxing saunas, massage and beauty treatments. Juliet Sanders says, “We loved every minute. It was so luxurious.” But Jean Webb says, “We went white water rafting. We proved we are as courageous as the boys. It was incredible!”
DRINK PROBLEM
One Stag Night element certainly hasn’t changed Saturday night means alcohol, lots of alcohol. The venue may be more exclusive, a VIP night club, and everyone may dress in fancy costumes, but the British still love to drink and drink and drink…
INFO AND DETAILS:
Extreme Element Ltd.
Unit 5, Hove Business Centre
Fonthill Road –Hove, BN3 6HA
Bungee Jumping
A rope is attached to your ankles and a harness. London’s Tower Bridge isn’t very hight of 50 metres. They jump off and fall head first. They rop stops them before they hit the water. Then they bounce up because the rope is elastic. Finally, a boat takes them to safety. Anyone is interested in this unique experience must book six months in advance.
Sphereing or Zorbing
This involves a gigantic rubber ball. The ball has an inner chamber. Two people enter this inner chamber. The outer chamber is then filled with air or water. Now everything is really. The ball is released. It rolls down a hill at about 40 kph. The people inside twist and turn upside down. A very disorientating experience!
Fire Walking
A real test of courage. First there’s a seminar on fire, safety procedures and techniques. Next you sign release forms, in case of an accident. Finally, you walk across burning coal – not once, but twice. You can also try broken glass!
HISTORY OF STAG AND HEN PARTIES
The Stag Night is a very old tradition. It started in the 5th century in Greece. Spartan soldiers celebrated a groom’s last night of freedom. They ate a fine dinner and then drank a lot of wine. Legend then appeared before them. There is also a Celtic tradition: the groom and his friends celebrated the god Cernunnos. He was a large, hairy creature with antlers, called the Black Stag. He was the god of hunting, but also the god of fertility. This may be the origin of the name Stag Night.
Hen Parties started in the 1960s with the rise of feminism. Women wanted to celebrate their last night of freedom, too. The tradition became popular in the 1980s. today Hen Parties are as important to women as Stag Nights are to men.
