Parties are not just a British tradition; they are a aspect of life across the globe. Even as you’re reading this, they’ll be a party happening at this very moment somewhere in the world.

Everyone at some time or another has been to a party, but just what is this phenomenon we call a party??

A party is basically ‘a social gathering for celebration and recreation’. It can be the celebration of just about anything - a birthday, a wedding or wedding anniversary - or it can celebrate absolutely nothing. In the UK, many people will decide to have a BBQ and a party in the summer for no specific reason other than the sun showing itself for the first time in six months!!

Sometimes a funeral is a cause for celebration although this is commonly referred to as a ‘wake’. The guests at the funeral are ‘celebrating’ someone’s life. It may seem a strange thing to do, but it is so.

The word ‘recreation’ is part of the definition, which means it should be an event which invokes fun.

Parties are also a way of celebrating national events. In all countries you will almost certainly be invited to a Christmas party and a New Years Eve party albeit they may be at different times of the year; and in the USA there is Thanksgiving and Independence Day, to name but two.