What Is A Toga Party? Know About This Roman Affair To Be Held At Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant's Pre Wedding

Anant Ambani Pre Wedding Day 2: Titled 'A Roman Holiday', guests are expected to dress in tourist chic outfits on this day, which will be followed by a late-night toga party. 

Toga Party: The Roman Affair To Be Held At Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant's Pre Wedding ( Image Source :Getty )

After a lavish pre-wedding in Jamnagar, the Ambani's are hosting another pre-wedding bash for their son Anant- this time on a European Cruise. The pre-wedding festivities that kicked off yesterday will last 4 days and the Ambani family has left no stone untuned to make the event special for Anant and Radhika. Today is the second day of the ceremony and the event is titled 'A Roman Holiday' in which the guests are expected to dress in tourist chic outfits. This will be followed by a late-night toga party. 

What Is A Toga Party?

A toga party is a Greco-Roman-themed costume party where participants typically wear garments resembling ancient Roman clothing, often made out of bed sheets, paired with sandals. The overall theme, including costumes, games, and entertainment, usually aligns with Roman or Greek motifs. These parties are associated with keg parties and excessive drinking, where the participants typically tend to be college or university students.

Toga parties became popular primarily due to their romanticization in the 1978 movie 'Animal House,' where the brothers of Delta House threw a wild toga party. This portrayal captivated the imagination of college students and significantly boosted the party's popularity, transforming it into a staple of college life and Greek organisations.

Evolution and Popularity of Toga Parties

1. Historical Roots and Early Incarnations:

• • Fraternal Orders and Civic Groups: Before being known as toga parties, similar events were held for decades, commonly called 'bed sheet and pillow slip' parties.
  • Early College Parties: In 1882, the Terpsichore Society of the Ohio State University held a 'pillow slip party' which may arguably be considered the first known college toga party.

2. Eleanor Roosevelt's Toga Party:

• • • In 1934, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt hosted a toga party to spoof those who compared her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to 'Caesar'.

 

Image Source: Getty

How Did Toga Parties Become Popular?

Though originally popular within Greek life on campus, the modern toga party gained widespread fame after being featured in the 1978 movie 'Animal House' where the Delta House fraternity throws a wild toga party just for fun. This portrayal sparked a trend, leading to various interpretations, including naked toga parties where participants wore nothing under their linens.

Some attendees have taken the theme to extremes, showing up in minimal attire like gold-leafed garlands, aiming to resemble Greek gods or goddesses.

Types Of Toga Costumes:

The toga, a garment worn exclusively by Roman citizens, symbolised status, citizenship, and identity. Thus, donning a toga was not merely a fashion choice but a statement of one’s place in society.

In ancient Rome, togas were wool garments. This detail might interest students in colder regions, as they can stay warm and historically accurate during winter toga parties. There were five types of togas in ancient times: 

• Toga Candida: Worn by political candidates, making it whiter than normal by rubbing chalk.
• Toga Picta: Generals wore these with designs on them, decorated with gold embroidery or appearing in solid colours after emerging victorious.
• Toga Praetexta: Reddish- purple-bordered, worn by magistrates and freeborn youth.
• Toga Pulla: Dark-coloured, worn during mourning.
• Toga Pura: Any citizen of Rome might wear this made of natural, undyed, whitish wool.
• Toga Trabea: For the elite individuals, that had a stripe of purple or saffron

 

Image Source: Getty