The scale and amount spent on organizing these extravagant parties can drain the treasury of an entire nation!
“Seek success by serving others, not by making them pay” is a quote from the renowned American author H. Jackson Brown Jr. Indeed, history often recognizes selfless contributions to humanity more than luxury and indulgence.
However, life is not always just about sacrifice and service. Occasionally, people become more interested in the most grandiose and expensive events, partly out of curiosity, partly out of excitement, and sometimes just to satisfy their imagination.
Below are some of the most extravagant parties in history. However, the economic cost is not the only thing these significant events bring; sometimes the price that follows is much greater.
“The Golden House” of the Tyrant Nero
Nero is infamous as a tyrant with a luxurious lifestyle. It is believed that in 64 AD, Nero deliberately started the Great Fire of Rome to destroy much of the housing in order to make room for the construction of the opulent Domus Aurea.
Domus Aurea, or literally “The Golden House,” also hosted the most extravagant banquet the Roman Empire ever witnessed. (Photo: Pinterest)
Domus Aurea, or literally “The Golden House”, was also the site of the most lavish feast ever held in the Roman Empire. Taking place in the coenatio rotunda (rotating dining room), Nero treated his guests to elaborate and extravagant delicacies. Guests could only leave once they had vomited from overeating, or if the tyrant opened the door to let them go.
Legend has it that Nero even wrapped himself in the skin of a wild animal and attacked those bound to poles for entertainment.
Manchu-Han Feast
The Manchu-Han Feast, or the Great Royal Banquet, is one of the most extravagant events of the feudal court in China. (Photo: Pinterest)
This grand banquet took place in 1720 and is said to celebrate the 66th birthday of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty while reinforcing the Manchu’s dominance. Over three days with six banquets, 2,500 guests indulged in wine and over 300 elaborate dishes.
Besides traditional dishes like dumplings and roast duck, the banquet’s “menu” included a collection of mysterious delicacies known as the Thirty-Two Treasures, featuring 32 rare ingredients combined from four groups of Eight Delicacies, which were exquisite dishes reserved for emperors and the royal court.
Among these were gourmet dishes such as camel hump, bear paws, monkey brains, deer antlers, elephant trunk snail, and fetal leopard. The feast marked the pinnacle of luxury and feudal power, so famous that it was recreated multiple times throughout the Qing Dynasty.
The $175 Million Banquet of the Shah of Iran
In 1971, a multi-day banquet was held to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of Cyrus the Great founding the Persian Empire. This elaborate event took place at the ancient site of Persepolis. As part of the preparations, the Shah (the king of Iran) built an entire oasis city adorned with 20 miles (32 km) of silk, countless types of food, and chefs from France, importing 50,000 nightingales.
600 guests – including Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, princes and princesses from Monaco, and over 60 other royals and heads of state – dined on delicacies such as peacock eggs accompanied by roasted quail, while tasting 5,000 bottles of vintage champagne.
Between meals, they enjoyed fireworks displays, artistic performances, and a parade featuring soldiers in the costumes of the greatest army in Persian history.
The celebration was meant to symbolize the greatness of the Shah’s regime – he even recorded it in a propaganda film titled “The Persian Flame” – but ultimately, the event became the last straw that led to the end of a millennium-long monarchy in Iran.
By the end of the decade, growing discontent with the Shah’s rule led to his overthrow in a revolution.
A Showdown Between Two European Monarchies
King Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France held a summit in 1520 in a valley near Calais to improve relations between the two countries. However, the event inadvertently turned into a spectacle and “show-off” for the two kings.
For nearly 20 days, the two monarchies tried to “outdo” each other by organizing a series of feasts, jousts, archery contests, and festivities. The banquets included countless elaborately decorated booths, meat from over 4,000 lambs, calves, and cows, along with endless wine flows.
The climax of the competition was an impromptu wrestling match between the two kings, which was said to favor Francis I. Despite the exorbitant costs draining the treasuries of both nations, this banquet served no purpose other than indulgence. By 1521, England and France were once again embroiled in war.
