Parties, basically by definition, require excess. It's no shock that people without an abundance of resources didn't throw big parties. In contrast, pretty much

Parties, basically by definition, require excess. It's no shock that people without an abundance of resources didn't throw big parties. In contrast, pretty much every cultural moment where people had large surpluses threw parties: China with drinking and gambling games, India has a whole slew of holidays involving general excess and merriment such as Holi, Diwali, Nowruz has been celebrated by a variety of middle eastern cultures for millennia. Not to mention weddings, coming-of-age celebrations, and funerals/wakes, which date back well into prehistory.