What is a "hens party" and where is this phrase commonly used?

Where does the term come from, where in the world is the term used?

I came across the usage in this article, with this paragraph as quoted:

Keara O'Neil was on a shopping trip to find bridesmaid dresses for her wedding and a frock for her hens night at the GASP Chapel St store on September 24 when she had a dispute with a sales assistant named "Chris".

So now that I've been sufficiently reminded to use Wiktionary and the like, I see that the reference is rather old to meaning "a women's party" and pretty much to mean the sort of thing where gossiping is expected to be a large part of the event. What I'm curious about now is:

Since I don't hear this a lot in the US in the South, where is this phrase used? How popular is it? Is it considered antiquated? Hyperbole?

Solution 1:

A hen party or hen night specifically refers (in the UK) to what is called a "bachelorette party" in the US - there will be drinking, possibly a stripper, certainly some raucous laughter and dirty jokes. I wouldn't expect it to mean any random party featuring lots of women, nor any of the specialized women-only parties like a baby shower or wedding shower. This image search should give you a rough idea what's involved. The big L thing is the symbol that normally goes on a car for a learner driver, and implies the bride-to-be is a "learner" who is about to start having sex. I know that doesn't make much sense, but it's tradition.

Solution 2:

When I was in England in 1973 I used to hear this expression a " hen night"

or hen evening " for an evening out with women only.

In french it would be "une soirée filles"