Orgy
- For the music group, see Orgy (band).
Orgy has several meanings, including "a drunken revelry", a religious rite involving ecstatic dancing, an "unrestrained indulgence" (for example, "an orgy of destruction"), or group sexual activity. This article deals with the latter.
In sex, an orgy is a sexual activity in which four or more participants are present and involved in sexual activity with each other. In some cultures, orgies have been practiced as part of communal ritual or religious practice. An orgy may be exclusively hetero- or homosexual; instances of bisexuality may or may not occur. The concept of an orgy in Western culture also carries a connotation of unrestrained and outlandish behavior.
Strictly speaking, group sex involving three participants is called a ménage à trois or a threesome and is not normally thought of as an orgy. Interpretations vary, but some argue that to be classified as an orgy there must be at least eight people, including at least two of each sex, otherwise it is just "group sex." Group sex is sometimes referred to as a gang bang, though this term is used by some to mean intercourse between one woman, or one man, and a group of men, one after another. An alternate slang phrase for this practice is "pulling a train". Gang bang can also refer to a group rape. Participation in an orgy is a common sexual fantasy.
Orgies in fiction
The movie Caligula has several orgy scenes, not all of them erotic.
Orgies serve a central ceremonial role in the futuristic society described in Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World.
The word "orgy" appears in the novel Peter Pan and Wendy, but does not refer to group sex.
See also