Wedding anniversary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date on which a wedding took place.
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[edit] Celebration and gifts
Married persons may mark the anniversary date of their marriage in special ways. Other people might give the couple gifts appropriate for the year of their anniversary. These gifts are different in different countries. For example, in the United Kingdom the 7th wedding anniversary is called the Copper Anniversary and the 10th anniversary is called the Aluminium Anniversary. In the United States, these anniversaries are sometimes celebrated with gifts made of wool or tin, respectively.
Some years have well-established connections which are common to all nations. The 25th wedding anniversary is the silver wedding anniversary. The 50th wedding anniversary is the golden wedding anniversary.
[edit] Official recognition
In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that.[1] This is done by applying to Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, or to the Governor-General's office in the other Commonwealth realms.[2]
In Canada, one can also receive a message from the Governor General for 50th and 55th anniversaries.[3]
The situation is similar in Australia, where one can receive a letter of congratulations from the Governor-General on the 50th and all subsequent wedding anniversaries; the Prime Minister, the federal Opposition leader, local members of parliament (both state and federal), and state Governors may also send salutations for the same anniversaries.[4]
In the United States, one can receive a greeting from the President for any wedding anniversary on or after the 50th.[5]
Roman Catholics may apply for a Papal blessing through their local diocese for wedding anniversaries of a special nature (25th, 50th, 60th, etc.).[6]
[edit] Traditional and modern anniversary gifts
The following list of wedding anniversary gifts was compiled by librarians at the Chicago Public Library and therefore reflects American practice.[7][8][9][10]
| Year | Traditional | Modern |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | Clocks |
| 2nd | Cotton | China |
| 3rd | Leather | Crystal, Glass |
| 4th | Linen, Silk | Appliances (electrical) |
| 5th | Wood | Silverware |
| 6th | Iron | Wood objects |
| 7th | Wool, Copper | Desk sets/Pen & Pencil sets |
| 8th | Bronze | Linens, Lace |
| 9th | Pottery, China | Leather goods |
| 10th | Tin, Aluminium | Diamond jewelry |
| 11th | Steel | Fashion jewelry, accessories |
| 12th | Silk | Pearls, Colored gems |
| 13th | Lace | Textiles, Furs |
| 14th | Ivory | Gold jewelry |
| 15th | Crystal | Watches |
| 16th | Silver Holloware | |
| 17th | Furniture | |
| 18th | Porcelain | |
| 19th | Bronze | |
| 20th | China | Platinum |
| 21st | Brass, Nickel | |
| 22nd | Copper | |
| 23rd | Silver plate | |
| 24th | Musical Instruments | |
| 25th | Silver | Sterling silver |
| 30th | Pearl | Diamond |
| 35th | Coral, Jade | Jade |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| 50th | Gold | Gold |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond |
| 70th | Platinum[11][12][13] | |
| 80th | Oak[14][15] |
[edit] Flower gifts
| Year | Flower |
|---|---|
| 1st | Carnation |
| 2nd | Lily of the valley |
| 3rd | Sunflower |
| 4th | Hydrangea |
| 5th | Daisy |
| 6th | Calla |
| 7th | Freesia |
| 8th | Lilac |
| 9th | Bird of paradise |
| 10th | Daffodil |
| 11th | Tulip |
| 12th | Peony |
| 13th | Chrysanthemum |
| 14th | Dahlia |
| 15th | Rose |
| 20th | Aster |
| 25th | Iris |
| 28th | Orchid |
| 30th | Lily |
| 40th | Gladiolus |
| 50th | Yellow roses & violets |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wedding anniversaries |
- ^ "Who is entitled?". The Monarchy Today. http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/Queenandanniversarymessages/Whoisentitled.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Queen and anniversary messages". The Monarchy Today. http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/Queenandanniversarymessages/Anniversarymessages.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-04-06.
- ^ "Messages from the Governor General and Her Majesty The Queen". The Governor General. http://www.gg.ca/gg/02/index_e.asp. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
- ^ "Australian Government: It's an Honour". http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/anniversary/index.cfm#what. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
- ^ "White House Greeting". https://app1.whitehouse.gov/greetings/anniversary. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.[dead link]
- ^ "The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson Office of the Bishop". http://www.diocesetucson.org/officeofbishop2.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ^ "Wedding Anniversaries," compiled by librarians at the Chicago Public Library's Information Center (December, 2000).
- ^ Anderson, Charles. "The Exchange," RQ 25 (1985): 175.
- ^ The World Almanac and Books of Facts. Mahwah, New Jersey: World Almanac Books, 1997.
- ^ World Book Encyclopedia, 1997 ed., s.v. "wedding anniversary."
- ^ The platinum wedding anniversary of Jim and Gladys Till from the Lancaster Guardian
- ^ North-west Evening Mail, Tenor and wife toast 70 years of marriage
- ^ Portsmouth News They've been around the world in 70 years
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2020233/Britain%27s-longest-married-couple-celebrate-a-quiet-80th-anniversary.html
- ^ http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/Queenandanniversarymessages/Factsandfigures.aspx
