Wedding anniversary
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Married persons who regard the date of their marriage as important may mark the anniversary of their wedding in some special way.
Broader groups in society, especially the families, and even more especially the children of such a couple, may help to celebrate such occasions; this is particularly common on the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries.
Retailers (especially jewellers), sensing a profit opportunity, have encouraged gift-giving on such wedding anniversaries, and may often suggest a hierarchy of types of gifts to reflect the importance of longer years of marriage (and perhaps of greater ability to purchase more expensive gifts).
Standard lists
Standard associations of such anniversaries have come to include:
- 25th anniversary: silver
- 30th anniversary: pearl
- 35th anniversary: coral
- 40th anniversary: ruby
- 45th anniversary: sapphire
- 50th anniversary: gold
- 55th anniversary: emerald
- 60th anniversary: diamond
- 70th anniversary: platinum
| Anniversary | American | British | Modern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | paper | cotton | clocks |
| 2 | cotton | paper | china |
| 3 | leather | leather | crystal |
| 4 | linen, silk | fruit, flowers | appliances |
| 5 | wood | wood | silverware |
| 6 | iron | sugar | wooden |
| 7 | wool,copper | wool,copper | desk item |
| 8 | bronze | bronze, pottery | linens, lace |
| 9 | pottery | pottery, willow | leather |
| 10 | tin, aluminum | tin | diamond |
| 11 | steel | steel | jewellery |
| 12 | silk | linen, silk | pearls |
| 13 | lace | lace | textiles,furs |
| 14 | ivory | ivory | gold |
| 15 | crystal | crystal | watches |
| 20 | china | china | platinum |
| 25 | silver | silver | sterling silver |
| 30 | pearl | pearl | diamond |
| 35 | coral, jade | coral | jade |
The following wedding anniversaries are the same for American, English and Modern:
- 40 ruby
- 45 sapphire
- 50 gold
- 55 emerald
- 60 diamond
- 65 blue sapphire
- 70 platinum
- 75 diamond (historically) or double diamond (contemporary) -Diamond anniversaries were very rare occasions usually reserved for the 75th anniversary. Queen Victoria's 1897 celebration of a Diamond Jubilee for the length of her reign popularized the use of diamond for 60 years.
- 80 Oak
Other traditions introduce specific gifts for every single anniversary; in certain German traditions some half- and quarter-anniversaries are also celebrated, and the suggested gifts can become quite bizarre and extravagant.
See also
External links
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