Wedding anniversary facts for kids

A wedding anniversary is a special day that celebrates the date a couple got married. It's like a birthday for a marriage! People often give gifts or have parties to mark these special days. Some anniversaries even have traditional names, like the "golden wedding anniversary" for 50 years of marriage.

History of Anniversaries

The idea of celebrating wedding anniversaries started a long time ago. In the Holy Roman Empire, husbands would give their wives a silver wreath when they had been married for 25 years. For 50 years of marriage, they would give a gold wreath.

Later, especially in the 1900s, more anniversaries got special names and gift ideas. This was partly because businesses started promoting them.

Official Greetings

Many countries have special ways to congratulate couples on their long marriages.

• In countries like the United Kingdom and Canada, you can get a message from the monarch or Governor General for very long marriages, like 50, 60, 65, or 70 years.
• In Australia, the Governor-General can send a letter for 50 years and every year after that. Other leaders, like the Prime Minister, might also send greetings.
• In the United States, the President can send a greeting for any anniversary from the 50th year onwards.
• Roman Catholics can even ask for a special blessing from the Pope for big anniversaries like 25, 50, or 60 years.

Celebrations and Gifts

The names of some anniversaries often suggest what kind of gifts to give. If there's a party, these gifts can be brought by guests. They might also inspire the party's theme or decorations.

These gift ideas can be different in various countries. However, some anniversaries have very well-known connections almost everywhere. For example:

• 5th anniversary: Wood
• 10th anniversary: Tin
• 15th anniversary: Crystal
• 20th anniversary: China
• 25th anniversary: Silver
• 30th anniversary: Pearl
• 40th anniversary: Ruby
• 50th anniversary: Gold
• 60th anniversary: Diamond

The tradition of giving gifts might have started in medieval Germany. If a couple reached their 25th anniversary, friends and neighbors would give the wife a silver wreath. This was to celebrate their good fortune. For the 50th anniversary, she would receive a gold wreath.

Over time, more symbols were added. The German tradition began to link gifts to different stages of married life. The symbols have changed over the years. For instance, the 75th anniversary used to be linked with diamonds in the United Kingdom. But this changed to the 60th anniversary after Queen Victoria celebrated her 60 years on the throne with her Diamond Jubilee.

The gift traditions we know today mostly come from 1937. Before that, only a few anniversaries had specific gifts (1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 50th, and 75th). In 1937, a group of jewelers in America created a longer list. This new list suggested a gift for every year up to the 25th. After that, it suggested gifts for every fifth anniversary.

Traditional and Modern Anniversary Gifts

Gift lists for wedding anniversaries can vary by country. The lists below show traditional and modern gift ideas, with the modern list created by librarians in Chicago.

Flower Gifts

Here are some flowers traditionally associated with different anniversaries:

Gemstone Gifts

Here are some gemstones traditionally linked to different anniversaries:

Images for kids

• 

  A wedding celebration.

See also

In Spanish: Aniversario de bodas para niños