We celebrated the Oxfort’s Wedding Anniversary with them yesterday. It was their 58th Anniversary, which means it wasn’t anything special. Of course it was special; when anyone has been married for 58 years — believe me, that’s special!!
The reason I said it wasn’t “special,” Hallmark or someone like that hasn’t given it a “name” — like the 50th is gold, 25th is silver, 60th is diamond, etc.
The historic origins of wedding anniversaries can be traced back to the Holy Roman Empire, when husbands crowned their wives with a silver wreath on their twenty-fifth anniversary and a gold wreath on their fiftieth. Naturally the twentieth century came along and commercialism led to the addition of more anniversaries being represented by a named gift. Prior to 1937 only the first anniversary and major milestone anniversaries had “materials” associated with them. In 1937 the American National Retail Jewelry Association issued a more comprehensive list of representative materials for all the traditional wedding anniversaries for each year up to the 15th anniversary and then every fifth year after that up to the 60th. Since then, various commercial companies have continually updated the list and today someone will sell you the perfect gift for any year or month anniversary you’re willing to spend money on.
Traditionally, gifts given or exchanged in the early years of marriage tended to be practical household items to aid the couple in starting a new home together. Luxury gifts usually were given in the later years when the couple had already acquired “needed” things.
When the original yearly list of anniversaries tagged with material names was put together, someone at least gave some thought to why the names were chosen — today, that sentiment seems to have disappeared and the objective is to sell something.
The 1st anniversary is referred to as the Paper Anniversary — paper is supposed to symbolize the strength obtained from the interlocking fibers.
The 2nd anniversary is known as the Cotton Anniversary — cotton has always been associated with prosperity and durability.
The 3rd — Leather — the durability of leather being analogous to the durability of the marriage.
The 4th — Fruit/Flowers — symbolizes a blossoming and fruitful relationship.
The 5h — Wood — symbolizes a strong and long lasting marriage.
Anyhow, you get the idea…. so wedding anniversaries, like just about all special (and not so special) occasions have been commercialized.
But no matter by what name any anniversary is called, they are all a celebration of a couple’s love for one another. Happy Anniversary, Anne and Winfried — thanks for sharing it with us.
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