![The Queen of Australia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/The_Queen_of_Australia.jpg)
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th
anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniversaries, although the human lifespan makes this usage more common for institutions.
Western monarchies
George III of the United Kingdom died a few months before his diamond jubilee was due in 1820. The
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria celebrated her 60-year reign on 22 June 1897. The
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the Queen, was celebrated across the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...
throughout 2012.
Her next level of jubilee was her
platinum jubilee
A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary.
The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the other C ...
in February 2022.
Asian monarchies
![Diamond jubilee window](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Diamond_jubilee_window.jpg)
In East Asia, the diamond jubilee coincides with the traditional 60-year
sexagenary cycle
The sexagenary cycle, also known as the Stems-and-Branches or ganzhi ( zh, 干支, gānzhī), is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus a total of sixty years for one cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...
, which is held in special importance despite not generally being called a "diamond jubilee." Monarchs such as the
Kangxi
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...
and
Qianlong
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his Temple name, temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing empe ...
emperors of China
''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heave ...
and
Emperor Hirohito of Japan
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
held celebrations for their 60th year of reign, as did
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on 10 June 2006.
National governments also mark their 60th anniversary as diamond jubilees, as did the
Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...
in 2005 and the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 2009. In
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
, the term is also used for certain 100-day anniversaries. In the
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
and
Pakistani film industries, a "diamond jubilee" film is a title that has been featured in cinemas for 100 days, and beyond.
African monarchies
The longest reigning monarch in history,
Sobhuza II
Sobhuza II, (; also known as Nkhotfotjeni, Mona; 22 July 1899 – 21 August 1982) was the Paramount Chief and later Ngwenyama of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. Sobhuza was ...
of
Swaziland
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
, celebrated his (60 year) diamond jubilee in 1981, dating from when he gained direct rule. There does not appear to have been any (75 year) diamond jubilee celebration.
List of diamond jubilees
![Emperor Franz Joseph on the balcony of Schönbrunn Palace on the occasion of his 60th Jubilee](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Emperor_Franz_Joseph_on_the_balcony_of_Sch%C3%B6nbrunn_Palace_on_the_occasion_of_his_60th_Jubilee.jpg)
In 1984, the phrase "Diamond Jubilee" was used by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
in its logo for the sixtieth anniversary of the studio.
In 2015 it marked
Disneyland Park
Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
's Diamond Jubilee to celebrate 60 years.
See also
*
Hierarchy of precious substances
In popular culture, sets of precious substances may form hierarchies which express conventional perceived relative value or merit. Precious metals appear prominently in such hierarchies, but as they grow, gems and semi-precious materials may be in ...
*
List of longest-reigning monarchs
This is a list of the longest-reigning monarchs of all time, detailing the monarchs and lifelong leaders who have reigned the longest in world history, ranked by length of reign.
Monarchs of sovereign states with verifiable reigns by exact d ...
*
Wedding anniversary
A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date a wedding took place. Couples may take the occasion to celebrate their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for particular an ...
References
{{jubilee
Anniversaries