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An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an
institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
feasts to commemorate
saints.
Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called
national days. These could be the
date of independence of the nation or the adoption of a new
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
or form of government. There is no definite method for determining the date of establishment of an institution, and it is generally decided within the institution by
convention. The important dates in a sitting monarch's reign may also be commemorated, an event often referred to as a "jubilee".
Names
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Birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many re ...
s are the most common type of anniversary, on which someone's birthdate is commemorated each year. The actual celebration is sometimes moved for practical reasons, as in the case of an
official birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many reli ...
or one falling on
February 29
February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in mos ...
.
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Wedding anniversaries are also often celebrated, on the same day of the year as the wedding occurred.
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Death anniversaries.
The
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
phrase ''
dies natalis'' (literally "birth day") has become a common term, adopted in many languages, especially in intellectual and institutional circles, for the anniversary of the founding ("legal or statutory birth") of an institution, such as an ''
alma mater'' (college or other school). In ancient Rome, the ''
iesAquilae natalis'' was the "birthday of the eagle", the anniversary of the official founding of a legion.
Anniversaries of nations are usually marked by the number of years elapsed, expressed with Latin words or Roman numerals.
Numerical
Latin terms for anniversaries are mostly straightforward, particularly those relating to the first thirty years (1–30), or multiples of ten years (30, 40, 50, 60, 70 etc.), or multiples of centuries or millenniums (100, 200, 300, 1000, 2000, 3000, etc.) In these instances, the name of the anniversary is generally derived from the Latin word(s) for the respective number of years. When anniversaries relate to fractions of centuries (125, 150, 175, 225 years—i.e. 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2.25 centuries), the situation is not as simple.
Roman fractions were based on a
duodecimal system. From to they were expressed as multiples of twelfths (''
uncia'' "twelfth"; the source of the English words ''inch'' and ''ounce'') and from to they were expressed as multiple twelfths less than the next whole unit—i.e. a whole unit less , or respectively. There were also special terms for quarter (''
quadrans
The quadrans (literally meaning "a quarter") or teruncius ("three unciae") was a low-value Roman bronze coin worth one quarter of an as. The quadrans was issued from the beginning of cast bronze coins during the Roman Republic with three p ...
''), half (''
semis
The semis, literally meaning half, was a small Roman bronze coin that was valued at half an as. During the Roman Republic, the semis was distinguished by an 'S' (indicating semis) or 6 dots (indicating a theoretical weight of 6 uncia). Some o ...
''), and three-quarters (''
dodrans
The dodrans (a contraction of Latin ''dequadrans'': "less a quarter") or nonuncium (from Latin ''nona uncia'': "ninth twelfth") was an Ancient Roman bronze coin produced during the Roman Republic.
The dodrans, valued at three quarters of an as ( ...
''). ''
Dodrans
The dodrans (a contraction of Latin ''dequadrans'': "less a quarter") or nonuncium (from Latin ''nona uncia'': "ninth twelfth") was an Ancient Roman bronze coin produced during the Roman Republic.
The dodrans, valued at three quarters of an as ( ...
'' is a Latin contraction of ''de-quadrans'' which means "a whole unit less a quarter" (''de'' means "from"; ''quadrans'' means "quarter"). Thus for the example of 175 years, the term is a quarter century less than the next whole (bi)century or 175 = (−25 + 200).
In Latin, it seems that this rule did not apply precisely for . While ''secundus'' is Latin for "second", and ''bis'' for "twice", these terms are not used such as in sesqui-secundus. Instead ''sesqui'' (or ''ses'') is used by itself.
Symbols
Many anniversaries have special names. ''Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home'' by
Emily Post, published in 1922, contained suggestions for wedding anniversary gifts for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, and 75 years.
Wedding anniversary gift suggestions for other years were added in later editions and publications; they now comprise what is referred to as the "traditional" list. Generally speaking, the longer the period, the more precious or durable the material associated with it.
There are variations according to some national traditions. There exist numerous partially overlapping, partially contradictory lists of anniversary gifts (such as wedding stones), separate from the 'traditional' names.
The concepts of a person's
birthday stone and zodiac stone, by contrast, are fixed for life according to the day of the week, month, or astrological sign corresponding to the recipient's
birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many re ...
.
See also
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List of historical anniversaries
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Quinquennial Neronia
The quinquennial Neronia was a massive Greek-style festival created by the Roman Emperor Nero. It consisted of three parts: first music, oratory and poetry, second gymnastics and the last horseriding.
These games followed a tradition set by Jul ...
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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 ...
*
Death anniversary
A death anniversary (or deathday) is the anniversary of the death of a person. It is the opposite of birthday. It is a custom in several Asian cultures, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, China, Georgia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Myanma ...
References
External links
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