The Traditional wedding anniversary gifts have come about over time. The giving of specific items for anniversaries was a custom that started with Medieval Germans. In early Germany, there was a custom that the husband would bestow a wreath of silver upon his wife after the completion of twenty five years of marriage, as silver symbolizes harmony that shaped up during this long period of marriage. This practice started by the Germans, has since been carried to different countries with couples gifting elaborate and exquisite gifts, to show their love and concern for each other.
Here are some interesting facts about the significance of the traditional wedding anniversary gifts.
1. As per the tradition, the gifts to be presented at each wedding anniversary are made of different materials. For example, the first anniversary serves an occasion for giving a paper gift, the second for gifts of cotton whereas the fifth one is a perfect milestone for giving a gift made of wood. Subsequently the anniversary gifts keep on becoming more scarce or precious. It basically signifies the number of years that the couple has been together.
2. The tradition of calling a twenty-fifth anniversary as “A silver anniversary” and that of calling a fiftieth one as a “gold anniversary” arose from Medieval Europe, basically Germany because the wives were presented with a silver wreath for the twenty-fifth and a gold wreath for the fiftieth anniversaries respectively. Traditionally for the sixtieth year, the gifts include diamonds, a tradition that started after Queen Victoria who chose to celebrate her sixtieth year as a Queen with a Diamond Jubilee.
3. Traditional wedding anniversary gifts for a couples seventieth year would include wool or lace but most couples would not know what to do with it. A much better of gifting would be to buy a something that is useful for the couple and then wrap the gift box in delicate and laced handkerchief. You can also pack the gift with a gold paper and put some nice ribbons on top of it.
4. These days of course most of the couples tend to deviate completely from the traditional anniversary gifts. Many people opt for giving luxurious gifts other than cotton, tin or customary paper and men usually give expensive diamond gifts to their wives much before the twenty-fifth anniversary. Many people also opt for giving (or rather sending) beautiful e-cards. These e-cards come in a variety of forms and can range from simple, sweet ones to the ones that are elaborate and accompanied with animations and music. It is a perfect way to break away from the traditional gifts and one can express his/her feelings in a simple and lovely manner.
Well, an anniversary gift is a personal gesture signifying the love, care and concern of one person for the other.