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Anniversary

Date of an event from a previous year

Memorial plaque presented by the National Capital Sesquicentennial Commission in Washington, D.C., in 1951

An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded.

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 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

Birthdays 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 or one falling on February 29.
Wedding anniversaries are also often celebrated, on the same day of the year as the wedding occurred.
Death anniversaries.

The Latin 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 [dies] Aquilae 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, 250, 275 years—i.e. 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.25, 2.5, and 2.75 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), half (semis), and three-quarters (dodrans). Dodrans 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.

Anniversary	Latin-derived term	Other terms	Comments
6 months	SemiannualSemiannual		'Biannual' means twice in a year, or a malapropism meaning once every two years ('biennial').
Biannual
1 year	AnnualAnnual	Paper
2 years	BiennialBiennial	Cotton	'Biennial' means once every two years, or a malapropism meaning twice in a year ('biannual').
3 years	TriennialTriennial	Leather
4 years	QuadrennialQuadrennial	Linen
5 years	QuinquennialQuinquennial	Wood
6 years	SexennialSexennial	Iron	Sexennial and sextennial are two different forms of the same word.
Sextennial
7 years	SeptennialSeptennial	Wool
8 years	OctennialOctennial	Bronze
9 years	NovennialNovennial	Copper
10 years	DecennialDecennial	Tin
Aluminum
11 years	UndecennialUndecennial	Steel
12 years	DuodecennialDuodecennial	Silk
12 years (150 months)	Semiquadranscentennial{{plainlist		Parsley	A humorous or mock wedding anniversary celebrated in Northern Germany and the Netherlands, chosen because it is halfway to the silver anniversary.
13 years	TredecennialTredecennial	Lace
14 years	QuattuordecennialQuattuordecennial	Ivory
15 years	QuindecennialQuindecennial	Crystal
16 years	SexdecennialSedecennial	Sapphire	Sapphire is separately used for other anniversaries
Sexdecennial
17 years	SeptdecennialSeptendecennial	Orchid
18 years	OctdecennialOctodecennial	Quartz
19 years	NovdecennialNovemdecennial, novendecennial	Jade
20 years	Vigintennial{{plainlist		{{plainlist
25 years	QuadranscentennialQuadranscentennial	Silver
Quinvigintennial
30 years	TrigintennialTrigintennial	Pearl
TricennialTricennial
35 years	QuintricennialQuintricennial	Coral
40 years	QuadragennialQuadragennial	Ruby
45 years	QuinquadragennialQuinquadragennial	Sapphire
50 years	SemicentennialSemicentennial	Golden	Previously, "jubilee" by itself was used to indicate celebrations at 50 year intervals
55 years	QuinquinquagennialQuinquinquagennial	Emerald
QuinquinquagenaryQuinquinquagenary
60 years	SexagennialSexagennial	Diamond	Diamond is separately used for the 75th anniversary, its use for 60th years being popularized by Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria
SexagenarySexagenary
65 years	QuinsexagennialQuinsexagennial	Sapphire	Sapphire is separately used for other anniversaries
70 years	SeptuagennialSeptuagennial	Platinum
Septuagenary Septuagenary
75 years	SemisesquicentennialSemisesquicentennial	Diamond	Diamond is separately used for the 60th anniversary. Semisesquicentennial can be broken down to understand its meaning: "semi" - half of + "sesqui" - in the ratio of 3:2 + "centennial" - 100 years. Broken out mathematically, 1/2 3/2 100 = 75.
Demisesquicentennial
80 years	OctogintennialOctogintennial	Oak
OctogenaryOctogenary
90 years	NonagintennialNonagintennial	Granite
NonagenaryNonagenary
100 years	CentennialCentennial	Obsidian
CentenaryCentenary
125 years	QuasquicentennialQuasquicentennial		issn=0003-1283	jstor=454178	title=The History of "Quasquicentennial"	author=Chapman, Robert L.	journal=American Speech	date=February 1965	volume=40	issue=1	pages=53–57	quote=It is our policy to reply as courteously and helpfully as we can to such requests, and I answered Mr. Hatten on August 7, suggesting quasquicentennial. Since this is a history, I shall quote the letter in full: Dr. Wilfred Funk has passed your letter of July I on to us. We are happy to help, if you feel that you really want a new Latinate word meaning "one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary". The best model upon which to form the word is "sesquicentennial", meaning "one hundred and fiftieth anniversary". We need a first element meaning "plus a fourth", analogous with "sesqui" which means "plus a half". "Sesqui" is apparently formed from "semis que", meaning "and a half". Now, both "quarta" and "quadrans" mean "a fourth", so we may begin with either "quarta que" or "quadrans que". The trick is to combine and shorten one of these as "sesqui" was combined and shortened from "semis que". If we follow the model of "sesqui" very closely, retaining the stressed vowel and final "s" of "quadrans", we get the word "quasquicentennial". Combining and shortening in other ways we can also get "quadqui-", "quansqui-", "quarsqui-", and perhaps several others. On the grounds that it is closest to the model and also probably the least ugly of the set, I would choose "quasquicentennial" (pronounced kwahskwee-) as the new word. Of course, you may decide that you do not really want or need a new word. There is no point in proliferating them needlessly. I should add, perhaps, that this word would not appear in any of our dictionaries until it had established itself in wide currency, even if you should decide to use it. I hope we have been able to help you.	doi=10.2307/454178}}
150 years	Sesquicentennial		Term broken down as sesqui- (and a half) centennial (100 years)
175 years	Dodransbicentennial			Dodrans is a Latin contraction of de-quadrans which means "a whole unit less a quarter" (de means "from"; quadrans means "quarter"). 175 years is a quarter century less than the next whole (bi)century (175 = 200 − 25).
Dodrabicentennial	Alternative Latin form of Dodransbicentennial
Dequasbicentennial	Alternative Latin form of Dodransbicentennial
Dosquicentennial	Dosquicentennial has been used in modern times and this is perhaps a modern contraction of "de-quadrans".
Demisemiseptcentennial	Probably a modern coined term: demisemiseptcentennial; literally one-half (demi-) × one-half (semi-) × seven (sept-) × 100 years (centennial)—also demisemiseptcentenary.
Quartoseptcentennial	Probably a modern coined term: quartoseptcentennial; literally one-quarter (quarto-) × seven (sept-) × 100 years (centennial)—also quartoseptcentenary.
Terquasquicentennial	A coined word for an anniversary of 175 years, but the elements of the word literally refer to an anniversary of 375 years, as follows: ter- (3) × quasqui- (1) × centennial (100 years)
Septaquintaquinquecentennial	Suggested by lexicographer Robert L. Chapman to William Safire; first appeared in Safire's column, "On Language" (The New York Times Magazine, February 12, 1995). It is a coined word for an anniversary of 175 years, but the elements of the word literally refer to an anniversary of 35,000 years, as follows: septaquinta- (70) × quinque- (5) × centennial (100 years)
200 years	BicentennialBicentennial		Used by the United States Bicentennial.
Bicentenary
225 years	QuasquibicentennialQuasquibicentennial
250 years	SestercentennialSestercentennial		To express in Latin it would be expressed as "half-three". The term relates to being halfway [from the second] to the third integer. In Latin this is "Sestertius", which is a contraction of semis (halfway) tertius (third)—hence Sestercentennial. Used by Dartmouth College in 2019 .
Semiquincentennial	url=https://news.brown.edu/articles/2015/06/250	title=Brown lowers the curtain on 15-month semiquincentenary	publisher=Brown University	date=2015-06-11	access-date=2015-06-11}} Also used by the United States Semiquincentennial.
Bisesquicentennial	Bi- (two) + sesqui- (and a half) x centennial (100 years) = 250 years.
Bicenquinquagenary	url=http://www.princeton.edu/paw/archive_old/PAW97-98/05-1119/1119feat.html	title=The Meaning of the 250th	access-date=March 23, 2011	work=Princeton Alumni Weekly	date=November 19, 1997	publisher=Princeton University	last=McCleery	first=William	quote=Faster, it seems, than you can say "bicenquinquagenary", Princeton's 250th anniversary has come and gone.}} It is a coined word for an anniversary of 250 years: bi- (2) × cen(t)- (100) + quinquagenary (50 years).
Quarter-millennial
275 years	BicenterquasquigenaryBicenterquasquigenary
300 years	TercentennialTercentennial
TercentenaryTercentenary
Tricentennial
Tricentenary
350 years	Sesquarcentennial		Sesquarcentennial is a modern coined term; sesquarcentennial for 350 years is deduced here from the "Sestertius" definition for 250 years above. For 350 years it relates to being halfway from the third to the fourth integer; thus a contraction of semis (halfway) and quartus (fourth); hence Sesquarcentennial. Semiseptcennial is probably a modern coined term: semi- (half) × sept (7) × cen(t)- (100) × centennial (350 years).
Semiseptcentennial
375 years	Terquasquicentennial
400 years	QuadricentennialQuadricentennial
Quadricentenary
Quatercentenary
450 years	SesquincentennialSesquincentennial
500 years	QuincentenaryQuincentenary
Quincentennial
600 years	Sexacentennial
SexcentenarySexcentenary
700 years	SeptcentennialSeptcentennial		Probably a coined term; earliest known use in March 1988. Chiang Mai Septcentennial Stadium (Chiang Mai, Thailand) was completed in 1991. Also mentioned in the 2008 animated film WALL-E, with a "Septuacentennial Cupcake in a Cup".
Septuacentennial
800 years	OctocentenaryOctocentennial
Octocentenary
900 years	NonacentennialNonacentennial
1000 years	MillennialMillennial
1500 years	SesquimillennialSesquimillennial		Term broken down as sesqui- (one and a half) millennial (1000 years)
2000 years	BimillennialBimillennial
3000 years	TrimillennialTrimillennial
4000 years	QuadrimillennialQuadrimillennial
5000 years	QinmillennialQuinmillennial
6000 years	SexmillennialSexmillennial
7000 years	SeptmillennialSeptmillennial
8000 years	OctomillennialOctomillennial
9000 years	NovamillennialNovamillennial
10,000 years	DecamillennialDecamillennial
100,000 years	CentamillennialCentamillennial

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.

References

"SA 175th Jubilee". Clipper Ship 'City of Adelaide'.
Zahn, Angelika. (15 April 2024). "Komisches Jubiläum: Petersilienhochzeit: Warum feiern wir eigentlich genau zwölfeinhalb Jahre Ehe?". familie.de.
(1992). "Hochzeitstagenamen". [[Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache]].
Chapman, Robert L.. (February 1965). "The History of "Quasquicentennial"". American Speech.
(July–August 2008). "Under the Cupola".
"Pickle Barrel: 175th-birthday bash planned for Dillsburg." ''The Patriot-News'' (Mechanicsburg, Penn.), Wednesday, 18 June 2008.
(November 16, 2015). "Planning Begins for College's 250th Celebration". Dartmouth College.
(2015-06-11). "Brown lowers the curtain on 15-month semiquincentenary". Brown University.
McCleery, William. (November 19, 1997). "The Meaning of the 250th". Princeton University.
"A Memorial of the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Settlement of the Town of Northampton, Massachusetts". City of Northampton.
Kersten, Glenn. (March 1988). "Naming the Anniversaries".
''Architects 49: Selected and Current Work''. (The Master Architect Series; 5.) Image Publishing Group, 2006. {{ISBN. 978-1-876907-09-9
(3 March 2023). "22. The Day of the Wedding. Post, Emily. 1922. Etiquette". bartleby.com.

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