No one knows with certainty when the first silver gift was bestowed. But as early as 3,100 B.C., ambassadors from Crete were already bringing silver vases as gifts for Egyptian rulers. The metal's popularity has even influenced our languages and customs. A silver spoon has symbolized great fortune and privilege since the 17th century when the Spanish writer Cervantes cleverly acknowledged that not everyone was born with one in his mouth. As best we can tell, the tradition of the "silver anniversary" dates back to Germany where it was customary to present a silver wreath to a woman after 25 years of marriage.
Sterling silver is a favorite medium for todays most innovative designers due to its affordability and malleability - it can be shaped into almost any form imaginable. A special gift of silver is a touching and lasting expression of affection, friendship, celebration, congratulation or thanks.
The 25th anniversary is represented by silver. Silver weddings have a long tradition. In Medieval Germany, husbands gave their wives a wreath of silver when they had been married for 25 years. "Sylver brydells" are mentioned in an English church record of 1624, and the term "silver feast" is attributed to the Germans in a letter to Dr Samuel Johnson in 1806.
Couples may want to buy something to special to commemorate this major milestone in their relationship. You can choose from a large range of silver items to celebrate your 25 years together - this could be a lovely silver frame for one of your wedding photographs, or even a piece of jewelry for each of you. There are no specific traditions other than the gift be constructed of silver, and that makes it a pretty interesting tradition but also leaves a lot of room for creativity.
Wedding rings are traditionally made of gold; since it is long-lasting and unaffected by the passage of time, it is considered a suitable material for everyday wear as well as a metaphor for the relationship. In Orthodox Christianity, the wedded couple is adorned with a golden crown during the ceremony, and amalgamation of symbolic rites.
The symbolic value of gold varies greatly around the world, even within geographic regions. For example, gold is quite common in Turkey but considered a most valuable gift in Sicily.
From most ancient times, gold has been connected to religion and spirituality, especially associated with the Sun. It was also seen as the best material to decorate religious imagery, all over history.
The 50th anniversary which is gold and you have spent half a century together. What better cause for a celebration? Golden weddings have been marked for many years. In medieval Germany, men would present their wives with a golden wreath on their 50th anniversary. This was said to symbolize harmony.
Going for gold is the obvious choice for a 50th wedding gift and you may want to use the opportunity to buy each other new wedding rings to add to your old ones. You could even have special inscriptions made inside the rings to mark the occasion.
Nobody can say with any amount of certainty when the tradition of giving anniversary gifts started. Most probably it evolved over time. Traditionally, each wedding anniversary is celebrated by giving a gift made from a different material. The first anniversary is symbolized with paper, and subsequently anniversary gifts become more precious or scarce to reflect the growing number of years a couple has remained together.
Some say calling the twenty-fifth anniversary Silver Anniversary and the fiftieth anniversary Gold Anniversary may have originated in medieval Europe, where wives were given a silver wreath to celebrate their twenty-fifth year of marriage and a gold wreath for their fiftieth anniversary. Diamonds are traditional in both the sixtieth and seventy-fifth years
Author:
Alex consults for a gift shop offering cheap wedding favors and gifts for her. Alex is recently married.
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