Anniversary

An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. It’s a special day that people often remember and celebrate because of its importance.

Swedish celebrities including Miss Sweden Johanna Lind, Camilla Henemark, Alexandra Charles and Christina Schollin celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mae West at Berns in Stockholm in 1993

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. These days bring people together to honor their shared history.

There is no definite method for deciding when an institution was established. The important dates in a sitting monarch’s reign may also be commemorated, an event often referred to as a "jubilee". These special days help people remember and celebrate important moments in history.

Names

Birthdays are the most common type of anniversary, celebrated each year on the day someone was born. Sometimes the celebration is moved for practical reasons, like an official birthday or if the birthday falls on February 29.

Wedding anniversaries are also celebrated, usually on the same day of the year as the wedding took place.

The Latin phrase dies natalis (meaning "birth day") is often used to mark the anniversary of when an institution, like a school or college (alma mater), was founded.

Anniversaries of nations are often named based on how many years have passed, using Latin words or Roman numerals.

Numerical

Latin has special names for anniversaries, especially for the first thirty years, or every ten years after that (like 30, 40, 50 years), and for every hundred years (like 100, 200, 300 years). These names come from Latin words for numbers.

For anniversaries that are parts of a century, like 125 or 150 years, the names are a bit more complex. These are based on a system that uses twelfths. For example, a quarter, half, or three-quarters of a century have special names.

Anniversary	Latin-derived term	Other terms	Comments
6 months	Semiannual		'Biannual' means twice in a year, or a malapropism meaning once every two years ('biennial').
6 months	Biannual
1 year	Annual	Paper
2 years	Biennial	Cotton	'Biennial' means once every two years, or a malapropism meaning twice in a year ('biannual').
3 years	Triennial	Leather
4 years	Quadrennial	Linen
5 years	Quinquennial	Wood
6 years	Sexennial	Iron	Sexennial and sextennial are two different forms of the same word.
6 years	Sextennial	Iron
7 years	Septennial	Wool
8 years	Octennial	Bronze
9 years	Novennial	Copper
10 years	Decennial	Tin
10 years	Decennial	Aluminum
11 years	Undecennial	Steel
12 years	Duodecennial	Silk
121⁄2 years (150 months)	Semiquadranscentennial Semiquinvigintennial	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	Tredecennial	Lace
14 years	Quattuordecennial	Ivory
15 years	Quindecennial	Crystal
16 years	Sedecennial	Sapphire	Sapphire is separately used for other anniversaries
16 years	Sexdecennial	Sapphire	Sapphire is separately used for other anniversaries
17 years	Septendecennial	Orchid
18 years	Octodecennial	Quartz
19 years	Novemdecennial, novendecennial	Jade
20 years	Vigintennial Vicennial Bidecennial	China Porcelain Emerald
25 years	Quadranscentennial	Silver
25 years	Quinvigintennial	Silver
30 years	Trigintennial	Pearl
30 years	Tricennial	Pearl
35 years	Quintricennial	Coral
40 years	Quadragennial	Ruby
45 years	Quinquadragennial	Sapphire
50 years	Semicentennial	Golden	Previously, "jubilee" by itself was used to indicate celebrations at 50 year intervals
55 years	Quinquinquagennial	Emerald
55 years	Quinquinquagenary	Emerald
60 years	Sexagennial	Diamond	Diamond is separately used for the 75th anniversary, its use for 60th years being popularized by Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria
60 years	Sexagenary	Diamond
65 years	Quinsexagennial	Sapphire	Sapphire is separately used for other anniversaries
70 years	Septuagennial	Platinum
70 years	Septuagenary	Platinum
75 years	Semisesquicentennial	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.
75 years	Demisesquicentennial	Diamond
80 years	Octogintennial	Oak
80 years	Octogenary	Oak
90 years	Nonagintennial	Granite
90 years	Nonagenary	Granite
100 years	Centennial	Obsidian
100 years	Centenary	Obsidian
125 years	Quasquicentennial		Term is broken down as quasqui- (and a quarter) centennial (100 years). Quasqui is a contraction from quadrans "a quarter" plus the clitic conjunction -que "and". The term was coined by Funk and Wagnalls editor Robert L. Chapman in 1961.
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- (11⁄4) × 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	Bicentennial		Used by the United States Bicentennial.
200 years	Bicentenary		Used by the United States Bicentennial.
225 years	Quasquibicentennial
250 years	Sestercentennial		To express 2+1⁄2 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		Semi- (half) × quin- (5) × centennial (100 years) = 250 years. Used by Brown University in 2015. Also used by the United States Semiquincentennial.
	Bisesquicentennial		Bi- (two) + sesqui- (and a half) x centennial (100 years) = 250 years.
	Bicenquinquagenary		Used by Princeton University in 1996, Reading, Pennsylvania in 1998, and Washington and Lee University in 1999. It is a coined word for an anniversary of 250 years: bi- (2) × cen(t)- (100) + quinquagenary (50 years).
	Quarter-millennial
275 years	Bicenterquasquigenary
300 years	Tercentennial
	Tercentenary
	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).
350 years	Semiseptcentennial
375 years	Terquasquicentennial
400 years	Quadricentennial
	Quadricentenary
	Quatercentenary
450 years	Sesquincentennial
500 years	Quincentenary
500 years	Quincentennial
600 years	Sexacentennial
600 years	Sexcentenary
700 years	Septcentennial		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".
700 years	Septuacentennial
800 years	Octocentennial
800 years	Octocentenary
900 years	Nonacentennial
1000 years	Millennial
1500 years	Sesquimillennial		Term broken down as sesqui- (one and a half) millennial (1000 years)
2000 years	Bimillennial
3000 years	Trimillennial
4000 years	Quadrimillennial
5000 years	Quinmillennial
6000 years	Sexmillennial
7000 years	Septmillennial
8000 years	Octomillennial
9000 years	Novamillennial
10,000 years	Decamillennial
100,000 years	Centamillennial

Symbols

Many anniversaries have special names. A book called Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home by Emily Post, published in 1922, gave ideas for gifts for wedding anniversaries at 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, and 75 years. More ideas were added later, and now there is a "traditional" list of gifts for different years. Usually, the longer the time, the more special or lasting the gift material is.

Different countries have their own traditions. There are many lists of anniversary gifts that sometimes overlap or disagree with each other. Ideas like a person's birthday stone and zodiac stone are fixed for life based on the day of the week, month, or astrological sign of their birthday.

Names

Numerical

Symbols

Images

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