Wedding anniversary - wikipedia Wedding anniversary A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date a wedding took place. Traditional names exist for some of them : for instance, fifty years of marriage is called a `` golden wedding anniversary '' or simply a `` golden anniversary '' or `` golden wedding ''. Contents 1 Official recognition 2 Celebration and gifts 2.1 Traditional and modern anniversary gifts 3 Flower gifts 4 Gemstone gifts 5 See also 6 References Official recognition The historic origins of wedding anniversaries date back to the Holy Roman Empire, when husbands crowned their wives with a silver wreath on their twenty - fifth anniversary, or vicennalia, and a gold wreath on the fiftieth. Later, principally in the twentieth century, commercialism led to the addition of more anniversaries being represented by a named gift. In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that. This is done by applying to Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, or to the Governor - General 's office in the other Commonwealth realms. In Australia, where one can receive a letter of congratulations from the Governor - General on the 50th and all subsequent wedding anniversaries ; the Prime Minister, the federal Opposition leader, local members of both state and federal parliaments, and state Governors may also send salutations for the same anniversaries. In Canada, one can also receive a message from the Governor - General for the 50th anniversary, and every fifth anniversary after that. In the United States, a couple can receive a greeting from the President for any wedding anniversary on or after the 50th. Roman Catholics may apply for a Papal blessing through their local diocese for wedding anniversaries of a special nature ( 25th, 50th, 60th, etc. ). Celebration and gifts The names of some anniversaries provide guidance for appropriate or traditional gifts for the spouses to give each other ; if there is a party these can be brought by the guests or influence the theme or decoration. These gifts vary in different countries, but some years have well - established connections now common to most nations : 5th Wooden, 10th Tin, 15th Crystal, 20th China, 25th Silver, 30th Pearl, 40th Ruby, 50th Gold, 60th Diamond, and 70th Platinum. In English speaking countries the first, wooden, gift was cut on the day of celebration and then presented to the wife as a finished article before the next two quarter days had passed. The tradition may have originated in medieval Germany where, if a married couple lived to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their wedding, the wife was presented by her friends and neighbours with a silver wreath to congratulate them for the good fortune that had prolonged the lives of the couple for so many years. On celebration of the 50th, the wife received a wreath of gold. Over time the number of symbols expanded and the German tradition came to assign gifts that had direct connections with each stage of married life. The symbols have changed over time. For example, in the United Kingdom, diamond was a well known symbol for the 75th anniversary, but this changed to the now more common 60th anniversary after Queen Victoria 's 60 years on the throne was widely marked as her Diamond Jubilee. The origins of the current gift conventions date to 1937. Before that, only the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries had an associated gift. In 1937, the American National Retail Jeweler Association ( now known as Jewelers of America as a result of an organizational merger ) introduced an expanded list of gifts. The revamped list gave a gift for each year up to the 25th, and then for every fifth anniversary after that. Traditional and modern anniversary gifts Lists of wedding anniversary gifts vary by country. The traditional and modern U.S. versions were compiled by librarians at the Chicago Public Library. Year Traditional ( U.S. ) Traditional ( U.K. ) Modern list created by Chicago Public Library 1st Paper Cotton Clock 2nd Cotton Paper China 3rd Leather Crystal, glass 4th Linen, silk Fruit and flowers Appliances ( electrical ) 5th Wood Silverware 6th Iron Sugar Wood objects 7th Wool, copper Woollen Desk sets / Pen and Pencil sets 8th Bronze Salt Linens, lace 9th Pottery Copper Leather goods 10th Tin, aluminium Tin Diamond jewelry 11th Steel Fashion jewelry, accessories 12th Silk Silk and fine linen Pearls, colored gems 13th Lace Textiles, furs 14th Ivory Gold jewelry 15th Crystal Watches 16th Silver holloware 17th Furniture 18th Porcelain 19th Bronze 20th China Platinum 21st Brass, Nickel 22nd Copper 23rd Silver plate 24th Opal Musical instruments 25th Silver 30th Pearl Diamond 35th Coral, jade Coral Jade 40th Ruby 45th Sapphire 50th Gold 55th Emerald 60th Diamond ( yellow ) Diamond 65th Blue sapphire 70th Platinum 75th Diamond, gold 80th Oak Diamond, pearl 85th Moonstone Wine Wife 's birthstone 90th Stone Engraved marble, granite Flower gifts Year Flower 1st Carnation 2nd Lily of the Valley 3rd Sunflower 4th Hydrangea 5th Daisy 6th Calla 7th Freesia 8th Lilac 9th Bird of paradise 10th Daffodil 11th Tulip 12th Peony 13th Chrysanthemum 14th Dahlia 15th Rose 20th Aster 25th Iris 28th Orchid 30th Lily 40th Gladiolus 50th Yellow rose, violet Gemstone gifts Year Gemstone 1st Mother of Pearl 2nd Garnet 3rd Moonstone 4th Blue Topaz 5th Rose Quartz 6th Amethyst 7th Onyx 8th Tourmaline 9th Lapis Lazuli 10th Crystal or green Tourmaline 11th Turquoise 12th Jade 13th Citrine 14th Opal 15th Rhodolite 20th Emerald 25th Tsavorite 30th Pearl 40th Ruby 50th Gold 60th Diamond 65th Sapphire See also Book : Wedding anniversary gifts Hierarchy of precious substances List of people with the longest marriages References Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wedding anniversaries. Jump up ^ `` Debrett 's Everyday Etiquette ''. British Wedding Anniversaries. Retrieved 22 October 2012. Jump up ^ `` Who is entitled ? ''. The Monarchy Today. Retrieved 6 April 2009. Jump up ^ `` Queen and anniversary messages ''. The Monarchy Today. Retrieved 6 April 2009. Jump up ^ `` It 's an Honour -- Anniversary Messages ''. Australian Government. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008. Jump up ^ `` Invite the Governor General '' ( Requires access ). The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2 August 2010. Jump up ^ `` White House Greeting ''. About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 3 February 2010. Jump up ^ Office of Papal Charities. Vatican.va. Retrieved on 2015 - 05 - 13. Jump up ^ `` To Request a Papal Blessing ''. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, Office of the Bishop. Retrieved 28 January 2008. Jump up ^ Lee, Cookie ( October 2001 ). Wedding Anniversaries : From Paper to Diamond. Ryland Peters & Small. Jump up ^ `` Wedding Anniversaries, '' compiled by librarians at the Chicago Public Library 's Information Center ( December 2000 ) Jump up ^ Anderson, Charles. `` The Exchange, '' RQ 25 ( 1985 ) : 175. Jump up ^ The World Almanac and Book of Facts, Mahwah, New Jersey : World Almanac Books, 1997. Jump up ^ World Book Encyclopedia, 1997 ed., s.v. `` Wedding Anniversary ''. Jump up ^ Pears Cyclopaedia, 1978 -- 79 edition, `` Wedding Anniversaries ''. L128. Jump up ^ `` The platinum wedding anniversary of Jim and Gladys Till ''. Lancaster Guardian, 8 January 2008. Jump up ^ `` Tenor and wife toast 70 years of marriage ''. North West Evening Mail, 15 August 2008. Jump up ^ `` They 've been around the world in 70 years ''. Portsmouth News, 29 July 2008. Jump up ^ Miller, Vikki ( 24 May 2008 ). `` Britain 's longest married couple celebrate a quiet 80th anniversary ''. The Telegraph. Jump up ^ Facts and figures The British Monarchy Jump up ^ `` Hallmark 's top tips for the perfect wedding anniversary gift ''. The Hallmark Blog. Jump up ^ Gemstone Anniversary List. Anniversary-gifts-by-year.com ( 2015 - 05 - 01 ). Retrieved on 2015 - 05 - 13. 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Question: what is the traditional gift for 4 year wedding anniversary
Answer: Linen