White wedding

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Q. What is it with wedding anniversaries
A. The practice of giving successive wedding anniversaries special names has been with us for quite some time. The idea is that the name designates the type of present that might be suitable for each occasion.

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Q. Such as
A. We're all familiar with silver and gold, but there are plenty of others, coral and paper, for example.

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Q. And that list in full

A.

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1st cotton
2nd paper
3rd leather
4th flower/fruit
5th wooden
6th iron/sugar-candy
7th woollen
8th bronze/electrical appliances
9th copper/pottery
10th tin
11th steel
12th silk/fine linen
13th lace
14th ivory
15th crystal
20th china
25th silver
30th pearl
35th coral
40th ruby
45th sapphire
50th golden
55th emerald
60th diamond*
70th platinum
75th diamond*

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* Some reckon the 60th as diamond, others the 75th

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Q. Can these be applied to other types of anniversary
A. They can and are. Remember - if you're old enough - the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 A Gold Jubilee along similar lines is being planned for 2002.

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In fact, originally a Jubilee Year was a special year in the Jewish calendar, celebrated every fifty years to commemorate the deliverance from Egypt. Jubilees subsequently came to be associated with gold and applied to any fiftieth anniversary, and thence, to other years. So, Queen Victoria celebrated her Jubilee in 1887, fifty years after her accession, and then her Diamond Jubilee ten years later.

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For more on Phrases & Sayings click here

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By Simon Smith