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02 Mar 07 - 11:01 AM (#1983960) Subject: BS: Standardization of Anniversary Gifts From: GUEST,Heather I'm trying to figure out where the anniversary symbols come from (ie paper is the traditional gift for 1st anniversary, wood for 5th, etc.). I've tracked them down to a mention in Emily Post's guide in the early 1900s but also found a mention of them in an 1800s Dictionary of Phrasese and Fables... My impression is that the gifts come from various cultures based on traditions of reciprocity, but I wonder when they were standardized and what the traditional gifts in each category were at that time. Does anyone know where I might find this information? Here's what I have so far: 1 year: paper -Japanese word for paper is kami, which is related to spirit and folded paper represents the presence of divinity -Ancient Egyptians thought the papyrus plant (which was used to make paper) symbolized joy, youth, freshness and love because it grew each year on the riverbanks (it's a perennial). -Paper contains the valuable words written on it, e.g., marriage contracts, which in Judaism the contract (called a ketubah) is done by a calligrapher and then the couple hangs this on their wall. -Can also symbolize fragility 5 years: wood -Wood comes from tress and trees are often a symbol for life and wisdom -Central Asia, Japan, Korea, Australia, Native Americans (and Artie) believe that trees are the ancestors of humans. Old adage 'knock on wood' might be related to this (invoking the spirit for good luck). -Tree/wood is a solid structure. We build houses from it, etc. 10 years: Tin -The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols associates tin with wealth, optimism, and assurance -Tin was first used to preserve things (canned food) 15 years: Crystal - Clarity (crystal clear) -Spiritual truth (ok, kinda hocus-pocus...) -People use crystals as lucky charms -Crystals are used for healing in alternative medicine because of the energy they generate (another more relatable way to understand the "energy" is the fact that you can make music by rubbing crystal wine glaases together. sort of.) 20 years: China -In order to make porcelain you typically use kaolin clay and feldspar, which are looked at as the yin and yang of materials. - In China, their traditional wedding porcelain has an image of two mandarin ducks (a male and female), which are known for their fidelity to each other. 25 years: Silver -Precious metal -Almost every culture-Egyptians, Phoenicians, Minoans, Byzantines, Persians, Indians, Tibetans, including us, have looked to silversmiths for creating all sorts of gifts -Alchemists used the same symbol for the moon as they did for silver (geeky, but kinda cool) |
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02 Mar 07 - 11:28 AM (#1983985) Subject: RE: BS: Standardization of Anniversary Gifts From: MMario call me cynical - but I suspect the list was made up by some dillitante during the Victorian era; silver, gold and diamond for 25, 50 and 75 for the 25 year marks seems to have been around a bit longer. I suspect the others were just filled in in increasing order of $$ value. "Crystal" in the anniversary list refers to glassware/tableware rather then rock crystals. The lists I've found don't seem to be all that standardized anyway - aside from Paper as 1st (and many people feel that should be "folding paper - ie money) silver, gold and diamond. |
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02 Mar 07 - 04:40 PM (#1984321) Subject: RE: BS: Standardization of Anniversary Gifts From: GUEST,pattyClink Sounds like something that would be in the Godey's Ladies' Book, a prominent magazine of the 19th century that got bound into books. But you'd go nuts sifting through them all. Wonder if they were ever indexed? |
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02 Mar 07 - 10:07 PM (#1984567) Subject: RE: BS: Standardization of Anniversary Gifts From: The Fooles Troupe http://www.google.com/search?as_q=&hl=en&num=50&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=Godey%27s+Ladies%27+Book&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=images |
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02 Mar 07 - 10:13 PM (#1984573) Subject: RE: BS: Standardization of Anniversary Gifts From: The Fooles Troupe ooooo a slight twiddle http://www.google.com/search?as_q=Godey%27s+Ladies+Book+index&hl=en&num=50&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=Godey%27s+Ladies+Book&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=images popped up The New Jersey Periodical Notes is a 6000 card file index to information ... various editions of Harper's, Godey's Ladies Book and Frank Leslie's Magazine, ... http://www.npl.org/Pages/Collections/njic.html & http://library.richmond.edu/information/csguides/RHCS_413.htm and InfoTrac OneFile (see below), also has its own index with the issues on the 2nd floor. ... It also includes Godey's Ladies Book from the 19th century. ... library.richmond.edu/information/csguides/RHCS_413.htm & Godey's Ladies Book (fashion, literature, culture, women's interests) ... P7) is an index to subjects, not writers, unless the writer is treated as a ... athena.louisville.edu/a-s/english/babo/griffin/105.html & Library Magazine - Duke University Library - Collections Highlight ...... and Duke also owns Godey's Ladies Book in full text from 1830-1885 as well as ... notably Periodicals Index Online, which is unique in combining a broad ... magazine.lib.duke.edu/issue19/highlight.html & Julie Still -- American Literature to 1900Periodical Contents Index, covers a number of periodicals from 1770-1995; Godey's Ladies Book, the searchable full text of this periodical from 1830-1865 is ... www.rci.rutgers.edu/~still/amlit1900.htm for a start... |