An anniversary is an event to commemorate an occurrence on an annual basis. It most commonly refers to a wedding anniversary. Wedding anniversaries mark important milestones between a married couple, and it is traditional in the U.S. and U.K. to provide specific types of gifts, such as silver on the 25th anniversary.

The term anniversary originally comes from the Latin word anniversarius, and became an English word in the early 1200's. A birthday is an anniversary, but it is not typically refered to as one.

The tradition of gifts for a wedding anniversary originated in Germany during the middle ages. Silver wreathes were given on the 25th anniversary, and gold wreathes on the 50th anniversary, to celebrate the good fortune of the couple. The tradition has been expanded, and gifts are now given on a more frequent basis.

Major Dates - Wedding Anniversary Gifts (U.S. tradition)

1 year: Paper, Clocks 2 years: Cotton, China 5 years: Wood, Silverware 10 years: Tin, Aluminum, Diamond 15 years: Crystal, Wrist Watch 20 years: China 25 years: Silver 30 years: Pearl 35 years: Coral, Jade 40 years: Ruby 45 years: Sapphire 50 years: Gold 55 years: Emerald 60 years: Diamond 75 years: Diamond 80 years: Oak 100 years: Abalone

• Anniversary is used to commerate an event on an annualized basis

• A birthday is an anniversary

• An anniversary most typically refers to a wedding anniversary

• The U.S. celebrated it's bicentennial anniversary in 1976