Anniversary

:Alternate meaning: Anniversary (Asimov)

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An anniversary (from the Latin anniversarium, meaning the turning of the year) is a day that commemorates and/or celebrates an event that occurred on the same day of the year some time in the past. The word is often more generically used for different time periods (e.g. a "one month anniversary").

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• Birthdays are the most common type of anniversary, where the birth date of a person is commemorated. The actual celebration is sometimes moved for practical reasons, as in the case of an official birthday, This is the case with the British Monarch, whose birthday is always celebrated on the second Sunday of June, when the weather is likely to be good for Trooping the Colour.
• Wedding anniversaries are also often celebrated on the same day of the year as the wedding occurred.

The Latin word dies natalis (literally birth day) has become a common term, adopted in all languages, especially in intellectual and institutional circles, for the anniversary of the founding ('legal or statutory birth') of an institution, such as an alma mater (college or other school). Even in ancient Rome, we know of the Aquilae natalis ('birthday of the eagle', anniversary of the official founding of a legion).

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Most countries around the world celebrate national anniversaries, for example the United States Centennial. These can be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption of a new constitution or form of government.

Related Topics:
United States Centennial - Independence - Constitution

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Anniversaries of nations are usually given by the number of years elapsed in Latin.

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