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50 years of marriage - the “Golden Wedding” - is an almost magical date, and therefore the most significant, and especially festive of all wedding anniversaries!
The celebration got its name in honor of the precious metal - gold, which is distinguished by its hardness, durability and ability to withstand external influences. At the same time, gold is also a fairly soft metal for creating jewelry masterpieces. Comparing family relationships that lasted almost half a century with him is no coincidence! Overcoming trials together, spouses change, adapting to each other, taking into account strengths and weaknesses, while carefully maintaining a sense of love and respect. Such a phenomenon is so rare these days that it practically amounts to a miracle!
Let's find out, 50 years - what kind of wedding this is, what traditions accompany the “golden” anniversary of family life!
50th wedding anniversary traditions
It is for the golden wedding that a huge number of traditions have been preserved from time immemorial. It is believed that 50 years of marriage has the largest number of rituals and beliefs. Most likely, this feature is due to the fact that the date is celebrated rarely, but as they say, aptly. The celebration should be distinguished by its scope and observance of a number of surviving beliefs.
Showering spouses with gold
This tradition has been known to historians for several decades. A sincere desire to shower a married couple with gold from the assembled guests also marks the wishes and attraction of love, prosperity and mutual understanding. Gold helps to extend the terms of those wishes that were given to the newlyweds 50 years ago during the registration of marriage. You can shower the celebrants at two moments: either at the moment of the feast, or while they are just entering the event hall.
Golden handkerchief
The special gift will have to be embroidered by the daughter of the event’s heroes with her own hand. If it so happens that only sons were born in a couple, then tradition allows you to order a scarf from specially trained people. During the event, the children together should throw a scarf over the mother’s shoulders, thereby expressing gratitude, love and gratitude to her for her care and the years of her life spent on upbringing.
Wedding ring update
The tradition of renewing rings takes on a special sacred meaning. Since ancient times, they have symbolized the cyclical nature of life and its specific stage, and are also a symbol of marriage. This tradition is also useful from a practical point of view: the rings lose their shine over time, and the parents are no longer young. Exchange of rings will help renew feelings and the very symbol of marriage. By the way, this tradition is also usually taken up by the children of celebrants. Once the rings are renewed, the old ones can become family heirlooms. If children are superstitious and do not want to wear their parents' rings, they can simply be kept in a place specially designated for them as a family talisman.
Ritual with candles
Since ancient times, candles have served as an attribute of various ceremonies and rituals. In some places they enhance energy, and in other cases they create additional warmth and comfort. In the case of a golden wedding, candles are also a symbol of the beginning of a new cycle of 50 years. In view of this, at least a few of them must be present during the wedding ceremony. You can limit yourself to a pair of gold candles decorated with a bronze-colored ribbon. Or place 50 golden candles around the entire perimeter of the hall. Ideally, candles should burn throughout the holiday without going out. And the remains of burnt cinders can be hidden away from prying eyes in the house, as a talisman for the family hearth.
During the ritual, the toastmaster must utter special words, which are selected individually. But the general meaning remains that the two main candles symbolize the anniversaries, as well as the request to light candles together. Joint ignition will allow you to move together to a new stage of the relationship.
Transferring life experience from generation to generation
If the spouses have lived together for so many years, they definitely have something to share with those present and the younger generation. Moreover, the transfer of experience occurs according to gender. The mother teaches the girls, and the father shares his experience with his sons. Usually this tradition takes place at the end of a festive evening, when the couple sums up their life together. After sharing their experiences, the spouses together wish those gathered all the brightest and best from the bottom of their hearts.
Wedding dance and bouquet
The tradition of wedding dance has also been known since ancient times. Moreover, it is advisable to choose the music that was played during the marriage ceremony 50 years ago. In this case, the couple usually dances in a circle of lit candles, which were mentioned earlier. After the dance, the spouse, like 50 years ago, throws the wedding bouquet into the crowd of invited guests. An unmarried girl who is caught should expect a wedding, and for a married girl such a gift of fate promises a long and happy family life.
Main traditions and attributes
On the day of the golden wedding, a noisy celebration is required, to which children, parents, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, relatives, as well as friends and acquaintances close to the family are invited.
Modern social views have long made their own adjustments to the ancient traditions of this, perhaps, the most important family holiday. However, some signs and customs have survived to this day from ancient times, almost unchanged .
1. The ritual of showering gold coins, flowers, and candies with wishes of happiness and love, which promises the young people good health, eternal love and a long, prosperous life. Entrusted to the closest relatives, often their own children or grandchildren. 2. Spouses who have lived together for 50 years must necessarily pass on their experience to the younger generation. After a noisy feast, the couple publicly gives instructions to their children and grandchildren, citing examples from their life together.
3. Candles symbolize warmth, well-being and harmony at home. On this day they mark a new period in the development of the couple’s family relationships - the next 50 years of strong and eternal love. Two golden candles tied with a bronze ribbon on the table in front of the spouses will create a special flavor for the festive feast. In honor of their love, worthily carried and preserved by them through half a century, the couple solemnly lights candles to the stormy applause of the guests.
Celebrating 50th wedding anniversary
This ritual is recommended to be performed at the end of the main evening. Clearing the table is allowed only after completion of all ceremonies and rituals. The tradition itself is that after all the guests have left, parents should sit down at the table together and drink a cup of fresh tea. With the help of this ritual, you can renew the oath of unity and fidelity in the family circle.
Wedding table decoration
The basic rule for decorating a table for a golden wedding is to have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Various decorations made from fresh flowers are welcome, as well as the presence of gold candelabra where you can place candles on a budget. In addition to their aesthetic value, candelabra will help ensure basic fire safety.
In the autumn season, it is appropriate to decorate the hall with foliage of different shades, with yellow and brown colors being the priority. When it comes to creating a menu, it is worth remembering that the holiday itself is unusual. Therefore, a creative approach is encouraged here.
Tradition dictates that the celebrants of the day be located together with the guests, preferably in the center of the circle of those gathered. At the beginning of the holiday, various kinds of snacks are served, for example, fish or cheese plates. Salads should differ not only in appearance, but also in their unusual execution. You can get creative by ordering a salad with raisins or cheese and fish. Unusual combinations will delight even the most sophisticated guests. But at the same time, if someone is allergic to certain foods, you should immediately warn guests about the composition of the salads in order to avoid trouble. Also, do not forget about the taste preferences of the guests, which the couple could have thoroughly studied over many years of friendship. Don't forget about yourself. Favorite dishes must be present at the event.
There is only one rule when it comes to hot dishes: they must be at least 2 copies. Abundance on the menu symbolizes family unity and stability in relationships. The menu selection should be chosen based on the tastes of guests and spouses. The drink menu is also unlimited except the couple’s imagination. You can choose both wine and champagne. Don't forget about the non-alcoholic card.
Script for a wedding anniversary
Since this anniversary is considered a jubilee, it should be celebrated on a grand scale. There are several holiday options, so each couple can choose the one that suits them best.
The most popular option is to update the wedding ceremony. You can invite all relatives, friends and, of course, children to the holiday. Active recreation, dancing, competitions and the presence of a toastmaster are encouraged. To create a special atmosphere, it is important to find at least parts of the details of the event that took place 50 years ago.
It is important to pay special attention to choosing an image for a golden wedding. For a lady, you can choose a dress in light shades, preferably with splashes of gold. An all-gold dress will, in most cases, look vulgar. A scarf or buttons can serve as a gold element. Accessories and jewelry in gold shades will help complete the look. If there is a desire and the appropriate mood, the spouse can wear the wedding veil that she wore 50 years ago.
It would be appropriate for a man to wear a suit that will give him dignity and emphasize the importance of the event for him. You can choose a suit in white or black and accessorize it with gold cufflinks or a tie clip. A mandatory attribute of the holiday is a boutonniere made in the style of a bride's bouquet made of fresh flowers.
The second option for the holiday, at the request of the spouses, is a feast in a quiet, family atmosphere with a minimum of invited guests. Fresh flowers can be used as table setting attributes as a symbol of prosperity and well-being. It is ideal to use yellow roses, lilies or yellow chrysanthemums, orchids of white or yellow flowers for this occasion. It is also recommended to use a family table set as a sign of generational continuity. A special festive atmosphere can be created with the help of various golden balloons with and without sparkles.
The highlight of the wedding table should be a gorgeous wedding cake. During the holiday, the spouses, just like 50 years ago, must cut and eat the first piece together. Such a simple act will also show family unity and the well-being of the marriage. After they have tasted the first piece, they must serve the cake to the invited guests themselves. It is important to make sure that there is enough cake for everyone.
How to celebrate your 50th wedding anniversary
If “intermediate” anniversaries on non-circular dates are usually celebrated in a narrow family circle, then a golden wedding is a unique occasion for a celebration on a grand scale. Although at this age (and the spouses will be almost 70 years old), usually you want to see only the closest faces. Therefore, the format of the celebration depends entirely on the desires of the couple themselves.
Many people practice inviting a host, thereby shifting most of the troubles of entertaining the guests onto him. The setting should emphasize the solemnity of the moment. If you still rent a room in a restaurant, then it should be decorated as expected: with gold ribbons, bows and red roses.
Gold, red and white colors should prevail in the color scheme. The wife can wear a white dress, vaguely reminiscent of a wedding, and the husband can wear a strict black suit. At the same time, his cuffs can be decorated with gold cufflinks, and her neck with a gold necklace.
Guests should also be dressed appropriately: in outfits suitable for a real wedding, and each one can symbolically have gold bows or gold ribbons attached to their clothes.
You can set the table with gilded napkins or elegant gilded patterns. As a beautiful addition, a couple of vases with miniature bouquets of flowers with a special gold plating are usually added. Usually the holiday begins with showering the celebrants of the day with coins and rice. This is followed by the ceremony of handing over the rings to the heirs, after which the guests are seated at the table.
The holiday smoothly flows into toasts and congratulations. Gifts can be presented during the feast or towards the end of the evening. Then the floor is given to the spouses. They share the secrets of family life with guests, tell what they have done for each other over the years and exchange declarations of love before the symbolic lighting of candles. The evening ends with an incredibly beautiful custom: a slow dance of the heroes of the day.
Usually at this moment the lights are dimmed and lit candles are handed out to guests. They form a “living” circle, in the center of which only the spouses remain. All attention is focused only on them. And the music sounds, usually the spouses dance in the uncertain reflections of the flame to the composition that has special meaning for them.
An incredibly touching dance becomes an unforgettable finale that puts a beautiful end to the celebration of the golden wedding day. After the guests leave, the heroes of the day are left alone and start drinking tea. Over a cup of invigorating tea, they arrange a small evening of memories behind closed doors and resurrect the brightest moments of their life together.
The evening of the golden wedding anniversary ends quietly, because people who have lived side by side for so many years do not even need extra words to understand each other.
Golden wedding competitions
Such an event should not be devoid of fun and joy. The toastmaster usually coordinates the program with the celebrants. It is important to remember that a wide range of generations will be invited. And what is interesting to one may be boring or the wrong type of fun for others. You can diversify the competition program with the following event options:
- Interesting competition "Chamomile". Its essence is as follows. A daisy is cut out of paper, and a date important for the spouses is written on each petal on the reverse side. The spouse who draws out the date must tell in detail why it is important for the family.
- Competition “Find your soul mate”. This competition is intended more for guests. It will require 8 pairs. Both official spouses and those who are just starting to build relationships are suitable. Men and women are divided into 2 different teams. Girls are invited, blindfolded, to determine by touch which of the guys is their other half. At the same time, guessing is tedious based on certain parts of the body. The same condition applies to the male half of the team. The winners will be those who accurately guess each other's partners in all expected rounds.
- A dance competition is considered an active way to spend time at the festival. For this competition, several pairs will again be needed. They press the ball between each other so that it does not fall out during the entire dance. Next, they dance to the music in an active way. The last couple to not drop the ball wins.
- The “Congratulations by Alphabet” competition is also associated with balloons. You will need 33 balls, according to the number of letters in the alphabet. Each ball contains a specific letter. They are distributed to guests, after which they are bursting with them. The guest must come up with congratulations for the letter he has drawn, the more original the better.
- Competition "Confession on a tree". And this entertainment is intended exclusively for the heroes of the holiday. The props are a board and a box of regular matches. The essence of the competition is to burn a word on the board one at a time, for example, “love,” while lighting a match.
- Another competition for toastmasters is called “Plant a Tree.” It can be held together with invited guests and heroes of the occasion. Guests are divided into teams so that each has the same number of participants. Each team is given the same set of details for proper planting. The tree can be either real or even artificial. The team that plants the given sprout the fastest wins.
- The competition, intriguingly titled “Pound of Salt,” will also require two teams of participants. Each team member passes the pack to each other, but the main condition is that it does not touch hands during the transfer process.
- Competition "Hold the plant." The toastmaster needs to prepare the roses for the competition, having previously cut off their thorns for the safety of the guests. Next, several male participants are selected from the crowd, whose task is to perform dances of the peoples of the world using roses. It is important that the rose is not in the hands of the dancing person.
- Sweet competition called “Eat Candy”. Several participants from the audience will be needed to conduct the event. Props are placed in front of them in the form of plates with candies, ideally in the form of dragees. It is important that everyone has an equal amount of candy. The task of the participants is to eat sweets at speed, using only chopsticks from Japanese cuisine.
- Another competition for toastmasters is called “Skillful Hands”. It is intended to be carried out exclusively with spouses. The point is that the man is given, for example, yarn, and the lady is given a hammer, nails and boards. In the competition, spouses will have to fulfill each other's household duties through handicrafts.
The 50th wedding anniversary is an event where a large number of competitions are appropriate. They are limited only by the imagination and modesty of the couple.
Competitions
Games for both the newlyweds and guests will help diversify the feast. Competition program options:
1. “On the waves of memories” In the time that has passed since the wedding, much has already been forgotten. Spouses are asked to take turns answering questions. For example: what shade of white was the bride’s dress; where did you kiss for the first time? what flowers were in the wedding bouquet, etc. The person who answers the most questions is awarded a prize.
2. “Find a couple” Couples who come to the celebration are blindfolded and “mixed”. Then they offer to identify their soulmate by their hands (you cannot touch anything else). The couple that finds each other the fastest receives a souvenir.
Gifts for your spouse
On this day, you can please your spouse with a gold tie clip, business card holder, or an object of faith made of gold. Men of advanced age appreciate gifts that symbolize cleanliness and home comfort. Therefore, you can safely give them a robe or a homemade sweater.
Gifts from a practical point of view will also please your spouse. You can give a gift that will make a man’s life easier in the future. This could be a set of men's tools, a blood pressure monitor or a wristwatch. The main task of the wife is to remind her husband that she still appreciates and loves him.
What to give to your wife
The aroma of your favorite drink and a bouquet of flowers from your spouse is the best start to a holiday for ladies of advanced years. The composition should definitely include the wife’s favorite flowers, as well as yellow elements, such as roses or chrysanthemums.
After a romantic awakening and a charge of positive emotions, you can also present a symbolic gift, for example, gold jewelry. A gift made of noble metal and a symbol of relationships will show that a wife is important to a man just as much as she was 50 years ago. A woman will also be pleased with a gift that will add comfort to her home, for example, a good quality carpet. You can also give a gold-plated tea set and then pass it on to a younger generation as a family heirloom.
Congratulations and toasts
Spouses will be pleased to hear warm words and congratulations addressed to them during a feast or presentation of gifts. Some toast ideas:
Our dear “golden” anniversaries! It’s been half a century since your destinies have become intertwined. You did not betray your oath and remained faithful to each other in sorrow and in joy. You have set a worthy example for future generations. Continue to warm your large family with your warmth and wisdom! Be happy for many, many more years!
Expensive …! Today we celebrate 50 years since your wedding. This is a serious milestone that not everyone reaches. You are among the chosen ones. For 50 years, you built your family, furnished your home, raised children and, most importantly, loved each other. So let your love continue to shine! Bitterly!
Gifts from guests
Guests at a golden wedding usually give gifts with special meaning. When choosing an option, it is important to focus not only on the budget, but also on the interests of those celebrating the holiday. Children can give their parents gold-plated items for various purposes. And your grandchildren can limit themselves to beautiful themed cards or fakes.
As mentioned above, it is advisable for children to present their mother with a gold-embroidered scarf on this day as a sign of gratitude for their upbringing and the time spent on them. In this case, the mother should not take off her scarf during the entire event. An interesting gift would be a family album with memorable photographs, which will allow the spouses to plunge into the times of their youth. You don’t have to fill the album to the end, hinting to the couple that life has not yet been lived, but is just beginning. A film with fragments from the couple’s life together will also be an emotional gift. You can rely not only on the symbolism of the holiday, but also present more down-to-earth and practical gifts to the celebrants, having previously discussed options, for example:
- various household appliances to make everyday household chores easier;
- items to help monitor your health or for personal care;
- products made of gilded textiles to add additional home comfort;
- An interesting gift would be an item that relates to the spouses’ hobby. Usually children and guests already know well the hobbies of the heroes of the day;
- specialized kitchen utensils;
- It’s ideal if guests can give the couple a trip to a sanatorium to improve their health. Or relax on the sea coast. Such a gift will show not only generosity, but also care for the couple.
