The word ‘anniversary’ is of Latin origin and means ‘yearly turn’. It marks the annual passage of time for significant events, historical and personal.

The first wedding anniversary celebrates a time of modification, the couple is in a transition stage and they are adapting to each other. The traditional gift for this anniversary is paper. A nice gift is a poem or quotation to be framed or given a special page in your scrapbook.

The modern equivalent for first wedding anniversary gift giving is clocks. This can be adapted to include watches, timers, and sand or hour glasses.

The flower for this anniversary is the pansy. Meaning ‘thought’ or ‘to think’ the name has French origins and is a flower associated with St. Euphrasia. The pansy is often referred to as having a ‘face’, and is a favourite with many gardeners.

The colour that goes with the first anniversary is Papyrus Yellow. (I have found that Papyrus Yellow has been stated for the second anniversary also) so I would say you could take your pick on this). Yellow was a ‘pharaoh’ colour according to the Egyptians and the colour of Ra. Ra is the God who represents power, kingship, light, sun and heaven. Too old to handle children he went to the sky and keeps watch over the world. Papyrus paper is the oldest known writing surface (with ink) and was made and used by the Egyptians about 3000 BC. The colour varies from a stripey, textured gold or yellow colour to dark brown and burnt sienna.

The gem for this anniversary is the freshwater pearl. The Chinese are known as the world’s leader in freshwater pearl production. Records show mention of the pearls in China in 2206 BC. Freshwater pearls grow from freshwater mussels. The pearls are not as spherical as their seawater cousins. They are less shiny but are very durable and less expensive. They come in various shapes and colours.

As per usual, check the terms of use for the following clipart pieces:

Black and white clock clipart

Pansy clipart here, here, and other flowers here

Freshwater pearls here and here.