The 20th wedding anniversary is called porcelain. This is an expensive material; not every family could previously afford a set of fine porcelain. At the same time, it is quite fragile and requires careful handling.
It is believed that over 20 years of marriage, spouses have become accustomed to treating each other with care and supporting their partner on the winding and bumpy path of life.
And this path has become easier - the children have grown up, everything is in order with housing, and they have also become valuable specialists at work. It's time to celebrate your successes.
A little about porcelain as a symbol of 20 wedding years
Knowing what kind of wedding is being celebrated for 20 years of marriage, you can beautifully use information about the history of symbolic material when preparing the celebration and choosing congratulations.
Porcelain appeared in China in the 6th–7th centuries BC. It contains kaolin clay and finely ground mineral powder (feldspar and quartz). This material was mixed, aged for about 10 years and only then entered into processing.
The mass was brought to the state of liquid clay, placed in plaster molds and dried. Further firing required time and high temperatures. This complex process led to the high cost of products.
In ancient China, porcelain dishes were made for the needs of the emperor and senior officials, and the technology was a state secret (disclosure was punishable by death). But the material was worth it.
“Sounding like jade, and surpassing the brilliance of frost and snow, thin as a sheet of paper,” a Chinese poet of that time wrote about porcelain.
Two types of porcelain were produced in China - for the imperial court (30 thousand dishes, 16 thousand plates, 18 thousand cups) and for foreign trade (mainly vases and dishes for the interior), which brought huge profits to the country.
In the 17th century (after the process was reflected in the memoirs of the Chinese emperor), porcelain began to be produced in Japan, and then in Europe. In Japan, these were traditional technologies, but the art of decoration reached unprecedented heights. Another variety appeared in Europe - bone china (in addition to kaolin clay, feldspar and quartz, ash from the bones of large animals was added) - thinner and stronger. The most famous are Meissen (Germany), Wedgwood (England) and Sevres (France) varieties of European porcelain.
In Russia, porcelain production began in the middle of the 18th century. The most famous are the St. Petersburg Porcelain Factory (formerly Imperial) and Dulevsky (formerly Kuznetsovsky).
Wedding anniversary 20 years: what were the traditions and rituals
The 20th wedding anniversary has its own interesting traditions that can easily be brought to life today during the celebration.
There must be new dishes on the festive table - it is believed that in 20 years all the old ones have already been broken (not by you, but by the growing children).
Before the celebration begins, the spouses choose one of the old plates, write on it with a marker all the complaints against each other, life’s troubles. And they break it to everyone’s joy.
The hosts choose the most beautiful cup, fill it with coins (possibly chocolate ones) and, going around the table, give one to the guests as a symbol of generosity and hospitality.
Guests, expressing beautiful congratulations on the porcelain wedding (expressing sympathy in poetry, prose, and songs is not prohibited), exclaim loudly: “Bitter!”
Porcelain wedding traditions
The main tradition that is followed when celebrating a porcelain wedding anniversary is setting the table with porcelain dishes. It is customary to serve treats to guests on this wedding anniversary on new porcelain, since it is believed that not a trace remains of the old sets. In addition, at the holiday you can break old dishes, as if renewing your love along with it.
Since the historical homeland of porcelain and products made from it is the East, at least one oriental dish must be present on the festive table.
Usually this wedding anniversary is celebrated at home, as a family holiday, in which relatives and closest friends of the heroes of the day take part. But this is not a dogma, so act at your own discretion.
There was an interesting tradition for a porcelain wedding: on the day of this anniversary, guests had to make clay figurines right during the celebration. Afterwards, the result was fired in a kiln and painted by hand. Maybe you’ll also like the idea of celebrating your anniversary with a themed party in a pottery workshop? !
What to give for your 20th wedding anniversary
Gifts for the 20th anniversary can be symbolic, paired or useful.
It is not forbidden to choose comic or cool gifts that will brighten the atmosphere and add a touch of humor. Especially the prices are souvenirs made by yourself - they can reflect the theme of the holiday or simply be in demand in the family of the hero of the day.
Gifts from friends and acquaintances
Gift ideas for a porcelain wedding are very diverse and depend on the tastes and hobbies of your friends. You can give a porcelain tea set, or you can give a beautiful card full of warm words, a tablecloth embroidered with your own hands.
Undoubtedly, gifts should directly or indirectly reflect the theme of porcelain:
- vase with a bouquet of flowers, white or white-yellow;
- bonsai tree in a porcelain pot;
- kimono and a couple of cups with Japanese patterns;
- “tree of happiness” with porcelain leaves;
- personalized set of honey and tea - with the names of the spouses, the inscription: “Congratulations on your 20th wedding anniversary”;
- decorative plates – you can hand-paint them with good wishes;
- interior items: figurines, a mirror in a porcelain frame, a door bell.
It’s worth talking about figurines more seriously.
According to the tenets of Feng Shui, an elephant will bring good luck to a family. And if there are seven porcelain elephants, like those that stood on the shelves of our grandmothers, then complete harmony - health, luck, wealth, peacefulness, happiness of children.
A good gift is a porcelain frog, which brings wealth to the family.
A white horse or unicorn also symbolizes good luck.
Like the cat, the keeper of home comfort, the constant companion of the Slavic goddess Makosh (goddess of fate, fertility, magic, femininity, motherhood). It is interesting that in Navi, the lower world, her image is Baba Yaga. Images of people should be with the meaning of movement - takeoff, dance, eroticism or with mascot plants - clover, fern, lily of the valley.
20th wedding anniversary: gifts and congratulations from children
Children are the most inventive and observant members of the family, and they also know their parents best. Therefore, together with the traditional set (or instead of it), you can give your parents:
- a trip to St. Petersburg, to the porcelain museum;
- a romantic evening in a Chinese or Japanese restaurant;
- “family history” in pictures and photos with funny comments in a binding, stylized as porcelain and the inscription: “Wedding anniversary 20 years”;
- beautiful cups, tray made of elite porcelain.
By the way, you can make personalized cups yourself. To do this you need:
- Wipe porcelain cups without a pattern with alcohol.
- Make notes/drawings using a contrasting porcelain marker.
- Dry the product overnight.
- Then place in the oven for 60 minutes at 150 degrees - seal.
If the age of the children does not allow them to give expensive gifts to their parents, you can limit yourself to a beautiful handmade card, to which you can add a cup for mom and dad.
Even more gift ideas from children in the video:
Gifts from parents
Parents of the celebrants, as the most experienced and practical members of the family, can give things for the home:
- porcelain electric kettle or teapot;
- table linen;
- beautiful still life with porcelain for the kitchen;
- modern digital photo frame.
And for the subsequent sweet life, a bag of chocolate coins will be very useful (the size of the bag depends on your mood).
What to give your husband for his 20th wedding anniversary
Men and porcelain are difficult to compare concepts. But you can’t hide love, it will help in choosing a gift.
It can be:
- flash card in a porcelain case;
- car keychain with porcelain inserts;
- if your husband smokes, give him a porcelain ashtray or hookah;
- if he doesn’t smoke, a flask for strong drinks with glasses and an edifying inscription.
Congratulating your loved one does not have to reflect the symbolism of the day, so feel free to give him the things he needs: gadgets, car accessories, perfume.
Beautiful congratulations on your 20th wedding anniversary to your wife
The woman you love deserves a gift for your 20th wedding anniversary that will highlight your admiration.
If she prefers a vintage style, you can give her a cameo, a bracelet with porcelain inserts, a ring or earrings with enamel. If not, then let the decoration be to her taste, but in a porcelain box. And, of course, 20 white roses and a lot of kind words...
Handmade gifts for a 20th wedding anniversary
Try to create porcelain yourself and then make gifts from it. The process is very exciting. Take:
- 170 kg each of PVA glue and starch;
- 1 tbsp. l. Vaseline;
- 1 tbsp. l. glycerin;
- 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice.
Place the ingredients in a container and place on low heat. Cook, stirring all the time. When the mass begins to stick to the spoon, then the cold porcelain can be removed from the heat. Lubricate your hands with cream, after which you can cool the cold porcelain and then stir it for about 5 minutes.
And if you need cold porcelain without cooking, then use any of the two recipes below.
Take:
- 2 tbsp. l. potato or corn starch;
- 1 tbsp. l. Vaseline;
- PVA glue;
- soda
Take a dry bowl and pour starch into it. Melt Vaseline in a water bath and add it to the starch. Add some baking soda and stir.
Now add glue and mix. When it becomes difficult to do this with a spoon, then knead it with your hands. Lubricate them with Vaseline to prevent the material from sticking to your palms.
And here is the second recipe for creating cold porcelain. Take:
- 1 tbsp. l. wallpaper glue;
- 1 tbsp. l. baking soda;
- 1 tbsp. l. water.
Mix these ingredients and add some Vaseline or detergent. Then store the mixture in the refrigerator.
And the following tips will allow you to create excellent china to make gifts for your 20th wedding anniversary.
If you want crisp white porcelain, then add cornstarch instead of potato starch. Potato gives the finished product a yellowish tint. But if you then paint the gift, then you can use such an ingredient.
To make the mass more flexible, add glue to it, which says that it contains a plasticizer. You can add automotive plasticizer.
Before using wallpaper glue, also look at the composition of this component. For cold porcelain there must be modified starch here.
If cracks form on the finished mass and it begins to crumble, then add glue here and knead. Cold or hot porcelain will become plastic again. And if the finished product does not hold its shape well, add starch and mix. The finished item will be more durable.
If you need colored porcelain, then add paints at the kneading stage. They can be food grade, acrylic, gouache. Mix well so that the mixture has a uniform color.
Now it’s time to think about what to give as a porcelain gift for your 20th wedding anniversary. Present the hero of the occasion with delicate roses created from this material. The master class and step-by-step photos will help you do this with ease.
Take:
- cold porcelain made without cooking; paints;
- PVA glue;
- a piece of foam;
- wire;
- baby cream
To make a gift for our 20th wedding anniversary, we create porcelain items. Take a piece of this material and roll it into a ball, sharpening on one side. The shape will be similar to an egg. Take paint and cover the sharp tip of this piece with it. Dry pigment can be used.
Take a piece of wire and bend it on one side to make a hook. On the other side you will have a straight wire. Stick in a piece of foam and secure it to the top of the created bud.
Roll out the porcelain into a layer. The layer should not be very thin, approximately 4 mm.
To roll out porcelain, you can use available tools: take a bottle of spray, a lipstick cap or a pencil. The porcelain will not stick to the board if you coat it with cream.
Cut out circles from the prepared layer of porcelain. You can put half a Kinder Surprise package and trace it to make even shapes. Place one on your finger and make its edges wavy on one side. To do this, you need to roll out this place on your finger with a toothpick.
Dip your brush into pink pigment and cover these shaped edges with it. Now stick the blank to the created bud.
Then make the next petals in this way and glue them onto the same bud, but following the sequence so that the blank looks like a rose. Press the edges of the petals with a toothpick to make them more realistic. Look, if these details are enough, then it’s time to move on to the sepals. Cut it out of rolled out porcelain and cover it with green pigment. Make several of these pieces and attach them to the back of the rose.
If you don't have ready-made pigment, use regular eye shadow, cheek blush, and powder together.
See what else you can give for a porcelain wedding.
