A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) [1] or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniversaries, [2] [3] [4] although the human lifespan makes this usage more common for institutions. [5]
George III of the United Kingdom died nine months before his diamond jubilee was due in 1820. The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria celebrated her 60-year reign on 22 June 1897. The Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, was celebrated across the Commonwealth of Nations throughout 2012. [6]
In East Asia, the diamond jubilee coincides with the traditional 60-year sexagenary cycle, which is held in special importance despite not generally being called a "diamond jubilee." Monarchs such as the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors of China and Emperor Hirohito of Japan held celebrations for their 60th year of reign, as did King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on 10 June 2006.
National governments also mark their 60th anniversary as diamond jubilees, as did the Republic of Korea in 2005 and the People's Republic of China in 2009. In South Asia, the term is also used for certain 100-day anniversaries. In the Indian and Pakistani film industries, a "diamond jubilee" film is a title that has been featured in cinemas for 100 days, and beyond.
The longest reigning monarch in history, Sobhuza II of Swaziland, celebrated his (60 year) diamond jubilee in 1981, dating from when he gained direct rule. There does not appear to have been any (75 year) diamond jubilee celebration.
| Monarch | Realm | Accession day | Commemoration | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Victoria | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the rest of the British Empire | 20 June 1837 | 22 June 1897 [7] [8] | Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria |
| Emperor Franz Joseph I | Austrian Empire, Austria-Hungary | 2 December 1848 | 12 June 1908 | |
| Prince Johann II | Liechtenstein | 12 November 1858 | 1918 | |
| Sultan Ibrahim of Johor | Johor | 7 September 1895 | 17 September 1955 | |
| King Sobhuza II | Swaziland | 10 December 1899 | 1959 | |
| Emperor Hirohito | Japan | 25 December 1926 | 29 April 1986 | |
| King Bhumibol Adulyadej | Thailand | 9 June 1946 | 10 June 2006 | 60th Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession |
| Queen Elizabeth II | United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand | 6 February 1952 | 2–5 June 2012 | Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II |
| His Highness Prince Aga Khan IV | Nizari Isma'ilism | 11 July 1957 | 11 July 2017 - 11 July 2018 |
In 1984, the phrase "Diamond Jubilee" was used by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its logo for the sixtieth anniversary of the studio. In 2015 it marked Disneyland Park's Diamond Jubilee to celebrate 60 years. In 2025, Singapore will celebrate the diamond jubilee year from independence from Malaysia with the inaugural event on 31st December 2024.
A Jubilee is often used to refer to the celebration of a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term comes from the Hebrew Bible, initially concerning a recurring religious observance involving a set number of years, that notably involved freeing of debt slaves. Emperors of ancient Rome customarily marked anniversaries of their rule with celebrations, although they did not use the term jubilee. Nonetheless, the term came into English usage from the Bible, together with customary celebration of a reign, and is now often used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of monarchs after a milestone number of years have passed.
Silver jubilee marks a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, the 25th year of a monarch's reign or anything that has completed or is entering a 25-year mark.
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints.
A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date that a wedding took place. Couples often mark the occasion by celebrating their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for particular anniversary milestones. In some cultures, traditional names exist for milestone anniversaries; for instance, fifty years of marriage may be known variously as a "golden wedding anniversary", "golden anniversary" or "golden wedding".
The King's Official Birthday is the selected day in most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those countries. It does not necessarily correspond to the date of the monarch's actual birth.
A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary.
The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession to the Throne were the celebrations held throughout Thailand in 2006 to celebrate King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60 years on the throne. The celebrations were arranged by the Royal Thai Government with Thaksin Shinawatra as Prime Minister, and attended by representatives of other monarchies.
A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by an aircraft or group of aircraft. The term flypast is used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. In the United States, the terms flyover and flyby are used.
Commemorative coins have been issued by the Royal Mint in the United Kingdom since 1935. Initially they only came out to mark events of great interest, but since the turn of the millennium have been minted yearly.
Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She had been queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch and the second-longest of any sovereign state.
The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee.
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and a banquet to which 50 European kings and princes were invited.
The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for Queen Victoria.
The Golden Jubilee Medal was instituted in 1887 by Royal Warrant as a British decoration to be awarded to participants of Queen Victoria's golden jubilee celebrations.
In 2017, the term sapphire jubilee or blue sapphire jubilee was coined for the celebrations to mark the 65th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Previously, the sapphire wedding anniversary was understood to be the 45th, and this would be expected to carry over to regnal anniversaries as with silver, golden, and diamond jubilees.
The Sapphire Jubilee of Elizabeth II on 6 February 2017, marked 65 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The longest-reigning monarch in British history, Elizabeth II was the first British monarch to have a sapphire jubilee.
The Ruby Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1992 marked the 40th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. Contrary to her Silver Jubilee in 1977, it was not regarded as an "official" jubilee. However, the milestone was marked with a number of events and community projects.