Fun Holidays - International Tiara Day

International Tiara Day is celebrated annually on May 24, Queen Victoria's birthday Because so many girls and women admire tiaras, but there are so few events that would be appropriate to wear them to, International Tiara Day was created As a symbol of social status and power, men and women adorned their heads with various crowns and tiaras dating back to Egyptian times Ancient Egyptian pharaohs preferred gold headbands The headbands were sometimes decorated with tassels hanging over the forehead or temple In the tomb of King Tutankhamun, the king of Egypt, the king's mummy was found to be wearing one of these headdresses, a golden circle diadem On the front was a removable gold decoration with the head of a vulture and the body of a cobra, symbolizing the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt "Diadema" comes from the ancient Greek, meaning "to bind" Their tiaras were made of all types of metal At the time, gold supplies were limited, so their tiaras were decorated with motifs in relief, including the Hercules knot, often found in Hellenistic jewelry Once gold supplies were discovered, styles became less formal and evolved into intricate garlands of leaves and flowers Next were the Romans, who expanded the fashion of gold headbands by adding precious stones to their jewelry The first true diadem was attributed to the Roman emperor Gaius Valerius Diocletian (245–313 AD) According to British history, "Diocletian's head was surrounded by a white bandage with pearls as a sign of royalty" Decorating the head with flowers or leaves was an ancient custom and meant honor, love or victory The Greeks celebrated victory in the games by crowning champions with wreaths made from natural laurel leaves The tradition was continued by the Romans, who honored generals with wreaths of real gold, turning perishable natural foliage into an eternal symbol So the Roman conquerors wore golden wreaths, and their Roman brides wore wreaths of flowers and leaves Symbolism was woven into the design of all these wreaths and other headdresses Symbols have played a role in religious customs, literature and legends throughout time For example, a wedding wreath was a symbol of purity Lilies symbolized purity; wheat, fertility; rosemary, male potency; these metaphors are still recognized by many brides centuries later The term tiara in its original form described the high, pointed headdress worn by Persian kings Tiaras were not popular in the Middle Ages, as fashion required that a woman's head and hair be covered After the Renaissance relaxed these customs, women's hair was often worn in curls and waves around the face The hair was decorated with a variety of decorations made of natural or precious stones, some of which resembled a tiara in appearance, although they were more casual in nature During Napoleon's reign there was a revival of interest in the classics and a revival of the ancient fashion for tiaras It is believed that Napoleon and his wife Josephine started the fashion for luxurious hats In fact, Napoleon commissioned the famous Cameo tiara, worn today by Swedish royal brides, for his wife At his coronation in 1804, Napoleon wore a laurel wreath of golden leaves, each representing one of his victories It was made by a Parisian jeweler and was rumored to cost 8,000 francs Napoleon's Roman victory wreath was imitated by society women, and a new fashion was born The new combed-over hairstyle was the perfect style to wear with a tall, flat tiara that was pointed at the front, gold-embossed, and bejeweled Empress Josephine was depicted several times wearing various tiaras, also known as bandeaus Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon's second wife, received an even more elaborate tiara in honor of the birth of their only son It was encrusted with diamonds, surrounding large crown diamonds and emeralds The English royal family adopted this tradition, expanding tiaras and crowns to include precious stones in addition to diamonds It was in the 19th century that tiaras first became important wedding symbols of the British royal family Queen Victoria began amassing a collection of priceless tiaras, which are still in the family There are a number of famous royal tiaras, such as the Queen Mary Fringed Tiara worn by Queen Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1947 and the Diamond Bandeau Tiara worn by Meghan Markle on her wedding day in 2018 This tradition continues today, with many brides wearing a tiara on their wedding day Maybe it's just a trend, or maybe it's a symbol of something bigger - every bride dreams of feeling like a princess in her wedding dress, so a tiara is the perfect accent to make that dream come true!