In order to know the meaning of the term centenary, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from “centenarius”. This means “relative to one hundred years” and is the result of the sum of two different components:
-The noun “centum”, which means “one hundred”.
-The suffix “-ary”, which is used to indicate “belonging”.
The adjective centenary is used to name a period or a stage that covers one hundred years . The notion is generally used with reference to a century anniversary .
For example: “Today the town school will celebrate its first centenary” , “This stadium was built on the centenary of national independence” , “The museum will celebrate its centenary with a party open to the entire community” .
It is common for a centenary to be a reason for celebration or commemoration . Not only the first centenary (that is, when one hundred years have passed since an event), but also the following centenaries (second centenary, third centenary, etc.).
The Argentine Centennial , to cite one case, was the celebration of the first century of the May Revolution , an event that took place in 1810 and which led to the establishment of the first national government ( May 25, 1810 ). This centenary, therefore, was celebrated in 1910 and included parades, shows and the inauguration of public works.
The Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of America , for its part, took place in 1992 . The event remembered the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the American continent, with events in various countries .
In 2018, for example, the centenary of the declaration of the Covadonga Mountain National Park (Asturias) as the first National Park in Spain was celebrated. And it was on July 22, 1918 when the then king, Alfonso XIII, sanctioned the law by which this declaration was carried out.
In the same way, this year 2018 also marked the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, who has been one of the most relevant figures throughout history with respect to the fight against racial segregation. For this reason, in July of this year South Africa paid tribute to this now deceased figure with different official events.
Within the sporting field, it should be noted that next 2019 the Valencia football team will celebrate its centenary of existence. For this reason, it has now proceeded to present its logo. This is none other than an orange bat under which it reads 1919 – 2019.
It should be noted that there are multiple places and structures known as Centenario . Among them we can name an Argentine city belonging to the province of Neuquén ; an Ecuadorian neighborhood of the city of Guayaquil ; a sports stadium in Montevideo ( Uruguay ), an avenue in Bogotá ( Colombia ); a bridge in Santiago de Chile ; and a Mexican gold coin.