年賀状 (Nengajō) New Year's Cards
This Japanese custom is disappearing due to the spread of the Internet.
When I was a teenager, I used to mail about 50 Nengajō (New Year’s cards) every year to my classmates and relatives. Sending out many postcards is both a painstaking task and a fun one for me.
Every year around November, I start thinking about what kind of design I should make next time. I make my own rubber stamps and woodblocks with the design of the zodiac animal of the next year, print them on each postcard, and add a message.
If you mail postcards with “年賀 (New Year’s greetings)” written on the address side during the designated period in December, they will be delivered on New Year’s Day.
The custom of sending New Year’s cards in Japan is said to have begun during the Heian period (794-1185), but it wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that it became common among common people.
However, with the advent of word processors in the 1980s and the widespread use of personal computers in the 1990s, the handmade feel of New Year’s postcards began to decline. Furthermore, with the spread of email and the popularity of social media, the practice of sending New Year’s postcards is also declining.
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That stamp is beautiful!
What a lovely, personal token of kindness and friendship!