New Year's Card (年賀状)

2008 is just around the corner. As with previous years, the heavy responsibility of designing next year's New Year card rest on the shoulder of yours truly (seriously, what will mom ever do without dad, eh). So in order to keep the tradition alive, like previous years, I have come out with this years 年賀状 which need to be posted before the post office deadline. I heard somewhere that the cut-off date for sending is Dec 25 if they are to arrive on Jan 1.

OK, what is this New Year's card about? Essentially, it's a postcard that people send to their to friends, acquaintances, teachers, bosses, clients, and just about any other people that they wish to keep in contact with, as greetings for the new year. Think of it along the line of a Christmas greeting card. However, on the card, it is customary to write Happy New Year, or あけましておめでとうございます in Japanese。Then you thank whoever it is you are sending to for all their help during the previous year, and maybe write something memorable and nostalgic about last year, and most important of all, to add a よろしくおねがいしますat the end, which basically means thank you in advance.

So, how did the tradition of sending New Year's card in Japan came about? It all started a long, long time ago according to the Museum of New Year's Card website (年賀状博物館H/P), sometime in the 7th century. But with the establishment of a fixed rate postal service in 1873, it started to gain widespread popularity. Near the end of the year, if you happen to pass by a post office box, take a good look at it. You will be surprised to find one of its slots dedicated to the collection of New Year's cards.

Here's my collection of previous New Year's cards. OK, there are only three. Well, I started four years ago. I reckon, I will continue to do this until the novelty wears off, or when the printer runs out of ink, whichever comes first. Year 2008 card.

Year 2007

Year 2006

Year 2005