History

Until the middle of the 16th Century the new year started on different dates depending on location - on March 1, on Easter Day, at Christmas or on January 1. French king Charles IX ordained in 1563 January 1 to be the official New Year’s Day in France. With the implementation of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, the Januari 1 New Year’s Day spread throughout Europe and eventually around the world.

New Year’s Cards written by 16th Century children or teenagers are extremely rare. Nevertheless a few have been preserved, among them a Card by the Antwerp printer Jan Moretus (1543-1610), son-in-law of Christopher Plantijn (1520-1589). This proves that New Year’s Cards originated well before the 19th Century. These cards have generally been found among book publishers’ circles. They were written in Latin verse. They reveal that during that time, peace was of the highest value and that the giving of presents confirms and enforces peace.

These handwritten or printed cards were by the elite, for the elite. The performance of reading these New Year’s Cards to parents, grandparents or godparents allowed the shool pupils of that era to practise their learned knowledge and skills at home in front of their family. Important factors were the fluency of speech and writing abilities. For a brief moment, youngsters could assume the role of orator in front of a small audience.

The exchange of presents is an important ritual in the founding and maintaining of relationships, friendships and family bonding. The exchange of presents is also a significant practice during symbolic markers of lifecycles (baptisms, first communions, birthdays, weddings,....) as well as timecycles (new year, ...).

Following the presentation of a New Year’s Card, the return gift is in the form of money, books, food, .... It is crucial that the verses are read aloud by the child and that the Card is then presented as a memento to the addressee.

Printed New Year’s Cards

Beginning around the turn of the 18th Century New Year’s wishing cards were produced in woodblock or copperplate engravings. These were made especially for children to present their wishes to their parents. These cards with engravings of winter landscapes and scenes of children playing in the snow or on the ice had a blank space to allow for writing something on it.

Traditions and school examples

The end of the 19th Century saw the formation of new developments for New Year’s Cards. This time the custom spread to all classes of the population. No longer was the presenting of New Year’s Cards reserved for the elite. This was an opportunity for young schoolchildren to demonstrate their literate abilities.

During this period, New Year’s wishes were written in the classroom. These wishes were carefully penned on cards, adorned with frames in gold or silver curls, whether or not with religious illuminations. The New Year’s Card was the result of numerous hours of practicing calligraphy. The dedication was initially written by the teacher in very elegant handwriting. The children continued below, very carefully copying to the best of their abilities the text that the teacher had written on the blackboard. Stains, spots or mistakes lead invariably to starting all over.

Children were even asked to arrive at school on this day with extra clean hands. All ink wells were filled and the children were given a new pen and a clean blotter. This exercise in “calligraphy” was to become the crowning effort of the countless hours of writing pratice that preceded this day during the past tremester.

New Year’s Cards, especially those of children in their first year at school, were particularly interesting for the parents as a way to measure the progress and performance of their young child. In only 4 months time they could see what progress the child had made.

At the end of the 19th Century New Year’s Cards contained 4 stable elements. They began with how happy the child was to be allowed to present this Card, followed by concerns about the daily efforts that their parents had to make and expressions of appreciation for it. They ended with promises to behave well and do their best at school. Often some religious references were included.

Contemporary New Year’s Cards are much less formal, and these days teachers have a much wider choice of examples.

A market for commercially produced New Year’s Cards began to develop. Thematically they lose formality, illustrations become more basic, the texts become shorter and more casual.

Languages also developed with time. Children of the 19th Century, especially those of the upper middle class and the nobility, used the French language. French was the language of higher education and higher class. Even for Flemish speaking children it was sometimes necessary to write their New Year’s Cards in French, for instance when their grandmother preferred to be addressed in the French language.

Sometimes the teachers decided to use French as an added enrichment of the education of their students, even though in those times teaching foreign languages was not yet mandatory.

Regardless which language was used, fact is that phrase compositions remained very formal until the 1960’s.

Today’s trend in schools is to spend less time and attention at the writing of New Year’s Cards. Sometimes only the Card for the parents is written in school, with the remainder to be copied at home.

Even though for many children the writing and reading of New Year’s Cards means no more than a tedious task with the goal of receiving a gift at the end of their performance, many parents and grandparents will testify that the reading of the Cards on January 1 arouses the emotions.....the start of a new year, well-groomed young children dressed in their best clothes, solemnly reading aloud the New Year’s Card at which they have worked with so much effort and that is laden with promises and good intentions.

No matter how academic and studied this ritual may be, it continues to touch our tender feelings. Feelings of pride, a smile or giggle at the formality of the whole affair, are all part of it. This is perhaps the foundation of the survival of this ritual. It is an event where wishes and reality almost merge.

Traditional Flemish event

The writing and reading of New Year’s Cards is a genuine Flemish tradition. No other regions or countries have such a tradition. Let us have pride in this unique tradition and make an effort to preserve it.

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