Happy New Year to everyone!

Vintage New Year cards are actually my favorite theme. Let me put together my systematization here - what was depicted on such postcards.
It will probably be long and in two parts. Therefore, look below the cut for part 1.

Snow, snowflakes and icicles


New Year and Christmas come to us in the midst of winter, so snow, snowflakes and icicles have become indispensable attributes of these holidays. Both in Russia and abroad, many folk signs are associated with snow. The abundance of snow portends a good harvest: “All wealth comes from snow,” “If it blows snow, bread will arrive,” “Snow in the fields—bread in the bins.”
Snowflakes almost never appear on pre-revolutionary postcards, and if they do appear, they appear in the form of white dots or lumps. On Soviet New Year's cards they began to be depicted as stars with branches, and their popularity as a design element was constantly growing, and by the end of the 80s they were found on 75% of cards. For comparison: before the revolution, dotted snowflakes could be seen only on 5-8% of postcards.
Snowflakes - hexagonal stars can be correlated with a six-rayed (six-pointed) star, which is one of the most ancient magical symbols and symbolizes the unity of God and man, the divine creation of the world.
Icicles, like any ice, symbolize cold, fragility and fragility. At the same time, they are the result of snow melting under the rays of the resurgent sun, and therefore their appearance means the softening of the harsh winter, the beginning of the awakening of nature.

Night, stars, moon

The main rituals of celebrating the New Year and the Nativity of Christ are performed at night, so the night has a strong associative connection with these holidays. For some peoples, night symbolizes the abyss, eternity. On greeting cards, night is depicted with a starry sky, moon, artificial lighting and other features.
Stars and the moon are familiar elements of Christmas and New Year's greeting cards, although they are more common at Christmas than at New Year's. People believe that everything on earth is a reflection of the heavenly, and by the location of the stars and planets one can judge future events and the fate of a person. The appearance of stars on postcards is to some extent due to folk signs: if there is a clear sky on New Year's night, then you should expect an abundance of berries and mushrooms in the coming year.
Since ancient times, stars have symbolized eternity, cosmic order, and the presence of God. In the 19th century, there was a belief that the sky is the mansion of the Lord God, where instead of windows there are stars, and from each window an angel looks at the white light. There are as many angels and as many stars as there are people in the world. Each person has his own guardian angel. A man is born, and God sends him a guardian angel; a new window is cut in the mansion, through which the angel watches over his ward in order to protect him from evil spirits. A person dies, and the window is closed with shutters, and a star falls from the sky. On Christmas Eve, with the appearance of the first stars in the sky, the Nativity fast ended.
In the design of pre-revolutionary Christmas cards, images of lonely stars were used mainly, which symbolize Star of Bethlehem. They were most often depicted as five-pointed or six-pointed. Soviet New Year's cards feature mainly red five-pointed stars, symbolizing Soviet power.

Bells and bells


They were often present on pre-revolutionary cards (Christmas and New Year's). They are occasionally found on Soviet postcards. On Christmas night, festive bells rang out over pre-revolutionary Russia. IN Western Europe before midnight old year saw off with the muffled, slow ringing of church bells, and New Year greeted with a quick and loud chime. In Germany it was believed that the ringing of bells in New Year's Eve blesses the harvest of flax and oats. In Russia, bells were considered animated; they were credited with the ability to cure illnesses, revive, drive away storms, protect from lightning, awaken the dead, and exorcise evil spirits. The best way A donation for a new bell was considered to ease the fate of a sinful soul in the afterlife.

Candles


Candles are an integral part of Christian rituals; they were used to illuminate rooms, installed and lit on holiday trees: in European countries - on the eve of Christmas, and in Russia - on Christmas evening.
In Western Europe, special Christmas candles were used. They were larger in size than ordinary ones and were decorated with foil, strips of colored paper, silver and gold threads. The Scandinavians preferred to cast candles during the new moon, believing that they would shine brighter. Thrifty Germans made Christmas candles from paraffin and stearin.
Over time, candles began to be replaced by electric garlands, but the love for real candles has survived to this day. Candles represent light in the darkness of life and illumination. The candle flame symbolizes warmth and love.

Confetti and serpentine


These are indispensable companions of carnivals. They were depicted mainly on Soviet New Year cards, especially widely since the early 80s. They decorate Christmas trees with confetti and streamers and load them with firecrackers. The word "serpentine" comes from the French "serpentin", meaning "winding road", "serpentine". The serpentine carries the symbolism of the snake - death and rebirth, life and resurrection, and its spiral shape speaks of the annual cycles of the sun.
Confetti - small mugs multi-colored paper. The name comes from the Italian "confetti" (which translates as "candy"). The prototype of confetti was the small candies that were thrown at each other at Roman carnivals. A parallel can also be drawn with the ritual use of grain. Still preserved folk rituals, in which the newlyweds are sprinkled with grain or thrown at their feet as a sign of wishes for future abundance.

Clocks, calendars and year numbers


These attributes are typically used to design New Year cards. They seem to provide a starting point for the start of a new year, a new life.
A clock is one of the most common elements of New Year's cards, both pre-revolutionary and Soviet. Their midnight fight on New Year's Eve was associated with the expectation of happiness and change for the better. Soviet postcards began to depict not just clocks, but clocks from the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower, which became a symbol of Soviet power. This associative connection began to take shape in the 30s and 40s.
In the date - January 1 - the unit signifies the beginning, the original unity and the sum of all possibilities. On Soviet postcards, the date and year were most often found in the 50s. However, gradually they began to disappear from New Year's symbols. Perhaps this was due to the increase in circulation and the possibility of sale over several years.

Present


On pre-revolutionary cards, gifts were part of the Christmas holidays, and they were very diverse: toys, candies, flowers, decorations and something mysterious, packed in paper or a box and tied with ribbon.
In Russia, during Soviet times, gifts began to be given for the New Year.

Wine, champagne


Wine and intoxication symbolize the union of the divine and the human, revelation and truth. In most religions, wine signifies the blood of the victim, and libation is a form of sacrifice. For example, in the sacrament of communion, wine takes on the meaning of the blood of God, through which a person joins his spiritual power and comprehends the truth. No wonder they say: the truth is in the wine.
The New Year is traditionally celebrated with champagne. This wonderful drink was created in the middle of the 17th century by the monk Pierre Perignon, who served as winemaker at the Hautvillers Abbey in the province of Champagne. By the end of the 18th century, champagne had gained such popularity that Russia began producing its own sparkling wines. The first Russian champagne appeared in 1799 in Sudak, and in 1900 L.S. Golitsyn’s champagne received the Grand Prix in Paris.

Landscapes and nature views


When designing foreign New Year cards, a river, stream, lake or body of water, a bridge, a boat, and for Russian postcards roads and paths are more typical. Fences, hedges and wells are found on both with approximately the same frequency. The well in Christian symbolism is a sign of salvation and purification, and in folk legends it fulfills wishes and heals.
In addition to thematic greeting cards, there are also those that are devoid of any plot and consist of only symbolic elements: fir branches, candles, gifts, numbers of the year, etc. Until 1917, about 5% of such postcards were issued in Russia. In the Soviet Union in the early 50s, 10% of New Year's cards contained only symbolic elements, and by the end of the 80s their number increased to 20%.

Father time


Father time is a traditional symbol of the New Year. Quite often found on postcards of the late 19th/early 20th century. In essence, this is Saturn with his merciless scythe. Saturn rules the sign of Capricorn. It is during this zodiac sign that all the Christmas holidays occur. "Father time" is translated into Russian as the old New Year and is represented in the image of a decrepit old man who hands over the reins to the New New Year

Pig


The pig was often depicted on pre-revolutionary Christmas and New Year cards. The pigs did all sorts of things there - they walked around in festive clothes, put on an intellectual pince-nez, flew on balloons and airships, drank champagne and gave flowers. It happened that the pig was roasted on a spit, and sometimes she herself could “dress up” as a cook and fry something. It happened that on old postcards pigs spun the drum of the money lottery, sculpted snow women and danced with lovely ladies...
Such reverence for the pig is an echo of distant paganism: as researchers note, the period of celebrating Christmas and New Year coincides with pagan holidays, in which “animal symbolism” played a huge role. And although the Christian church did everything to eradicate paganism, its manifestations still persisted in some folk traditions and customs.
For example, the Slavs on the eve winter solstice They glorified the birth of Kolyada's brother Ovsen, and then the birth of Kolyada himself - the solar god, who was represented either in the form of a golden pig or sitting astride him. According to ancient Scandinavian legends, on Christmas Day the sun god Frey flew across the sky on a boar with golden bristles and illuminated the night. In general, variations on the theme of the wonderful pig lived in Western Europe for a long time, until the 19th century. In Thuringia and the Czech Republic at Christmas they dreamed of seeing a golden pig in the sky for luck, and in Swabia - a white pig with a golden chain.
According to New Year and Christmas researcher Evgeniy Ivanov, “the modern Christmas or New Year’s pig came to us from ancient pagan rituals and symbolizes sacrifice to the deity. Meanwhile, if Christians followed the Bible literally, they would have to reject the meat of pigs as especially unclean animals. The prodigal son tended pigs, that is, he was engaged in the most despicable work. The pig’s uncleanliness has made it a biblical symbol of frivolity and disregard for grace.”
Well, as a result, the pig has become a symbol of prosperity.

Horseshoe


One of the most famous talismans for good luck is the horseshoe. Finding a horseshoe on the road is not just a sign of great luck, but also money. This sign comes from those times when a horse was the owner’s greatest value. The found horseshoe is hung on the door.
According to legend, one day the devil appeared to a blacksmith in the guise of a horse and began to seduce the blacksmith into doing dirty deeds. But the blacksmith did not give in and, moreover, he shoed the “horned one,” and so that the devil would remember science and not dare to show himself in the forge again, he hung a horseshoe on the door. Since then, people began to hang horseshoes on the doors of their houses to scare away evil spirits.
Also in Europe, they believe that the horseshoe acquired magical power thanks to the gods, because its shape resembles a month. In the East, in Europe and Latin America Horseshoes are hung on the wall with the horns down - so that happiness flows onto you. But the British and Irish are convinced that it is necessary to hang it with its horns up so that happiness does not flow out.
Mexican horseshoe - decorated with ribbons and coins, the faces of saints hangs high - no one can touch it. And the Italians, on the contrary, hang a horseshoe so that everyone who enters touches it.
In Russia they hang people with their horns down. But not adherents of the teachings of Feng Shui. Here the opinion is different - a horseshoe with its horns up, so that the house is a full bowl. They wear horseshoes on themselves, nail them over front door, hang on walls and even on the masts of sea and river vessels. And they also bury it in the ground at the threshold...
The horseshoe is considered both an object that wards off evil spirits and a symbol of good luck. But it cannot perform two functions at the same time. therefore, if used for protection from evil spirits, then it should be hung with the horns down, and if for good luck and well-being in the house, then with the horns up so that the cup is full. This is one of the many interpretations of the properties of a horseshoe.
As for the question of why a horseshoe is generally considered a symbol of happiness, there is such a version. Firstly, a horseshoe is made of iron, and in those very distant times, any piece of iron was very valuable and finding it was considered good luck. Secondly, sometimes there were both silver and gold horseshoes that were lost by the horses of the nobility. It was special luck

Clover - Four Leaf


Clover. One petal for fame, one for wealth, one for love and one for health!
The four-leaf clover is a legendary flower, a symbol of incredible luck. Finding it is almost as difficult as a flowering fern. Our ancestors believed that clover carries the great power of love, happiness, beauty and youth. Its leaves were collected, dried and then always carried with them. And the kind helper preserved the happiness of its owner....
Four leaf clover is a symbol of good luck. According to ancient legend, the person who finds this rare specimen is haunted by luck and success from that moment on. Moreover, this lucky man himself brings good luck to everyone who meets him, collaborates with him, or is simply in his neighborhood. Magic Powers: Protection, money, love, loyalty, exorcism, success.
Magical Uses: Two Leaf Clover: If you find this clover, you will soon find a lover.
Three-leaf clover: it is worn as a strong amulet - a talisman.
Quatrefoil: it protects against madness, strengthens spiritual powers, makes it possible to detect the presence of spirits and leads the one who wears it to gold, money or treasures. If two people eat a four-leaf clover together, mutual love will break out between them.
Seven grains of wheat, placed on a 4-leaf leaf, make it possible to see fairies. If you put a four-leaf clover in your shoe before leaving the house, then you will have the opportunity to meet new love. Five-leaf clover: has the power to attract money and is usually carried with you for this purpose.
White clover: counteracts damage and the evil eye when scattered around the room or carried with you. Red Clover: If added to bath water, it will help you solve your financial problems. It is also used in making love potions, and its infusion is used to drive out evil spirits by sprinkling it around the house.
In general, clover has the ability to scare away snakes and evil spirits, and if you are disappointed in love, then wrap the clover in a piece of blue silk and wear it near your heart - this will help you cope with the situation.
According to one ancient legend, for many years an old magician lived in the hollow of a mighty tree with his friend, a raven, whom he taught to predict the future. When the old man died, the raven flew over the forest and mourned his friend. Where the bird shed tears on the ground, a flower grew in the spring - a raven's eye (crow berry, monoberry, rannik, cross-grass, quatrefoil). And in the language of flowers, clover means waiting. Believe it or not is your business. But all these are the ideas of our ancestors.

fly agaric


Often in the design of old New Year's cards you can see an image of the fly agaric mushroom. Even among the huge variety of themes and subjects in postcards of the past, this motif stands out. Often the fly agaric in congratulatory compositions is adjacent to other New Year's symbols bringing good luck and prosperity - horseshoes, ladybugs, shamrocks, piglets, chimney sweeps, and most often with gnomes. Such a neighborhood is quite natural: both fly agarics and gnomes are forest dwellers, and together they look fabulous and festive. But besides a colorful picture, a postcard is, first of all, a message, a wish, filled with various symbols and signs. And if everything is more or less clear with gnomes here - in many cultures they are traditionally associated with winter holidays, and Santa Claus’s assistants are also present in the retinue, then what does the fly agaric symbolize? There is no exact information on this matter; all that is known for certain is that the fly agaric is one of the symbols of good luck. But there are several versions of the origin of such symbolism.
One of them is color. After all, the fly agaric, as you know, is red, and red is the dominant color, one of the main colors of the spectrum, which cannot be obtained by mixing. In painting it often plays the role of an accent. It has many meanings: red can mean life, love, beauty, joy - exactly what people wish for each other in congratulations. The white color, which is also present in the color of the fly agaric, speaks of the sincerity of these wishes, since it traditionally symbolizes purity.
Another version is associative: many people associate the color of the fly agaric with the red and white suit of Santa Claus. It is possible that the artists noticed and exploited this similarity.
And the third version is associated with the healing properties of this mushroom, which healers have learned about since ancient times, using it in their medical practice - there are many examples when healers and healers used fly agaric to treat patients. A lot of recipes for treatment with fly agarics are described in ancient medical books. However, they are poorly studied by modern medicine.
Also, according to historical information, ancient Greek athletes ate a small piece of fly agaric before competitions, which apparently served the athletes as a kind of doping that helped them cheer up.
In the Vedic and ancient Persian cultures, an important ritual drink, soma, was known, which was considered divine. Soma is mentioned frequently in the Rig Veda, which contains many hymns praising its invigorating or intoxicating qualities. Several texts in the Atharva Veda extol the healing properties of soma. The recipe for soma is not reliably known, but there are hypotheses according to which fly agaric juice was used in its preparation, mixing it with milk, honey and wine.
Especially many references to the use of fly agaric as a stimulant or healing potion can be found in descriptions of the life of the northern peoples. For example, an infusion of fly agarics was consumed before battle by the famous berserkers - warriors of the ancient Vikings. Researchers claim that a person who drank such a drug became determined, knew no fear and became insensitive to pain.
The shamans of many peoples of the North, as well as the Celtic Druids, knew about the properties of the infusion of red fly agaric and with its help put themselves into a state of trance, during which they could go without sleep or rest for several days. In ancient times, northerners endowed these mushrooms with sacred powers. They believed in the idea of ​​the World Tree, which represents the axis of the world, whose roots go deep into the Earth, into the underworld, the top rests on the North Pole, and the branches spread out into the heavens. Fly agarics usually grow under coniferous or evergreen trees and it was believed that their red caps are fruits sacred tree, and the mycelium fertilizes the earth and symbolizes the connection with its roots. Mushrooms for potions were collected in July-August, then dried throughout the fall until the winter solstice - perhaps hence the connection with the winter holidays.

Forget-me-not


In most European and some non-European languages, forget-me-nots have the same name.
In the Middle Ages, forget-me-nots were given some religious significance. Its name was meant to serve as a constant reminder of God. This idea especially often received its symbolic expression in wood cutouts depicting the celestial eye surrounded by a wreath of forget-me-nots with the inscription: “Remember me.”
It is said that in 1405 Henry Lancaster chose this flower as his emblem and, while in exile, placed it on the chain of the Order of the Garter with the words: “Souvenez-vous de moi” (“forget me not”). Thus, just as the rose is the historical flower for the House of York, as the lily is for the Stuarts and Bourbons, the violet for the Napoleons, so the forget-me-not is the heraldic flower for the Lancastrians.
According to other sources, the first person to use the symbol of the forget-me-not in England was one of the Plantagenets, who, being in love with the wife of the Duke of Brittany, exchanged this flower with her as a sign of their mutual love. According to another source, the first person to introduce the forget-me-not in England as an emblem of remembrance was Lord Skeles, the brother of Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of Edward IV, who, after winning a tournament over a Burgundian knight, the ladies of the court presented a gold chain decorated with blue enamel forget-me-nots as a souvenir of the indelible for all England the courage he showed in this competition.
Forget-me-not juice is said to have the original property of promoting the hardening of steel. To do this, you just need to dip a red-hot steel blade or any steel tool into this juice several times and keep it in it until it cools. Steel thus hardened is so hard that it cuts iron and whetstone. In this way, they say, steel was prepared for the famous Toledo and Damascus blades.
Forget-me-not is considered in many places in Germany to be a magical flower, with which you can find out the name of your betrothed or betrothed. To do this, you just need not look for a forget-me-not, but use one you accidentally came across on the road. Such a forget-me-not is placed on the naked body under the arm and, without saying a word, they go home. And the name of the first man or woman who came across the road or crossroads at that time will represent the name of the betrothed.

It is believed that the first Christmas card was created by the English artist Dobson in 1794. The card he gave to his friend depicted a winter landscape and a family scene near a Christmas tree.

The real serial postcard also appeared in England, in 1840, it was drawn by the artist Royal Academy John Horsley. He wanted to please his friend Sir Henry Cole, who could not figure out how to please his beloved grandmother for Christmas. And Sir Henry's grandmother became famous among her compatriots for founding the Victoria and Albert Museum.

John Horsley came up with the idea of ​​decorating a postcard (12x7 cm) with a real Christmas triptych: in the center the artist placed the family of Sir Henry Cole sitting at the Christmas table, and on the sides he placed pictures designed to remind others of the mercy and compassion of this respectable English family. Judging by the drawings, the Coles generously shared clothing and food with the poor. The image was accompanied by a sonorous caption: “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” On the postcard, the artist sat down festive table the whole family of Coles old and young, placed the greeting “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” in the foreground and put a note “from” at the bottom so that the person sending the card in the mail could write his name. The postcard was a wild success. The Coles' relatives proudly showed it off to others. However, the Puritans sharply criticized Horsley's printed work for the fact that the artist placed a glass of red wine in the hands of all his characters, including children. But despite this, interest in the Coles’ postcard did not wane. Even three years later, it was still on display for everyone to see. This gave the Coles the idea that such postcards, if sold to everyone, could bring in a good income.
Publisher of children's books and picture albums Joseph Kandell printed 1000 copies, and for each card the Coles received a shilling - that was a lot of money! (As reported by the Daily Mail, one of the 30 surviving copies of the first postcard was recently sold at Bloomsbury in London, purchased by an unknown buyer for £5,170.) The material used was stiff cardboard, and the pictures were hand-painted. But at the same time, the family was sure that the public’s interest in Christmas cards was nothing more than a momentary fashion, and not a business. They were wrong about this. Since the 1860s, the production of postcards has been on stream.

Christmas cards, according to historians, existed before. Their prototype can be considered engravings and lithographs on Christmas themes, very popular during the Middle Ages.

Botticelli Sandro, "Nativity" 1501 http://fabrilia.ru/person.php?name=bottichelli

Piero della Francesca, "Christmas", http://www.arttrans.com.ua

Robert Campin, "The Nativity of Christ"

Later in Europe they began to send letters to each other with Christmas and New Year's greetings, sometimes even with hand-drawn notes. Children always prepared such letters to their parents at the end of December. The prototype of Christmas cards can also be considered business cards, which appeared in Paris already in the middle of the 18th century. As always, Paris became a trendsetter - business cards immediately spread throughout Europe. On Christmas Eve, business cards were personally delivered to all important recipients.

And it all began in distant China, two thousand years ago. On the eve of the holiday, the owner hung a bag near the door with the inscription: “Sorry, I can’t accept you in person,” so that on the first day of the New Year, all those whom they could not see would leave their business cards with holiday wishes. (c) http://www.bulengrin.com/inform/postcards/

The first Christmas cards came to Russia from England in the 90s of the 19th century. Moreover, enterprising merchants bought only those on which the drawing was not accompanied by an inscription in a foreign language - it was then applied in Russian. It was a troublesome business, and therefore they sold postcards for a ruble, or even more. Then postcards began to be printed abroad, mainly in Germany, especially for Russia at the request of large bookstores.


In Russia, since the time of Catherine II, on New Year and Christmas, personal visits and the delivery of business cards from early morning were considered a duty, pleasant and joyful, but very troublesome. Therefore, the English fashion of congratulating each other with postcards very quickly took root in the Russian Empire.


Postcards have been sent by mail in Russia since 1894, when the Minister of Internal Affairs, who was in charge of the postal department, signed a corresponding order.


The fact is that the first open letters (without illustrations) were put into circulation in Russia in 1872, but the right to issue them was granted only to the postal department. In accordance with the decree of 1894, it became possible to send forms with illustrations issued by private publishers through the postal department.


At the same time, the address side of the postcard had to have the same design as standard postal department cards. This permission was given in response to numerous requests from Russian entrepreneurs, who drew the government's attention to the fact that in Western European countries illustrated postcards had already become firmly established in postal circulation, while in Russia their release was artificially restrained.

Thus, in 1894, the first illustrated postcards published in Russia appeared. They were specific and represented montages of several views of a particular city, decorated with vignettes. The drawing was accompanied by the inscription: “Greetings from (such and such a city)” or “Bow from (such and such a city).”

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the production of illustrated postcards acquired a wide scope. Their themes became more and more diverse. In addition to postcards with views of cities and localities, postcards depicting types of the population of Russia, greeting cards, advertising cards, humorous cards and others appear.

The first Christmas cards were issued for a charitable purpose by the St. Petersburg Trustee Committee of the Sisters of the Red Cross (Community of St. Eugenia) to obtain additional funds for the maintenance of the hospital, outpatient clinic and courses for nurses.


By Christmas 1898, the Community of St. Evgeniya published a series of ten postcards based on watercolor drawings by famous St. Petersburg artists. And although the cards listed above did not contain the subsequently established inscription “Merry Christmas!”, they were, both according to the publishers’ plans and according to the plots of the drawings, the first Russian Christmas cards.

The Christmas holiday, celebrated on December 25 (old style), was close in time to the New Year, and therefore Christmas cards were often used for New Year's greetings.

Postcards of pre-revolutionary Russia were not inferior in skill to foreign ones, and sometimes even surpassed them. It was impossible to describe the variety of “post cards” that existed at that time.


In the catalogs of publishing houses of that time, you can read a list of many types of postcards, such as: “relief graceful work”, “shiny enamel”, “glossy”, “enamel with gold”, “aristocratic on the best linen cardboard in the Art Nouveau style”, “silver bromide” , “plush”, “real engravings with a gold edge”.


And it was especially gratifying that, as one publishing house wrote: “We can finally congratulate our relatives and friends not with a postcard depicting rituals from German life, but Russian life, where everything is so close and dear to us, and full of memories of the covenants of Russian antiquity."


For Russia, postcards have become almost a special form of art. They were used to decorate the interior and were inserted into special albums. Of the 23 states of the Universal Postal Union, only Russia did not adhere to the established international standard for postcard size (9x14 cm). For her, it was unacceptable to limit the imagination of domestic producers.

The themes of the Christmas cards were very diverse, it’s impossible to list them all. Postcards reflected all the events that took place at that time, and the First World War was no exception.

After October 1917, the production of greeting cards, as a household item in bourgeois society, was completely stopped. Not only the words “Merry Christmas,” but also New Year greetings have completely disappeared from printed publications and the official language. But the custom is to send holiday greetings continued to exist. For this purpose, any illustrated postcards that were close in theme to this holiday were used.

“Back in the middle of the 18th century, business cards appeared in Paris and were delivered to addresses on the eve of Christmas,” says Olga Simonova, chief curator of the Russian Museum of Photography in Nizhny Novgorod. - But England is considered the birthplace of the first Christmas card. The English artist Dobson in 1794 drew a card for his friend, on which he depicted a family near a Christmas tree. Christmas cards also appeared in mass production in England, but almost fifty years later.”

Olga Simonova, chief curator of the Russian Museum of Photography in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: AiF / Elfiya Garipova

A certain official Sir Henry Cole decided to congratulate his relatives in an original way: Asked an artist friend to depict Cole's own family and his pious deeds on a Christmas card. The 12x7 card was captioned: “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”

The Christmas surprise was a success: the card was an incredible success not only with those close to the Cole family, but also with numerous acquaintances. An enterprising official decided to print additional copies of the postcard and sell each one for a shilling. Later these cards went into mass production.

“It was the Germans who invented postcards, including Christmas ones,” explains Olga Simonova. “Soon postcards began to spread all over the world.”

German postcards were popular, and inscriptions in a foreign language did not bother anyone. Photo:

From German postcards to domestic ones

The first Christmas cards were brought to Russia in the 90s of the 19th century by merchants from abroad, mainly from England and Germany. The cards were accompanied by a congratulatory text in English or German languages, which was considered special chic. However, the soul of Russians demanded congratulations on native language. Therefore, more and more often, Russian industrialists purchased Christmas cards that only contained an image and the greeting “Merry Christmas!” applied to it later. Because of this, postcards were more expensive and were considered a luxury. When they began to be printed in Germany specifically for Russia, postcards became cheaper and more accessible to many people.

Christmas cards of the late 19th - early 20th centuries from the reserves of the Russian Museum of Photography. Photo: AiF / Elfiya Garipova

“The first Russian-made Christmas cards were issued for a charitable purpose,” says the museum curator. - Community of St. Evgeniya in St. Petersburg published a series of ten cards based on watercolor drawings by local artists for Christmas 1898.”

Book publishers found the production of postcards very profitable and, to increase sales, focused the attention of buyers on national identity. One of the publishing houses proudly informed its readers: “We can finally congratulate our family and friends not with a postcard depicting rituals from German life, but from Russian life, where everything is so close and dear to us, and full of memories of the legacy of Russian antiquity.”

Christmas idyll on a postcard. Photo: From the archives of the Russian Museum of Photography

Postcard as art

Christmas cards in pre-revolutionary Russia became a real art. The variety of shapes and materials from which they were made is difficult to describe: glossy, papier-mâché, embossed and trimmed with textiles, braid and sequins, on linen cardboard, engraved with a gold edge and plush - in a word, for every taste and budget.

“By the way, Russians had a very reverent attitude towards postcards,” continues Olga Simonova. — In those days, all 23 states of the Universal Postal Union adhered to the established international standard for postcard size (9x14 cm). But in Russia there have never been such restrictions.”

The imagination of artists knew no bounds, so Christmas cards depicted both biblical scenes and moments from the lives of ordinary people: pictures of village life, decorated fir trees, candles, three horses. Children were especially often drawn as angels, as well as children's winter fun.

Children and their fun are artists’ favorite subjects for Christmas cards. Photo: From the archives of the Russian Museum of Photography / Elfiya Garipova

“Christmas and New Year cards were made by the best artists and printers,” says Olga Simonova. “Photographers soon became interested in this type of art: along with drawings, photographic images appeared on Christmas cards.”

Photographers on Christmas cards most often only hinted at the essence religious holiday: They were more interested in the people being photographed themselves. These are couples in love happy families, children with Christmas trees and angels.

“This is an interesting postcard,” Olga Simonova smiles. — On a card with an image of an attractive young girl holding a fir branch on her shoulder, a certain Lenya is congratulated on Christmas by his brother N. Fedorovich. You could say it's kind of a vintage Christmas pin-up." (“Pin-up” is a style of American graphics of the mid-20th century, its distinguishing feature- plot. Most often this is an image of a beautiful, sometimes half-naked girl. — approx. ed.)

Christmas pin-up girl. Photo: From the archives of the Russian Museum of Photography

Russian people wrote a lot and willingly. Adults and children, aristocrats and ordinary people, relatives and friends. Merry Christmas greetings could be simple or poetically designed.

Here is a certain Sergei Frolov writing from Kazan to Simbirsk congratulations to Alexandra Gracheva on 1915: “Congratulations on the highly solemn holiday of the Nativity of Christ! I wish to meet him in good health and joy.” A certain Varvara Fedoseevna Prozorovskaya from the Vologda province is congratulated on Christmas by her niece and at the same time reports about her situation: “I live with Anna Alexandrovna and often remember you. I would like to know how you live."

This card was issued in Stockholm, with the caption “Happy New Year!” in Russian. Photo: From the archives of the Russian Museum of Photography

Aunt Olya in December 1913 wishes Merry Christmas to “dear children - dear godson Kolya, Shura, Galya and Butuz Vitya”, and wonders if their name day was fun.

In December 1916, a priest from the village of Vacha, Murom district, Father Pavel Pobedinsky, was congratulated by his sister and added: “For some reason there has been no news from you for a long time. Are you all safe and sound there? They forgot us, orphans. Will we see you soon?

“When you read these postcards, especially those dated pre-revolutionary dates,” says Olga Simonova, “you can’t help but think what happened to all these people, how history treated them.”

They also wrote about their lives in Christmas cards. Photo: From the archives of the Russian Museum of Photography

Banishment of Christmas

The revolution of 1917 interrupted the tradition of sending Christmas postcards: the new government began to fight “bourgeois relics.” True, not right away: under Lenin, the so-called Kremlin Christmas trees were still held, and instead of Christmas they celebrated the New Year. After his death, a special circular was circulated, which stated that the Christmas holiday with Christmas stories and Christmas trees was supposedly harmful for the education of proletarian and peasant children. Special commissions went from house to house and checked whether Christmas was being celebrated somewhere. New Year's toys were not released, and Christmas trees were banned. Everything related to Christmas and New Year went underground.

The Christmas card depicted nature or touching scenes. Photo: From the archives of the Russian Museum of Photography

But people never forgot about the wonderful Christmas cards, they kept them for years and even used them for their intended purpose: they secretly sent each other cards published before the revolution.

“Apparently, knowing this, the Soviet authorities decided to revive the New Year tree in 1935,” recalls Simonova. — The Pravda newspaper published an article “Let’s organize for the New Year for children good Christmas tree!”, after which the New Year holidays began to be revived. And with the advent Christmas trees The printing of New Year's postcards has also been revived. It was not possible to banish the wonderful holiday from the consciousness of the people.”

Serial production of New Year's cards began in the 50s: they bore the inscription “Happy New Year” against the backdrop of Kremlin stars and Santa Claus. But there were no more Christmas cards among them. In Russia they began to timidly revive only at the end of the 20th century. Often these were reproductions from old postcards created before the revolution.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Until 1918, Christmas in Russia was celebrated on December 25, the day celebrated by Catholics and Protestants, but in our country it was December 25 according to the Julian calendar, and in most European countries and the United States according to the Gregorian calendar.

The Gregorian calendar was introduced in Russia only after the revolution, and in the modern Gregorian calendar, “Julian” December 25 falls on January 7.

Most pre-revolutionary Christmas cards feature biblical scenes or angels. Popular ideas about the birth of Jesus Christ were formed under the influence of Gospel stories, legends and traditions. Traditional images associated with the birth of Christ are a den (cave), a manger with a baby, animals - an ox (a symbol of obedience and hard work) and a donkey (a symbol of perseverance), Joseph and the Mother of God.

On the oldest Merry Christmas cards, all the characters are drawn, but with the advent of photography, cards with staged scenes and children dressed as angels began to be printed. Basically, such postcards were sold in photo studios, and they were very popular, because the image was truly alive.

It was customary to celebrate Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve) modestly, and the next day the festivities began - Christmastide. And despite the fact that the Orthodox Church has always opposed these pagan relics, the desire of the Russian people to guess and have fun, obviously, cannot be overcome.

On many pre-revolutionary postcards you can see mummers - people dressed up as pigs, bears, various evil spirits, made scary masks and scared each other, played snowballs, rode on a sleigh, and girls told fortunes about their betrothed.

Other Christmas cards depict children or young people going from house to house on Christmas night praising the birth of Christ. This custom is called glorification.

It was customary to stop under the windows, sing songs, and use jokes to wish the owners of the house well and all sorts of blessings. The owners treated those who celebrated, while competing in generosity, which is why there was always someone in the company with a large bag or box for treats.

No less popular were cards with everyday scenes on a Christmas theme - like the very first Christmas card, they depicted a table set for the holiday, children opening gifts, cheerful, sometimes not very sober companies and couples. By sending such cards, people wished each other what was depicted on the card - that the house would be a full cup and that there would always be enough money for a good holiday table.

Postcards from the First World War depicted soldiers returning to their families on Christmas Eve - this was also a unique wish.

Other “everyday” Christmas cards depict decorated Christmas trees. The tradition of decorating a coniferous tree came to Russia with the first New Year's holiday from Germany, but until the 30s of the 19th century, Russians, as a rule, limited themselves to spruce branches.

The first Christmas trees and Christmas tree decorations appeared in the homes of St. Petersburg Germans, but by the end of the 19th century the tradition of starting the holidays by decorating the Christmas tree had spread everywhere in Russia.

Among the “everyday” postcards were “postcards for adults,” depicting kissing couples. Indeed, the custom required that guests who came to the house for Christmas exchange kisses with their owners, and for young people the holiday was almost the only opportunity to kiss before the wedding, so it was awaited with trepidation.

And of course, from many pre-revolutionary Christmas cards, kittens, chickens and piglets look at us, and they seem to be happy too happy holiday Christmas.