Japanese Tradition: Nengajo - Ancient Japanese traditional culture with over 1000 years of history

 Nengajo (New Year's greeting cards) to be sent to your loved ones, relatives, and friends as New Year's greetings.

In fact, the nengajou (New Year's greeting card) has a history of over 1,000 years. In recent years, with the spread of e-mail and SNS, more and more people do not send New Year's cards, but it is still nice to receive one!

What is a "Nengajo(New Year's greeting card)"?

Nengajo are greeting cards to celebrate the New Year, and are often sent using postal postcards or cards.

The word "Nenga" means "to celebrate the new year," and it is generally considered good manners to send a New Year's greeting so that it arrives on January 1.

The word "Nenga" means "New Year's greetings," and it is generally considered good manners to send a New Year's greeting card on the first day of January.

It can be sent to anyone regardless of the relationship, including close friends and those who have been indebted to you on a daily basis, as well as distant relatives and business partners.

Nengajo (New Year's greeting card) is a long-standing custom unique to Japan that originated in the Nara period (710-794).

In the Edo period (1603-1867), with the advent of the flying post, the forerunner of today's postal service, New Year's greeting cards became popular among the general public. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), the postal service was born, and Nengajo (New Year's greeting card) spread as an essential part of Japan's New Year culture along with the improved convenience of the postal system.

When did the New Year's greeting card become the style we know today? In Japan, the postal service became available to the general public during the Meiji period (1868-1912), when postcards were first issued in 1873 (Meiji 6). The appearance of postcards made it possible to send New Year's greetings easily and inexpensively, and the custom of sending New Year's cards spread rapidly.

Around 1887, sending New Year's greeting cards became a regular year-end and New Year's event, and post offices were flooded with many New Year's greeting cards, all seeking a "January 1" postmark. As a countermeasure, a special handling system for "New Year's greeting mail" was introduced, which allowed delivery with a "January 1" postmark as long as the cards were sent within a certain period at the end of the year, and the system took on its present form.

The New Year's greeting card is sent to those who have taken care of you in your daily life, expressing gratitude for the past year and wishing you a happy new year and a continued business relationship in the new year.

In Japan, there is an old custom called "New Year's Greeting Circulation," in which people visit their superiors to congratulate them on the coming of the New Year.

What is the meaning behind New Year's greeting cards?

Originally in Japan, there was a "New Year's Greeting Circle" where people visited their elders and those who had taken care of them at the beginning of the New Year, and the New Year's greeting card was originated to send greetings to those who were far away and could not make the New Year's greeting circle.

In other words, nengajo are meant to convey New Year's wishes and daily gratitude to those who are unable to visit at the beginning of the year.

Nowadays, it is common to send New Year's greeting cards to congratulate people on the New Year and to report on recent events of one's own or one's family, such as entering a higher school, getting a job, getting married, or having a baby, as well as to express gratitude for the past year's greetings. Send New Year's cards as a communication tool to let those you do not usually keep in touch with know what you are up to.

What is the difference between a cold-weather greeting card and a New Year's card?

Similar to New Year's greeting cards, New Year's greeting cards are also sent during the year-end and New Year holidays. A Kanchu-mimai is a seasonal greeting card sent during the coldest season of the year, and is intended to send greetings to those in mourning or as a reply to a New Year's greeting card addressed to the deceased.

A New Year's card is a New Year's greeting card written without a New Year's greeting card, and is sent in place of a reply to a New Year's greeting card when a postcard in mourning is received, as well as a greeting for the year of a disaster and a cold-weather visitation.

In Japan, New Year's cards are useful in terms of business.

When sent to business partners, New Year's greeting cards are effective not only as a New Year's greeting but also as a sales tool. Sending a handwritten New Year's greeting card to someone with whom you normally communicate only by e-mail or telephone will surely look fresh.

In addition to the New Year's holiday notice, a handwritten thank-you note or a casual message will also make a good impression.

New Year's card motifs to know

Now that we have reviewed the meaning and history of nengajo, we would like to explain the motifs often used in nengajo. Did you know that each picture or pattern often seen on New Year's cards has its own meaning?

Why don't you enjoy making New Year's cards even more by learning the meanings of these traditional Japanese motifs?

Types of lucky charms used in New Year's cards

A lucky charm is an item used to wish for good things or to celebrate the New Year. In addition to the Chinese zodiac signs, various designs and motifs are used on New Year's cards. The following is an explanation of the meanings of the main lucky charms.

Crane

It has been said since ancient times that "cranes live for a thousand years," and as a congratulatory motif symbolizing longevity, cranes have been used in New Year's cards and at festive occasions. Cranes are also used as a symbol of conjugal love, as it is believed that a crane is a good match for a husband and wife and will stay with the same partner for the rest of their lives.

Tortoise

Like the crane, the tortoise is widely used in New Year's cards as a symbol of longevity and good fortune. The hexagonal shape of the turtle's shell is said to represent good omens, and has been an indispensable motif for celebratory occasions.

Fan

The fan is a good-luck charm that is associated with the wish for development and prosperity due to its broad, spreading shape. In the Edo period (1603-1867), there was a custom of giving a fan as a New Year's gift, which meant "May the coming year be a good one.

Pine, bamboo, and plum

The pine, bamboo, and plum trees are now used in the sense of ranking, and each has been popular as a plant with good luck.

The pine tree, with its lush green leaves even in winter, symbolizes longevity, the bamboo tree, with its successive sprouts, symbolizes prosperity of offspring, and the plum tree, which blooms before any other flower, symbolizes nobility and longevity.