Sunday, December 30, 2018

"Fröhliches Neujahr!" vintage German postcard


Switching now from Christmas to New Year's, I have some vintage Happy New Year postcards to share over the next few days. I'm trying to post this one while Monkey (aka Moose, aka Monkers Chunkers1, aka Orange) sits on my lap. I think he's jealous because he's the only cat that hasn't been featured yet as a Papergreat model.

Anyway, this is a German postcard — Fröhliches Neujahr! means Happy New Year — that appears to have been sent in late December 1928. The publisher's logo is shown at right. There is no further information about the publisher on the back. The word Ingersoll is written in large letters on the back, but that's not, to my knowledge, the name of a place in Germany. It's more common as a surname, so perhap it's the family this card was sent to.

In Germany, the four-leaf clover is considered a symbol of good luck for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, which explains its prominence on this postcard. Other lucky charms include mushrooms, ladybugs and little chocolate pigs.

German traditions for this holiday also include putting a carp scale in one's wallet for prosperity throughout the year, melting a small piece of lead as a way to predict the future, watching "Dinner for One," having a midnight toast, sharing cheese, and eating a dish of herring served with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.

Footnote
1. Google says I shall be the second...

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