Wednesday, December 29, 2010

1910 Art Nouveau New Year's Postcard, First Footing New Year's Custom


I had to share my favorite antique postcard for New Year's greetings. This is a great art nouveau design card from 1910. I LOVE it! The verse says:


You see not as
step before you
As you tread on
another year
But what looks dark
in the distance
Will brighten as
you draw near
Happy New Year

The card is by the Gibson Art Company. Cool!
You can see more about it at Time Was Antiques at this link:

       The new year has a lot of fun customs in England...and First Footing is a favorite of mine.  In the areas of England, Scotland and Wales, the First Footer brings luck to the home for the following year as long as certain customs are met. The First Footer must not be a resident, must come in from outside bearing salt, a gift, coals or a drink...which in Scotland is almost always whiskey, of course. The man must enter backwards and be tall and dark with a narrow, high arched foot. It is bad luck if the first person in the door is a woman or a blonde. The First Footer is welcomed, led through the house and sent off with a gift.  The custom has some other variations, but that is the general idea. How fun!

So...who's coming through your door first on New Year's Eve?

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

background