Merry Christmas: old postcards, orthodox pictures

Every year on January 7, Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas, one of the most important and joyful holidays of the church calendar. On this day, Christians remember the miraculous birth of the Savior and the bringing of gifts to him by the Magi. "Izvestia" prepared postcards and pictures to the bright celebration.

Orthodox Christmas on January 7: old postcards

At Christmas, believers participate in worship services, spend time with family and exchange symbolic gifts. One of the classic presentation options is a greeting card. On the eve of the holiday, brightly colored cards with warm wishes can be found in almost any store or ordered online.

The tradition of exchanging Christmas cards originated in England in the first half of the XIX century. The idea belonged to an official Henry Cole. He did not want to spend time on composing separate greetings for numerous relatives and friends. Therefore, in 1843 he ordered several identical pictures with a festive theme from an artist and sent them out instead of the usual letters. All the recipients liked the cards, and in a few years greeting cards became a fashionable trend throughout Europe.

Greeting cards reached Russia in the second half of the XIX century. Initially, they were brought from abroad, because of which the cards turned out to be a very expensive pleasure. However, this did not prevent their popularity. Postcards were very different in format and content: some depicted angels, winter landscapes and playing children, others imitated snow with the help of boric acid, while others had to be colored independently, like modern coloring books.

Russian production of postcards was established only in 1898. Then printers began to produce products depicting Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. Many famous artists, such as Nikolai Roerich, Ivan Bilibin, Alexander Benois, Leonid Bakst and others participated in the creation of greeting pictures.

After the revolution of 1917, Christmas and other Orthodox holidays were banned. The same fate befell postcards - they were no longer printed. The tradition of exchanging greeting cards was revived only after the Great Patriotic War, but in connection with the celebration of the secular New Year. Christmas themes returned to greeting cards only in the 1990s.

Beautiful Orthodox pictures of Christmas - 2025

Modern Christmas cards are characterized by a variety of designs and shapes. Stores sell traditional cards with images of snowmen, angels, decorated fir trees and biblical subjects, volumetric cards, musical, wooden, etc. Sunday schools and libraries often hold master classes on making cards with one's own hands before Christmas, and in the Internet you can find a lot of detailed instructions on how to create simple but colorful products.

In recent years, digital greeting cards have become popular. The development of messengers and social networks allows you to quickly share Christmas pictures and greetings with people from different cities and countries. And technology allows you to animate images, add music or voice messages to them.

Among the most common subjects for Christmas cards are playing children, angels, temples and winter landscapes. Often they depict the Virgin Mary with the newborn Christ. A similar composition is used in Christmas creches - a traditional decoration in the form of a wooden box with figures depicting the stable in which the Savior was born.

Both paper and electronic Christmas cards can be accompanied with warm wishes and greetings. Here are some examples:

"Merry Christmas! May the brightest dreams and good hopes come true on this wonderful holiday. I wish you good health, peace in your soul, harmony in your family and steadfastness in your faith!"

"From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you on Christmas! I wish that faith in the Lord never fade in your heart, and your prayers always reach heaven. May your guardian angel protect you from misfortunes and sorrows. May your home be a full cup and each new day bring you joy!"

"Merry Christmas! Many years ago, the Star of Bethlehem was lit in the sky, showing the Magi the way to the Christ child. And to this day its radiance leads the souls of people to salvation and fills the hearts with the joy of the miracle. So let your life become lighter and brighter on this day. I wish you good health, fulfillment of desires and prosperity!"

"Merry Christmas! May God's grace and inspiration descend on you on this kind and bright holiday. May your soul be filled with joy and your heart with love. Let hardships and failures bypass you, and let good luck come to your hands. I wish success in good endeavors, good health, harmony with yourself and others!"

Earlier "Izvestia" told about the history and traditions of Orthodox Christmas.