Card Reading Day (February 21st)

Quick facts
When is it?	Every February 21st
Tagged as:	Hobbies & Activities Life & Living People & Relationships Silly & Humorous
What's the hashtag?	#CardReadingDay
We first published this page on:	Jun 26th, 2024
We last updated this page:	Jan 25th, 2026

Contents

Card Reading Day is a fun and meaningful holiday that encourages people to read and send greeting cards. It’s a perfect time for diving into the collection of cards received over the years, bringing back memories, and reliving the emotions captured in those messages.

Whether it’s a birthday wish, a thank-you note, or a card celebrating a special occasion, each card holds sentimental value, making this day a touching experience — and that’s what Card Reading Day is all about!

How to Celebrate Card Reading Day

Dive into Your Card Collection

Pull out that dusty box of old greeting cards and take a trip down memory lane. Each card holds a unique story, ready to be rediscovered. Laugh, cry, and relive the special moments captured in those cherished messages. Sharing these memories with friends or family adds an extra layer of joy.

Create a Handmade Masterpiece

Unleash your inner artist by crafting a homemade greeting card. Use colorful paper, markers, stickers, and anything else that sparks creativity.

A personalized card not only looks great but also shows extra thoughtfulness. Handmade cards have a special charm that store-bought ones can’t match.

Host a Card Reading Party

Invite friends over for a card reading extravaganza! Each guest can bring their favorite decks, whether they are tarot, oracle, or plain old playing cards.

Take turns giving readings and interpreting the cards. It’s a fun way to bond and explore the mystical side of card reading together.

Send a Surprise Card

Brighten someone’s day by sending an unexpected greeting card. Pick someone who could use a smile and write a heartfelt message.

It could be a friend, family member, or even a colleague. Receiving a card out of the blue can make anyone feel special and appreciated.

Snap photos of your favorite cards and share them on social media. Use hashtags to join the Card Reading Day celebration online. Encourage others to do the same and spread the love. This way, you can connect with fellow card enthusiasts and start a new tradition.

Explore New Card Spreads

For those who love tarot or oracle cards, Card Reading Day is the perfect time to learn a new card spread. Pick a layout that intrigues you and spend the day mastering it. This can deepen your understanding of the cards and enhance your reading skills.

Make it a Family Affair

Get the whole family involved in celebrating Card Reading Day. Kids can create their cards while adults share stories from their favorite cards.

This can become a delightful family tradition, fostering creativity and strengthening bonds. Everyone gets to participate and enjoy the magic of card reading.

Why Celebrate Card Reading Day?

The main reason for celebrating Card Reading Day is to acknowledge the emotional impact of receiving a card. Greeting cards express feelings and sentiments that might be hard to convey in person. They serve as a tangible reminder of someone’s thoughtfulness and care.

This day prompts us to appreciate these moments and the people who took the time to send us a card, reinforcing our connections with loved ones.

Additionally, Card Reading Day highlights the importance of keeping the tradition of sending cards alive. Despite the rise of digital communications, physical greeting cards remain special because they show a personal touch. They are not just pieces of paper but tokens of affection and appreciation.

Celebrating this day encourages people to take a break from the digital world and engage in a heartfelt practice that nurtures relationships and brings joy to both sender and receiver.

Card Reading Day Timeline

c. 3000 BCE

Papyrus Greetings in Ancient Egypt

Early Egyptians inscribe messages of goodwill on papyrus, creating one of the earliest known traditions of written greetings that foreshadow modern cards.[1]

c. 2nd century BCE – 10th century CE

New Year Messages in Ancient and Early Imperial China

Chinese celebrants exchange written wishes for the New Year on materials such as paper after its invention, helping establish the idea of seasonal greeting messages.[2]

Early 15th century

Handmade Greeting Cards in Europe

Handmade paper greeting cards begin circulating in Europe, including printed and hand-colored woodcut New Year and religious cards that anticipate later commercial designs.[3]

1843

First Commercial Christmas Card by Henry Cole

In London, Sir Henry Cole commissions artist John Callcott Horsley to design and print about 1,000 Christmas and New Year greeting cards, launching the commercial holiday card.[4]

1860s

Mass Production of Greeting Cards Begins

Commercial production of greeting cards expands, with publishers issuing cards in large quantities and making sentimental greetings affordable to a growing middle class.[5]

1875

Louis Prang Popularizes American Christmas Cards

Printer Louis Prang introduces high-quality color Christmas cards in the United States, earning the title “father of the American Christmas card” as his designs gain wide popularity.[6]

Late 19th – Early 20th Century

Rise of Modern Greeting Card Companies

Specialist publishers such as Hallmark, founded by Joyce Hall, develop branded lines of cards, helping transform personal greetings into a major commercial industry.[7]

History of Card Reading Day

Card Reading Day is a relatively modern holiday that emerged in the late 1990s. Although the exact origins and the individual who started it remain unclear, the day quickly gained popularity.

It was established to celebrate the joy and sentiment associated with reading and sending greeting cards. In addition, this day encourages people to revisit the cards they have received, cherish the memories, and connect with loved ones through heartfelt messages.

The holiday highlights the emotional impact that greeting cards have on relationships. Cards have been used for centuries to express feelings and celebrate special moments.

From ancient Chinese and Egyptian traditions of exchanging greetings to the popularization of Valentine’s and Christmas cards in Europe and America, cards have always played a significant role in human communication. Despite the rise of digital communication, physical cards remain cherished for their personal touch and lasting emotional value.

Celebrating Card Reading Day also supports the greeting card industry, which includes numerous publishers ranging from small businesses to large corporations like Hallmark. These companies promote the day to encourage people to send cards, keeping the tradition alive.

By participating, people not only enjoy a nostalgic activity but also reinforce their connections with family and friends, making Card Reading Day a special occasion to share love and appreciation.

Card Reading Day Facts

Cards have carried meaning, emotion, and intention for centuries, long before they became a familiar part of birthdays and holidays.

From ancient handwritten messages to modern greeting cards, this tradition reflects how people use written words to connect, express gratitude, and strengthen relationships in a personal and lasting way.

Ancient Papyrus and New Year Scrolls Started the Greeting Tradition

Long before folded cardstock appeared in mailboxes, people in ancient civilizations were already sending written well‑wishes.

In Egypt, messages were inscribed on papyrus to convey greetings, while in China, people exchanged handwritten New Year’s messages on paper as early as the Han dynasty.

These early practices of sending written good wishes are considered the ancestors of today’s greeting cards.
The First Commercial Christmas Card Helped Invent “Season’s Greetings”

The world’s first commercial Christmas card was commissioned in London in 1843 by civil servant Sir Henry Cole, who was overwhelmed by the custom of answering holiday letters.

Artist John Callcott Horsley designed a lithographed card showing a family feast with the printed message “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You,” effectively turning a time‑saving shortcut into a new social tradition that helped popularize mass‑produced seasonal cards.
Handwritten Cards Trigger Stronger Emotional Responses Than Email

Experiments comparing physical mail to email have found that handwritten notes and greeting cards create measurably stronger emotional reactions in recipients.

Studies cited by relationship researchers and mail‑industry neuroscience testing show that people feel more cared for, more appreciated, and more connected when they receive a tangible card they can hold, keep, and revisit, compared with a digital message that is quickly read and forgotten.
Expressing Gratitude in a Card Can Boost the Sender’s Happiness Too

Writing a heartfelt note does not just benefit the recipient. In a study highlighted by Psychology Today, participants who wrote simple, sincere thank‑you notes significantly underestimated how much their messages would be appreciated.

Both senders and recipients reported boosts in mood and well‑being, showing that the small act of putting gratitude into words on paper can strengthen social bonds and increase happiness on both sides.
Tarot Cards Began as a Renaissance Game Before Becoming Mystical Tools

What many people now associate with fortune‑telling started out as a fashionable pastime.

Museum research shows that tarot decks first appeared in northern Italy in the 15th century as lavish playing cards for a trick‑taking game called tarocchi, commissioned by elite families such as the Visconti and Sforza.

Only in the late 18th century did French occultists begin reinterpreting tarot images as esoteric symbols and using the cards for divination.
Reading Ordinary Playing Cards for Fortune‑Telling Predates Tarot Divination

Cartomancy, or fortune‑telling with cards, did not begin with the specialized tarot deck.

Historians note that by the 18th century in Europe, readers were already assigning meanings to the suits and numbers in ordinary 52‑card playing decks.

Figures such as Jean‑Baptiste Alliette (known as Etteilla) later adapted these practices to tarot, publishing some of the first printed guides that mapped specific interpretive meanings onto individual cards.
Paper Greeting Cards Carry a Noticeable Carbon Footprint

Behind the charm of a paper card is a high environmental cost.

Analysis referenced by the University of Exeter and industry summaries suggests that manufacturing, printing, and delivering a single paper greeting card typically generates around 140 grams of CO₂ equivalent, and billions of cards sold each year add up to emissions comparable to hundreds of thousands of long‑haul flights.

This has pushed card publishers toward recycled paper, lighter packaging, and other greener practices.

Card Reading Day FAQs

How did greeting cards evolve from early written greetings to the modern cards people exchange today?

Greeting cards developed from simple written messages used in ancient China, Egypt, and Rome to convey good wishes, thanks, or news.

In late medieval Europe, woodblock-printed New Year and religious greetings appeared, followed by elaborate handmade valentines in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The modern, mass-produced greeting card emerged in the 19th century after affordable postage and printing technologies made it possible to design, print, and mail cards cheaply.

Pioneers such as Esther Howland in the United States and publishers like Louis Prang helped turn card sending into a popular custom tied to holidays and life events. [1]

Why do handwritten cards often feel more meaningful than digital messages?

Handwritten cards provide a physical artifact that engages multiple senses and clearly shows the sender’s time and effort.

The unique handwriting, pen pressure, and even small imperfections create a sense of intimacy and authenticity that typed or preformatted messages rarely match.

Because recipients can display or store a card, it becomes a lasting reminder of a relationship and of a specific moment in time, which helps strengthen emotional bonds long after the occasion has passed. [2]

Are paper greeting cards still popular in the digital age?

Despite the growth of email, text messages, and social media greetings, paper cards remain widely used. Industry reports and card publishers note that billions of greeting cards are still purchased annually in the United States, with birthdays and Christmas among the most common occasions.

While many people supplement or replace cards with digital messages, physical cards continue to be valued for their keepsake quality and the perception that they are more thoughtful than a quick electronic note. [3]

What are some cultural traditions around sending written greetings in different countries?

Written greetings take different forms around the world. In Japan, nengajo are New Year postcards sent to arrive on January 1, often printed with the year’s zodiac animal.

In many European countries and North America, sending Christmas or New Year cards became common in the 19th century and spread through advances in printing and postal systems.

Earlier still, visiting cards in Europe functioned as formal calling cards left at a home when the recipient was absent, helping establish the idea of exchanging small, decorative cards to acknowledge social ties. [4]

How did Christmas and holiday cards become a regular part of the season?

Seasonal cards took off in the mid‑19th century when improved printing and affordable postage made it easier to send illustrated messages.

In Britain, civil servant Sir Henry Cole commissioned one of the first commercial Christmas cards in 1843, and similar designs quickly spread.

In the United States, printers such as Louis Prang popularized holiday cards in the 1870s by producing high-quality chromolithographed designs.

As postal networks expanded and literacy increased, exchanging holiday cards became a way for families and friends to maintain contact annually, even when they lived far apart.

What are the main differences between physical greeting cards and digital cards or messages?

Physical greeting cards offer tangibility, personal handwriting, and the ability to be displayed or saved as mementos, which many people perceive as more intimate and enduring.

They typically require more time and expense, including printing and postage. Digital cards and messages, by contrast, are fast, usually cheaper or free, and easily shared with large groups.

They can incorporate animation, music, or video, and they avoid the use of paper and physical transport, which can reduce environmental impact.

Many people choose a mix of both, using digital options for convenience and paper cards when they want to mark an occasion in a more lasting, personal way. [5]

Why do people keep old greeting cards instead of throwing them away?

Many people keep old greeting cards because they function as personal archives of relationships, milestones, and everyday kindnesses.

Over time, a box or album of cards can document major life changes, such as births, graduations, moves, or bereavements, along with the voices and handwriting of friends and relatives, including those who may no longer be alive.

This combination of memory, emotion, and physical presence makes cards difficult to discard and helps explain why they are often revisited years after they were first opened. [6]