Jan 2, 2013

A Happy New Year!/明けましておめでとうございます!

I wish you all the best and happiness in the new year of 2013!  I hope our year will be full of joy and laughter and no missing letters! :D

In Japan, the end of December and the beginning of January are the busiest time for the post offices as we send New Year's postcards called Nengajo.  The post office guarantees to deliver the postcards on January 1st if they're posted by the time limit they make, but even after the time limit, they try to send them on January 1st as it's important to be delivered on the New Year's Day.  Every December they hire lots of part-time workers to sort the postcards according to the address, so I worked there one winter.  It was REALLY busy there!  Anyway, here is my Nengajo for you. :)
Most of Nengajo have the design of the Chinese zodiac sign of the New Year (see here for more info), and the above my Nengajo has the design of a snake as 2013 is the Year of the Snake.  The Chinese zodiac sign has a cycle of 12 years, each year represented by an animal (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey (I was born in this year), Rooster, Dog and Boar).

I hope this year will be a good one for everyone! :)

明けましておめでとうございます。本年もどうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。今年は巳年ですね。どんな年になるのか、楽しみです☆皆様にとって、素敵な一年になりますように。

↓いつもありがとうございます。押していただけると励みになります☆