On World Postcard Day

Postcards provide vivid glimpses of distinct cultures and environments, encapsulating stories of discovery through little, vibrant windows into faraway places.

It’s fun to commemorate the connections that may be made between people in the present and the past by simply sending and receiving postcards on World Postcard Day!

World Postcard Day’s past

A French engraver created some sheets of Paris cards in 1777 that were intended to be cut out and sent through the mail, which is probably when the idea for the postcard originated. The first official postal card was then released by the Austrian government in October of 1869.

Due to criticism that these postcards may be read by anyone, even servants, it took some time for them to gain traction. Nevertheless, the postcard’s effectiveness and simplicity gradually outweighed the requirement for privacy, and their appeal spread around the globe.

The use of postcards and the postal service, or “snail mail,” declined with the introduction of email and the internet. However, many who continued to like sending and receiving postcards desired to pursue this pastime. In 2005, Paulo Magalhães, a Portuguese software engineer, founded Postcrossing, an online community devoted to connecting people for postcard exchanges.

In 2019, Postcrossing arranged a global commemoration of the postcard’s 150th anniversary. World Postcard Day was first observed the following year thanks to the efforts of Postcrossing and Finepaper, and it is still observed every year.

How World Postcard Day Should Be Celebrated

Participate in World Postcard Day celebrations by beginning with some of these enjoyable events and suggestions:

Forward a Postcard

Getting a postcard from a local business, writing a note on it, addressing it, adding a stamp, and placing it in a mailbox is the most straightforward way to commemorate this day. It’s honestly not that difficult. The postcard may feature an image of a memorable location, a message of support, or just a corny proverb on the front. Most likely, it will be delight for the person on the other end to receive it, just because they were being thought of.

Participate in Postcrossing

Through the Postcrossing website, those who love sending and receiving postcards but don’t actually have anyone in their life with whom to exchange them could find other postcard enthusiasts.

Since its foundation, this organization has facilitated the sending and receiving of over 75 million postcards, spreading happiness and enthusiasm throughout the globe. There are more than 800,000 users from more than 200 countries, so connecting in this way is always thrilling. Opening a Postcrossing account is free, and World Postcard Day could be the ideal incentive to do so.

Make a World Postcard Day Display

Teachers, parents, librarians, museum curators and so many others can join in with World Postcard Day in unique and varied ways. Perhaps it would be a great educational opportunity for kids to learn lessons on the postal service and teach them the skill of addressing and sending a postcard on their own. Maybe it would be fun for a library, community center or other public space to create a display of historical postcards that have been sent and received in the local area.