New Year Greetings from the Past.

This card was to Sarah and Morris Gerstein from her sister Beile.  It probably has a family picture on the other side.

New Year's Day is January the first.  However, for many people in other parts of the world, the new year began at different months of the year.  For many ancient people, the new year began in the spring since it was the beginning of the agricultural year. 
For Jewish people, the new year, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in the autumn, usually in the month of September--which was at the end of the agricultural year. Apples dipped in honey is traditionally served at Rosh Hashanah dinners. 

 Many Jewish families still send New Year cards today.  Sarah Schwartz Gerstein, my father- in-law David Gerstein's mother, sent these cards with her children's pictures to commemorate Rosh Hashanah about 100 years ago.  There is a lot of similarity to holiday cards sent today.

David was born in 1909, Rose in1912 and Philip in 1913. Philip may be wearing the same sailor suit that David wore a few years earlier.  The card may be from 1916.

The Gerstein children in another pose--possibly the same year as the card above.

This the oldest card, Rose is a baby, it may be from 1914.