Category: History
PLAYING CARD DECK CRAFTED IN A CONCENTRATION CAMP
The Card’s Designs
- KINGS / QUEENS / JACKS: These cards represent the SS camp’s authority figures, as they are shown clothed in the British army’s uniform.
- ACES: Buildings are illustrated on these cards, including the Protestant church shown on the ace of spades.
- JOKERS: It is daunting, yet, unsurprising that these cards portray the prisoners themselves. They are shown pinned with the unlucky number 13 on their chest amid barbed wire and dust.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TAROT CARDS AND ORACLE CARDS
What sets a Tarot deck apart from an Oracle deck?
When you create a Tarot card deck, you are following a standard structure: a set of 78 cards that follow the Major and Minor Arcana. The deck consists of 22 cards following the Major Arcana and 56 cards represent the Minor Arcana.The Major Arcana portrays picture cards, numbered 0-21. These cards depict the realm of the material world, intuitive mind and change. Some of the titles given to each picture card include ‘The Fool (0),’ ‘The Magician (1),’ ‘The High Priestess (2)’, etc.A Foreseeable Future
Shuffled Ink guarantees a foreseeable future for your custom printed Tarot card and Oracle card designs. Every single client adds their own personal and unique touch to their Tarot cards. With differing messages, visuals, colors and designs, it’s a treat to see your customized vision. Here are some finished personalized Tarot and Oracle cards we’ve printed. Perhaps, these varying designs will inspire you to create some of your own!THE IMPACT OF PLAYING CARDS ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Expressions and idioms derived from playing cards and card games
As the English language has developed over time, many expressions have entered common usage, which give meanings to words quite different from the literal meanings of the individual words themselves. When this happens it is referred to as an idiom, which is a phrase that doesn’t always follow the normal rules of meaning and grammar.Many idioms have their background in older phrases that have changed over time, or originate in specialized areas and have come to have a broader usage. So it’s no surprise that a lot of idiomatic expressions in English originate in the world of playing cards and card games like Poker. Not every expression that might seem to be playing card related is necessarily so; for example the idiom “call a spade a spade” actually originates in a first century Greek writing, well before playing cards even existed!But many expressions and catch-phrases do originate with playing cards and card games, and this just goes to show the tremendous impact that cards and games have had on our culture. In fact, language usage like this is often used by sociologists, anthropologists, and historians, to measure how widely known card games were, because their use in language is clear evidence of their cultural importance and significance.So let’s learn how card games haven’t just put cards into our hands, but have also put phrases and expressions into our English language!Did we miss your favorite playing card expression? Comment below.
About the writer: EndersGame is a well-known reviewer of board games and playing cards. He loves card games, card magic, and card collecting. You can see a complete list of his playing card reviews here. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInkBOARD GAMES PLAYED AROUND THE WORLD ON NEW YEAR’S EVE
Board Games from Around the World
Italy: Italian BingoIn Italy, New Year’s Eve celebrations include having a large feast called La Fiesta di San Silvestro, using fireworks and bonfires to ward off evil spirits and playing a board game similar to bingo called Tombola. The Italian version is far more colorful than American bingo and begins the week of Christmas and ends on Jan. 6.Tombola• 48-numbered cards• 720 plastic chips• 90-numbered balls• Mark the numbers on the card as they show the numbered ballsBelarus: Rooster FortuneIn this board game from around the world, the board is the ground and the game piece is a live rooster, (Yes, you read that correctly.) Single women in Belarus enjoy predicting who will be married in the new year. The unmarried women sometimes rely on a rooster to determine their relationship status, where the rooster feasts on a pile of corn. The rooster eats the various piles of corn, and whichever pile is eaten first will determine who will no longer be a single lady! In another game, a married woman hides a piece of bread and a ring in two different places in the house. The first unmarried woman to find the bread will marry someone rich, and whoever finds the ring will marry someone handsome.Card Games Played Around the World
Greece: Card-Playing MarathonIn Greece, the start of the year is traditionally viewed as a fortunate and successful time, where they test their luck by playing cards. If Card-Playing Marathon doesn’t give it away, these games usually are all-night affairs. They start in the early evening and last through midnight, where they play an assortment of card and dice games throughout the night and hope their luck leads them to victory. Some of the card games include:Pilotta- point-trick game (each card has a score value)
- 32-card pack
- Four players play in two teams
- Consists of 162 game points
- two-pack rummy game
- Two players, or two pairs of players
- goal: acquire at least seven cards of the same rank, or seven cards in sequence in suit
Cultural Games from Around the World
Puerto Rico: Coconut BowlingIn addition to popular board games from around the world, in Puerto Rico they have one game they play that is all their own. They use a coconut as a bowling ball and roll it through their house and then into the ocean to rid themselves of any evil spirits from the previous year. Not only does this game bring good luck, but it also can require a winner if you decide to keep track of points.Lucky Coconut Bowling- 3 to 5 players at a time
- Coconut
- Create bowling pins (3 to 12) out of empty plastic bottles
Pick Your Board Game from Around the World
Board games from around the world can inspire you to change your New Year’s traditions by trying one of these board games from around the world. If you want to start a new tradition, ring in 2019 by customizing a board game or card game with Shuffled Ink. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInkTHE EVOLUTION OF PLAYING CARDS OVER THE YEARS
Texas Hold ‘em, 5 Card Draw, 7 Card Stud, Oxford Stud – these are just a few of the different variants of poker you might encounter today. And, when it comes to playing cards, poker is just one of many card games people enjoy. Tracing back the origins of playing cards, it’s safe to say that no one could have predicted how much these games would have evolved and changed. Now, the different variants of poker alone accounts for more games than existed when cards were first conceived.
Of course, the introduction of new games is just one of the changes that have occurred over the years. In fact, playing cards themselves have evolved quite a bit since their inception. Today, let’s take a look at how things have developed.
THE ORIGINS OF THE PLAYING CARD
Some trace the origins of playing cards back to ancient China, where citizens would take slips of paper and draw domino markings on them. Having these on paper made them more affordable than traditional stone tiles and allowed more people to enjoy the game. In the grand scheme of card design, these might be considered the grandparents of playing cards.
It wasn’t until considerably later, about the 14th century to be precise, that playing cards reached Europe. And, this is where all modern card games made their start. Originally hand-painted and often gilded, each deck was uniquely designed and featured elaborate drawings. In the grand scheme, it was still a long way from modern designs. Fast forward to the Renaissance, and the suit system really started to take hold – but there was still a long way to go.
NORMALIZING PLAYING CARDS
In the 1800s, the modern playing card really began to flourish. From Hunt’s first redrawing in 1820, to Charles Goodall in 1860, the card went through variation redrawings and modernizations that closely resembled today’s modern deck designs. With standardized suits and recognizable artwork, these playing cards now had a consistent design that anyone could recognize.
THE RISE OF MODERN GAMBLING
During the early 1900s, playing cards grew in popularity. After World War II came to a close, the trend of playing cards started to grow significantly in popularity here in the United States. And, with the rise of Las Vegas and the introduction of casinos, these games continued to enjoy more widespread acceptance each decade.
Today, the standard 52 card deck has become familiar to all and the four suits are easily recognized. So much so in fact, that now things have gone another direction, with many brands designing their own unique playing cards to stand out. Whether it’s a popular TV show having a deck based on their characters or a company building a custom deck to stand out, the once standard artwork of playing cards has become more colorful once again.
UNIQUE PLAYING CARD DESIGNS
Everyone today has their own idea of what makes for the most effective marketing campaign. In reality, the most effective networking strategy is the one that really makes you stand out from the crowd. Having your own playing card designs is an affordable and effective way to make an impression on your prospects and really cement your brand in the minds of your prospects.
Standing out from the crowd can be tough, but distinguishing yourself with a unique playing card deck may be just what you need. To make your playing cards give us a call at 407-298-3579. When it comes to creating custom orders, we never fold.
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● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk
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THE HISTORY BEHIND TAROT CARDS AND HOW THEY’RE USED TODAY
Tarot | noun | tar·ot : any of a set of usually 78 playing cards including 22 pictorial cards used for fortune-telling |
For centuries, tarot cards have been used in many variations for a number of purposes, including entertainment, knowledge of the paranormal, divination and more. Here are some insider facts about the origins of tarot cards and how they’ve evolved over the years:
TAROT CARD ORIGINS
It’s believed that in the 14th century, Mamluk game cards were brought from Turkey to Western Europe, originating the use of cards designed for playful divination purposes. Later during the 1500s, Italians played a game called “tarocchi appropriati” that involved dealing out cards with thematic associations used to predict stories about each other (similar to the childhood game of “MASH”). In Italy, wealthy families hired artists to design their own unique and expensive tarot card decks, which were then called “carte da trionfi”, or “cards of triumph”.
Similar concepts of tarot cards existed in the Christian Church’s priest memo cards, gypsy cards and even old Egyptian tablets, designed with signature images from the artists on them. In many of these different packs, the images were designed to represent aspects of the real world and with each spread laid out, a new and unique story was told.
Some of the earliest decks were designed for a game like modern-day Bridge─a classic card game of strategy that requires two teams of two players. It wasn’t until the late 1700s when the very first guide to tarot reading was published by Jean-Baptise Alliette and widespread divination use began. Modern-day tarot practice came about in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, originally called “ìRota,î” which means “wheel”, relating the “wheel of life” experience provided by the deck. The best beginner deck was created in 1909 by William Rider and A.E. Waite, known as the still popular Rider-Waite deck. This deck is recommended for beginner readers because it includes a printed reading guide and specific meanings of each card.
HOW TAROT CARDS ARE USED TODAY
Today, tarot cards are used similarly, however in different variations. There are two types of readings, which include question readings and open readings. Additionally, there are many different types of tarot decks designed around themes like nature, fantasy, animals, etc. And while there isn’t a standard number of cards across all decks, all deck suits and their meanings are very similar.
The Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana are the two categories of cards in a standard tarot deck. Major Arcana are the trump cards you typically see depicted as tarot cards and each have a unique meaning. Minor Arcana are four suits of numbered cards 1–10 combined with four suits: wands, swords, cups and circles/pentacles; and four face cards: page, knight, queen and king.
The deck is shuffled and the person being read is dealt spread of cards in specific places, each card in a specific place representing an influence surrounding their life. The reader then discusses each card, how they relate to each other and the different aspects of their life. There are various spread options and ways to personalize the experience for the person being read, such as targeting certain questions about their life with a question reading or addressing monumental life moments with an open reading.
Tarot readers honor their deck as a magical tool and personalize them for their own use, a process known as keying. In a keyed deck, the elements shown on the cards are tied to the real elements in the Universe, creating the magic. With unkeyed cards, you can still lay out spreads, but they will be less accurate than with keyed cards.
Want to learn more about personalizing your own tarot card design, size and packaging? At Shuffled Ink, we offer 100% customization to suit your project’s exact specificities. Request a free quote today for more information.
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