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New Year’s letters: a Flemish tradition full of memory and family

Did you know that the ritual in which children recite a New Year’s letter is a Flemish custom and tradition ?

Even in the Netherlands it has fallen into disuse.

Nowhere else are writing, reciting, family and emotion so strongly intertwined as in our tradition of having children read their New Year’s letter on New Year’s Day.

Its evolution

The custom originated in the sixteenth century as a language exercise within the wealthy bourgeoisie (such as the Moretus printing family in Antwerp).

In the eighteenth century it found its way into education. After education became compulsory in 1914, it spread fully through the school system.

From then on, the New Year’s letter became a tradition for all layers of the population.

Initially, they were solemn texts, full of difficult words and long sentences. Children wrote expressions of thanks, promises and wishes in a language that belonged often more to adults than to themselves.

Flawless calligraphy was at least as important as the content.

That was still the case in the sixties, by the way. We had to practice the text for the New Year’s letter quite a few times. Then we were finally allowed to copy it on the beautiful letter, ‘for real’.

I’m still glad I learned calligraphy once. Nowadays I use it to write quotes or small illustrations myself. Who would have thought that such a simple school thing could later give such a creative twist?

After the Second World War, the language became simpler, the sentences shorter and the rhyme more playful.

The New Year’s letter moved closer to the child’s world. The form also changed. Religious images gave way to winter scenes. Illustrations became more child-friendly.

Today, the New Year’s letter comes in many forms, from classic paper to creative alternatives, but the message has remained the same.

New Year’s letters then and now

Nowadays it is no longer the children but the grandchildren who recite their New Year’s letter for us. That was the case today.

Two did it with verve, pride and out loud. The third cringed a bit shyly when she noticed that all eyes were on her. The smallest is still too small to read a New Year’s letter, but she watched attentively.

It was cute. And above all: familiar.

As children, we had to recite our New Year’s letter for parents and grandparents. We carefully studied the words. Sometimes we didn’t fully understand them. Yet we felt that the grown-ups thought they were important.

This was invariably followed by a warm hug and an envelope with something in it.

And as it goes with memories: they bring more than just the moment itself.

I see a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in my grandparents’ living room again. A festively set table. Grandma’s old crockery, which only came out of the closet on special occasions.

And I smell the food that was simmering on the stove in large iron bowls. Rabbit with croquettes and plums. A smell that stays with me, even though I haven’t eaten rabbit in a long time.

The New Year’s letters go into my memory book. As a memory for later.

New Year’s letters are not grand events. But they give children a voice and adults a moment of attentive listening.

They are anchor points in a world that is changing faster and faster.

One of my sons-in-law remarked today: “that we don’t think enough about those moments”. Moments like this morning, all together around the table, at ease, peacefully united.

Not every child, nor every adult, feels at home in such texts. Fortunately, you don’t have to.

A New Year’s letter today can be personal, playful, simple or even a little clumsy. That is precisely where the authenticity lies.

Need inspiration? Then these resources can help:

• Pinterest New Year Letters: Both general collections and personal boards full of creative ideas.
• Nieuwjaarswensen.be: Inspiration for Christmas and New Year’s wishes, also towards 2026.
• Wensgedicht.nl: Classic and modern wishes and poems.
• Nieuwjaarsbrieven.be: A wide selection of contemporary texts, rhyming and non-rhyming.
• You might even want to make a watercolor as a New Year’s letter!

Use them as a starting point, and then make something personal out of it.

Some traditions are rapidly disappearing. Others change form, but not meaning. The New Year’s letter belongs to the latter type.

A small ritual. With a large memory.

And perhaps that is the best thing we can pass on. Meaningful rituals.

You can find more of these stories on my site under my stories.

Emma