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Loving Snowdrop Greetings

by Charlotte S. H. Jensen

The letter enclosing a snowdrop, the receiver being asked to guess who the sender is, is a tradition which is only known in Denmark, but it has counterparts in several other countries. The tradition developed during the 19th century as a trick people would play on each other when one of the first signs of spring, the snowdrop, appeared. Eventually, it became more common to send such snowdrop letters, ingeniously cut out and always containing a snowdrop.


Like today, the recipient of the special snowdrop letters was supposed to guess the identity of the sender and became the dupe of the person in question for the next year if unsuccessful. To be duped usually meant that you had to pay a quid pro quo of some sort. An Easter egg of sugar or chocolate, perhaps a kiss or a theatre ticket were often the "payment" in the towns. The anonymous writer belonged to the urban culture. In the country most snowdrop letters were signed and contained no riddle.

" I send you a gift
Three flowers from my garden
The first one means a true lover for you
The second that you must always be true
The third a golden ring you may
wear proudly on your wedding day"

The second half of the 19th century was the palmy days of the snowdrop letters. A large offering of commercially manufactured Valentine verses prevailed. A busy publisher was the king of broadsheet ballads Julius Strandberg of Holmensgade, Copenhagen, who issued a new collection of snowdrop letter verses every year. Most of them were about marriage proposals. A booklet of verses would cost about 20 ore and contain even verses of reply and "directions for use". Strandberg was used to write for newspapers so his verses also often described well-known persons or important events such as when champion wrestler Magnus Bech-Olsen flattened a good-sized Turkish opponent in1899:

"You think you’re strong and that you can
outdistance any other man
and that Bech-Olsen you outdo.
But Peter, that’s not really true.
You may believe that with a jerk
you just like him can bash the Turk
and be a worldwide wrestling scoop.
Forsooth! You’re nothing, but a dupe"

Creative people decorated their own snowdrop letters, e.g. by cutting a lace border or pricking a pattern with a needle. But you could also buy special white and blue letter paper with a romantic lace border and small pictures to stick on.

The "snowdrop industry" ebbed away after World War I. Although it is still possible to buy ready-made verses on paper with an imprinted "clipping pattern", the tradition is today children’s culture. The romantic motive of the snowdrop tradition has disappeared, but on the other hand the demand for chocolate Easter eggs remains strong!

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