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Can you guess a country by its playing cards?
The most interesting card patterns are in China, Japan, India, Germany, Spain and England. The cards there are so different, they are easily recognized.

National Patterns in Cards

For centuries, card games have been a popular way for passing time in almost all countries in the world. Each country has a unique history and a number of unique varieties of card decks. Every country also has its own special card game, many of which have become popular in other countries too.

There are interesting differences between the card decks found in the western and the Eastern countries. Some decks have numbers, some have only illustrations and some do not even have any suits at all.

China

China is believed to be the first place where playing cards were first made and played with. Read on to know more about the history of playing cards in China and about the earliest Chinese decks.

India

India has had a long history of various board games and innovative pastimes in the earlier centuries like the famous Ashtapada which was played in the country in the 5th century. However, card games were only introduced to India in the 16th century by the Moghul kings from Central Asia that were fond of the game Ganjifa.

Spain

Spain played an important role in the history of playing cards and decks in Latin America as well as in Europe. Read on to know more on how modern day playing cards and decks evolved in Spain over the years.

Japan

It is believed that playing cards were first introduced in Japan in the 16th century when the Portuguese traders first came to the country. Read on to know more about the history of playing cards in Japan and about the various types of decks that are used in the country.

Germany

Germany has been known for their excellent quality of playing cards since for centuries. The country is also known for its variety of decks that have been used in different regions. Since the earliest centuries, card packs in Germany were made with of different types of suit symbols and it was only later in the 17th century that the French designs were adopted.

England

Evidences suggest that card games and decks first evolved in England around the 15th century and have been popular ever since. Read on to know more about the earliest cards in England.