Their roots trace back to an ancient Chinese game.
The history of playing cards begins in the 9th century, when the first mentions of such a game were recorded in China. At this time, the Chinese began using separate sheets of paper for books instead of long scrolls, and their playing cards also consisted of paper rectangles.
The deck consisted of cards of four suits: coins, strings of coins (in Ancient China, coins were carried on a string), myriads (which meant 10,000 coins), and tens of myriads.
The game reached Europe around the middle of the 14th century, likely through Egypt. The card suits already bore resemblance to modern ones, although their names and images varied depending on the country.
In Germany, for example, the suits of hearts, bells (jingles), acorns, and leaves became established, while in Italy—cups, coins, wands, and sabers. The suits of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades that are common in Russia first appeared in France. There was a version that they allegorically reflected the estates of medieval society—the clergy, merchants, nobility, and peasants; however, there is no exact historical evidence for this. It is also discussed that the 'French' card suits may be blasphemous symbols of Christ's crucifixion.
