Major Arcana

The Major Arcana or trumps are a suit of twenty-two cards in the Tarot deck (first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi). They serve as a permanent trump suit in games played with the Tarot deck, and are distinguished from the four standard suits collectively known as the Minor Arcana. The terms "Major" and "Minor Arcana" are used in the occult and divinatory applications of the deck, and originate with Paul Christian. Each Major Arcanum depicts a scene, mostly featuring a person or several people, with many symbolic elements.

In many decks, each has a number (usually in Roman numerals) and a name, though not all decks have both, and some have only a picture. The images on the Major Arcana are often very heavy with symbolism, with far more to the illustration than a mere depiction of the card title. The Major Arcana are usually regarded as relating to matters of higher purpose or deep significance, as opposed to the Minor Arcana which relate to the everyday world and matters of immediate significance.

From the mid 15th century, Tarots were used in various parts of Europe to play card games but from the late 18th century, until the present time, the tarots have also found use by mystics and occultists in efforts at divination or as a map of mental and spiritual pathways. Modern tarot designs began from about the 1960's and there have been well over 2000 tarots decks published in the last fifty years.

Source: Wikipedia