IT'S NOT JUST A HOBBY


Monday, June 29, 2009

Papua New Guinea - Folk Dances 1986


Folk Dances:
15 Toea Maprik
35 Toea Kiriwina
45 Toea Kundiawa
70 Toea Fasu

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Saint Lucia - Tourism & Music 1986

The Culture of Saint Lucia is a nice blend of French and English heritage with that of the Africans. The enslaved African community of the Caribbean has been able to built up a rich culture that epitomizes their warmheartedness and liveliness. Numerous festivals, carnivals, music concerts and dance parties held throughout the year show the richness of the Culture of Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia was once a British Colony. Hence English is the official language of this island nation while Creole, a form of French dialect, is a secondary language. Culture and Tradition in Saint Lucia is influenced by Christianity as most of the citizens are Catholic.

Although Christians dominate the country but people of Saint Lucia respect others' religion. The Festivals in Saint Lucia are more of a social event than a religious one. Their cosmopolitan Culture of Saint Lucia has created a secular atmosphere. The cultural festivals in St Lucia include La Rose and La Marguerite. La Rose represents the Rosicrucian order while the other one is for Freemasons. Christianity being the major religion in the country Christmas inevitably is the country's biggest festival that is celebrated across the nation. During Christmas people greet each other heartily and a series of parades and cultural events and shows take place in various part of the country.

Music and dance are part and parcel of Saint Lucia's culture. The blend of European and Caribbean folk music has enriched the Culture and Traditions of Saint Lucia. Some of the popular music Festivals in Saint Lucia are Lucia Carnival Parade of the Bands and International Jazz Festivals. These festivals are held to promote the practice of music and spread the essence of Caribbean music all over the world. From western classical to various folk music genres such as calypso, zouk, soca and reggae the music played by Caribbean artists is sure to cast a spell over the audience. A vibrant folk dance form of St Lucia, Quadrille is also performed in these festivals.

The rich Cultural Heritage of Saint Lucia is manifested through these festivals and events. These festivals also serve as the platform for upcoming musicians and artiste of the country. They also create a cultural bond between people and thus carrying forward the tradition and Culture of Saint Lucia.

0.15 Cents Tourism: Chak-Chak Band

0.45 Cents Tourism: Folk Dancing

0.80 Cents Tourism: Steel Band

1.00 Dollars Tourism: Limbo Dancer

The Culture & People of St. Lucia

St. Lucia's culture has evolved from the intermingling of the many different groups of people who have participated in its history. Each has brought different beliefs and traditions, all of which are reflected in the life of the island today. A visitor is likely to drive on the British side of the road to an Indian restaurant in a French town, greeted all along the way in Creole patois.

One of the most accessible expressions of St. Lucia's rich cultural heritage is its cuisine. The fertile, volcanic soil of the island yields an enormous supply of produce, and the island is one of the leading banana exporters in the Caribbean, with six different varieties available. In addition to bananas, St. Lucia's abundant tropical fruits include mangoes, papayas, pineapples, soursops, passionfruit, guavas, and coconuts. Local chefs combine the island's fresh produce with a wide variety of equally fresh seafood to create tantalizing curries, Creole-style entrees, and pepperpot stews. Callaloo soup, made from a leafy green similar to spinach, is the national dish. The island's outstanding cuisine has recently gained international recognition by garnering several gold medals in the regions most prestigious culinary competitions.

But St. Lucia's culture extends far beyond the table, as the island has long held a reputation for its intellectual and artistic talents. St. Lucia has produced two Nobel Prizewinners: the late Sir W. Arthur Lewis, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1979, and poet Derek Walcott, who won the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature.
To understand as well as enjoy St. Lucia's culture is largely a matter of gaining some sense of the various peoples who have contributed to it. The first of these were the Arawaks and the Caribs, Amerindian peoples indigenous to the entire Caribbean. They were expert hunters, farmers, fishermen, and skilled artists. Their primary crops were cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, all of which still play a central role in the island's food. The Amerindians were decimated by the arrival of the Europeans, and only a small number of St. Lucians can still trace their roots back to this group. Some of the few particular aspects of Amerindian culture that survive include farina and cassava bread, fish-pots and other local craft items. Some villages still practice the ancient art of fishing in dug-out canoes.


The next group to arrive on the shores of the island were the Europeans, primarily the British and the French. Though the Europeans didn't settle St. Lucia in large numbers, they had an incalculable impact on the island's history and culture. The British and French influences seem to weigh equally, despite the fact that the French lost the island in 1814. To St. Lucia's complex cultural mosaic, the British contributed their language, educational system, and legal and political structure. French culture is more evident in the arts--music, dance, and Creole patois, which stands alongside the official language of English.


At the same time that the Europeans were bringing their own cultures to St. Lucia, African culture was becoming established through the arrival of slaves for European plantations and, later, indentured labourers. Their descendants constitute the largest percentage of the island's population, and their proud heritage has had an enormous impact on St. Lucia's character as a nation. African traditions have survived the repressions of slavery and servitude to become the strongest element in St. Lucian culture today.


After the abolition of slavery, East Indians came to St. Lucia as indentured servants. Most worked in the large sugar factories in the Cul-de-Sac, Roseau, and Mabouya valleys and in Vieux Fort, where there is still a significant East Indian community. In comparison to other immigrant groups, their numbers were small. Although their traditional culture has almost disappeared, the East Indians have had a notable and lasting influence on the island's fine cuisine.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Serbia - Children's Costumes, Museum Exhibit 2008


Issued : 10 November 2008
On stamp are two kind of costume: one from Sumadija Region and second from Kumodraz region

Sunday, June 21, 2009

India - Traditional Dances 1975



Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 20 October 1975
Denomination: 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.50, 2.00
Overall Size: 3.91 cm x 2.90 cm
Printing Size: 3.56 cm x 2.54 cm
Number per Issue Sheet: 35
Color: Multicolor
Perforation: 13 x 13
Watermark: Printed on Unwatermarked Adhesive Coated Paper
Printing Process: Photogravure
Number of Printing: 
0.25 = 5,000,000.-
0.50 = 3,000,000.-
0.75 = 3,000,000.-
1.00 = 2,000,000.-
1.50 = 2,000,000.-
2.00 = 2,000,000.-
Design & Printed: India Security Press

Dances of India on Stamps

India has an unparalleled antiquity of dance traditions. Each regions has evolved a distinctive style of music and dance at different levels of society. There are thus tribal, folk, village and classical dances in each region of India. The history of these dances can be traced back to the civilization of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa: their community can be observed in their rich variegated manifestations in different States of India. From amongst these innumerable dances styles have emerged siz major dance forms, which are today known as classical dances of India. These dance styles are supported by literary and sculptural evidence and their history can be reconstructed from the poetic hymns of the Vedas and lyrics of the regional languages. Most of these styles draw their textual sanction from the Natyasastra written between the 2nd century B.C and 2nd century A.D. In the course of time each of these styles followed other texts written between the 8th and 17th century A.D. All these styles, however, have a common division of dance into pure or abstract dance and mime on the one hand and Tandeva and Lasya on the other.

0.25 Rupee - Bharata Natyam
Bharata Natyam developed in South India in its present form about two hundred years ago. While its poses are reminiscent of sculpture of the 10th century A.D. onwards, the thematic and musical content was given to it by musicians of the Tanjore courts of the 18th-19th centuries. It is characterized by straight lines, diagonals, triangles which are basic motifs for executing movements, as also patterns of floor choreography.

0.50 Rupee - Odissi
Odissi is a close parallel of Bharata Natyam. It developed from musical play (sangita-nataka) and the dances of gymnasiums known as the akharas Sculptural evidence relating to the dance goes back to 2nd century B.C. From, the 12th century onwards there are inscriptions, manuscripts, and other records which speak of the prevalence of Orissi dance styles of ritual dances of temples and entertainments of the village squares.

0.75 Rupee - Kathak
Kathak from North India is the urban sophisticated style full of virtuosity and intricate craftsmanship. Commonly identified with the court traditions of the later Nawabs of Northern India, it is really an amalgam of several folk traditions; the traditional dance-drama forms prevalent in the temples of Mathura and Brindavan known as the Krishna and Radha Lilas and the sophistication of court tradition.

1.00 Rupee - Kathakali
Kathakali from Kerala is classical dance drama. It is quite different from any of the forms described above. Unlike the others, it is dramatic rather than narratives in character. Different roles are taken by different characters; the dancers are all men or were so, till recently. It takes epic mythological themes as its content and portrays them through an elaborate dramatic spectacle which is characterised by an otherworldly quality, a supernatural grandeur, a stylised over-size costume to give the impression of enlarging human proportions and a mask like make-up on the face which is governed by a complex symbolism of colour, line, and design.

1.50 Rupee - KuchipudiClosely related to Bharata Natyam is the dance style which is prevalent in Andhra Pradesh. It is sometimes called Kuchipudi, after the name of the village, or Bhama Kalapam (the story of Bhama, a consort of Khrisna). In this style there is a thin line of demarcation between dance-drama traditions of Bhama Kalapam and the solo-Kuchipudi. While the basic stance, the foot contacts and the general pattern of treating the human form is very close to Bharata Natyam, the style is freer and to that extent less austere than Bharata Natyam.
2.00 Rupee - Manipuri
Manipuri is a lyrical dance form from the eastern region of India. Although many forms of ritual, magical, community, and religious dances were known to Manipur before the advent of Vaishnava faith in the 18th century, the dances today known as Manipuri and specially its Rasa evolved as a result of the interaction of the Vaishnava cult and the several highly developed forms of ritual and religious dances which were prevalent in the area from times, immemorial.



Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Kazakhstan - Folk Costumes 2007


Issue on 28 December 2007

Series “People inhabiting the Republic of Kazakhstan”
Primary Theme: Mankind ( Clothes & Costumes)
Subject: Peoples of Kazakhstan - Uigurs & Tatars
(two stamped postage block).
Offset printing in five colors, perforation frame.
Layout/ Format: Miniature Sheet of 2 of 2 designs
Block size: 110 х 96 mm,
Stamp size: 27,5 х 33 mm.
Perforations: 11.50 x 11.50
Denomination: 105 Kazakhstan Tenge
Quantity: 100 000 pcs.
Painter: Danyar Mukhamedjanov.
Blocks imprinted by Beijing Postage Stamps Printing House (China)
Stamp Issuing Authority: Kazpost

"People inhabiting the Republic of Kazakhstan”. Uighurs.

“People inhabiting the Republic of Kazakhstan”. Tatars.


Kazakhstan - Folk Costumes 2004


12 May 2004

Series “People inhabiting the Republic of Kazakhstan
Primary Theme: Geography & Meteorology Mankind
Subject: Popular Clothing - Inhabitants of the Republic of Uzbekhistan - Ouzbeks & Germans
(two stamped postage block).

Offset printing in four colors, embossing with golden foil, glazing, perforation frame.
Layout:/ Format: Miniature Sheet of 2 of 2 designs
Block size 110,0 х 96,0 mm
Stamp size 27,5 х 33,0 mm.
Perforations: 11.70 x 11.50
Denomination: 65.00 Kazakhstan Tenge
Painter D. Mukhamedjanov.
Blocks imprinted by Beijing Postage Stamps Printing House (China).
Stamp Issuing Authority: Kazpost

Uzbeks. Quantity 50 000 pcs.

German. Quantity 50 000 pcs

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Romania - Folk Costumes 1968


Folk Costumes:

Issue date: 28 December 1968
Perforation: 12: 12 1/2
Design: Aida Tasgian-Constantinescu

5 Bani Neamt issued 2,000,000
40 Bani Neamt issued 2,000,000
55 Bani Hunedoara issued 2,000,000
1 Lei Hunedoara issued 1,500,000
1.60 Lei Brasov issued 1,500,000 (c over vertical line in frame)
2.40 Lei Brasov issued 300,000 (flower in hat yellow instead of red (r1,c))

Romania - Folk Costumes 1969


Folk Costumes:

Issue date: 15 February 1969
Perforation: 12: 12 1/2
Design: Aida Tasgian-Constantinescu


5 Bani Dolj issued 2,500,000 (green dot over M in roMana)
40 Bani Dolj
issued 2,500,000
55 Bani Arges issued 2,500,000
1 Lei Arges issued 1,500,000
1.60 Lei Timisoara issued 1,500,000
2.40 Lei Timisoara issued 300,000