Monday, May 18, 2020

Israel 1971 - Israel Theater


Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 16 February 1971
Method of Printing: Photogravure
Perforation: 14 x 13.25

0.50 Israeli Shekel - The Israel National Opera - Samson and Delilah
0.50 Israeli Shekel - 25th Anniversary of The Cameri Theatre - Inn of the Ghosts
0.50 Israeli Shekel - Inbal Dance Theatre - A Psalm of David

Greece 1979 - EUROPA, Post and Telecommunication


Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 12 May 1979
Size: 24 mm x 40 mm
Printed: ASPIOTI-ELKA Graphic Arts Ltd
Designer: P. Gravalos, B.Constantinea
Printing Method: Multi Coloured Offset

The set will include two stamps, linked together and depicting postmen of the Post Office in Crete, from an old post card.

4 Drachmae - Postman of foot and on bicycle (1,000,000 pieces)
7 Drachmae - Mounted postman in rural area (1,000,000 pieces)

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Armenia 1998 - EUROPA, National Holidays


Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 24 July 1998
Design: R. Gevondyan 
Perforation: 14¾ x 14

170 Armenian Dram:
Trndez is a big deal in Armenia—such a big deal, in fact, that HayPost, the country’s official national postal operator, issued commemorative postage stamps back in 1998, dedicated to the centuries-old tradition. The stamp features a newlywed couple hurdling over the Trndez flame, while a band plays traditional Armenian musical instruments, including the Zurna (wind instrument) and the Dhol (double-headed drum) in front of an ancient Armenian cathedral.

250 Armenian Dram:
The Feast of the Ascension is one of the ecumenical feasts (universally celebrated) of Christian churches. In the Armenian Apostolic Church it is also known as the Feast of Holy Ascension or Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ascension Day marks the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the fortieth day after his resurrection. The timing is clearly stated in the Acts of the Apostles, therefore every Christian church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension 39 days after Easter.

Despite being part of Oriental Orthodoxy, the Armenian Apostolic Church uses the Gregorian calendar rather then Julian. That is why Ascension Day in Armenia falls on the same day as the Feast of Ascension in Western Christian churches.

In the Armenian Church, there is another reason to commemorate Ascension Day. On this date in 1441, the throne of the Catholicos of All Armenians was returned to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in the city of Vagharshapat after a thousand years of being settled in various cities throughout the country.

Faroe Islands 1998 - EUROPA, National Holidays



Date of Issue: 18 May 1998

On 29th July every year the Faroese celebrate their national festival. It is a thousand-year-old tradition, which is actually a combination of politics and Christianity, an expression of a Christian political culture in this archipelago in the North Atlantic.

The Faroese are the only Nordic people to choose Saint Olav's mass as a national holiday and not only for religious reasons, but also political ones. Olav the Holy was a Norwegian king, not a Faroese one, yet a Faroese saint. On the anniversary of his death at the battle of Stiklestad on 29th July 1030 the Faroese express the essence of their nationality.

The Faroese call their national festival Ólavsvøka, which is the Faroese form of the Latin 'vigilia sancti Olavi'. In Danish this annual festival is called Olai-festen. Olav the saint king has always had a central place in Faroese religious and political tradition and culture.
On this day the Faroe Island's thousand-year-old parliament, Lagtinget, opens in the capital, Tórshavn. The members of Lagstinget, members of the Faroese Home Rule, the bishop and all the clergymen of the country and the highest officials walk in procession from the parliament building, Lagtingshuset, to the cathedral, and, after a special Olai service, back to Lagtingshuset, where the Speaker, the lagmand, holds the opening speech.
In olden days Lagtinget was both a legislative institution and a court of law with 36 and later 48 members. The lagmand was the chairman and the chief judge. The records of Lagtinget, in which the decisions and judgments of the court were written down, have been preserved since 1615 and are kept in the national archives in Tórshavn.

In former times the court was held on the flat rock in Tinganes. It was necessary for the lagmand to keep track of the time, because it was written in the old laws that the court had to be convened when the sun was in the east and that the court had to be in session until three o'clock. On the rock you can still see the sun dials which were carved into it.
The worsening of the climate in the 16th century made it necessary to hold the court indoors. A national court house in Tinganes, Tinghuset, is mentioned in the old protocols of Lagtinget. In 1773 the lower part of Tinganes burned down, and with it the court house. Later a new court house was built closer to the present town.

But in 1816 the old Faroese Lagting was abolished by royal decree and with it also the post of lagmand. After that there was no Faroese authority on the Faroe Islands. The country was placed under direct Danish rule.

When the Faroe Islands' Lagting was re-established in 1852 it was in a completely different form. It was to be an advisory body to the Danish authorities for the administration of the Faroe Islands. It was in this connection that the present Lagtingshus was built in 1856, then outside the town. With the Home Rule Act of 1948 Lagtinget received greater authority.
There have always been ceremonies in connection with the assembly of Lagtinget on Olai day. It is known from ancient sources that may people came to Tórshavn to witness the event. That was the beginning of Ólavsvøka as a national festival. The first church was built in Tórshavn in 1609. In 1733 the dean, Lucas Debes, wrote that every court day began with a service in Tórshavn church.

Today the Lagting procession is an integral part of the Olai festivities. It reflects the old connection between the court and church.

And the many people who watch the procession of Lagting members, clergy and officials from Lagtingshuset to the cathedral and back again expect to see this event as a natural part of the national festivity.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Gibraltar 1998 - Europa, National Days (National Costumes)



Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 22 May 1998
Stamp Size: 30 mm x 40 mm
Stamp Values: 26p, 26p, 38p, 38p
Illustration / Photography: GPBL
Printer: Cartor security printers
Process: Offset Lithography
Colours: Multicoloured
Design: Stephen Perera

The theme elected by Post Europ for 1998 was National Days (National Costumes)

The set of 4 stamps depicti the Gibraltar national costume as worn by Miss Gibraltar at the Miss World contest every year.

Europa stamps have been issued annually since 1956. First sets representing the founding 6 members of the ECSC, European Coal and Steel Community, then by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) in 1959, (first stamps issued in 1960) and by PostEurop since 1993. Initially in 1956 a total of 13 stamps were issued with a common design from 6 different countries. A common theme of Peace and Welfare through agriculture and industry was used for 1957. The common design reappeared in 1958 and continued until 1973. From 1974 the designs reflect a common theme.

The common design idea replaced the common theme in 1984, which was the CEPT 25th Anniversary (1959-84) and shows a symbolic bridge, said to represent Liaison, Exchange and Communication. With the split of posts and telecoms providers in most countries, CEPT is no longer responsible, but the postal authorities under the guidance of PostEurop continue the Europa tradition. From 1993 all the stamps have "Europa" inserted into the design in small print. (Source Wikipedia)

German Democratic Republic 1978 - Circus


Date of Issue: 26 September 1978

German Democratic Republic, DDR 1982 - Sorbian Folktales


Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 06 July 1982
Perforation: 13 x 12½
Circulation: 3,600,000
Design: Scheuner
Printing Process: Offset Printing

10 Pfennig - "Ptaškowa Swajźba" - Birds' Wedding
The Birds’ Wedding is a custom that has its roots in the pre-Christian era where people sacrificed food to ancestors' ghosts. They expected to get favour and sympathy from the gods of nature.

In the course of time the sacrificial offerings to the ancestors altered into gift-giving to the children due to decreasing belief in ghosts' potency.

Nowadays the Birds' Wedding is celebrated by children on January 25. The reasons for this date are observations from the flora and fauna. Around about this time several bird species begin to nest and lay eggs. It is the time for people awaiting the awakening spring.

It is said the Lusatian Birds' Wedding comes from the Upper Sorbian language region in which this custom is widely spread in families.

In Lower Lusatia it is celebrated in kindergardens and schools where the children feed the birds during winter. In return for this service they can join in their wedding. That is why they put plates and bowls on the ledge. They get a piece of pastry shaped as a magpie (Sorbian: sroka)

In kindergardens the wedding is celebrated with the magpie as the bride and the raven as the groom (Sorbian: wron). The bridal couple is dressed festively, in most cases with Lower Sorbian costumes while the other children are masqueraded as birds. There is even a song about it which each child is learning in the kindergarden. On this day it is sung, of course.

In contrast, adults prefer folksy evenings with a Birds' Wedding programme executed by the Sorbian National Ensemble.

20 Pfennig - Zampern
Traditions and customs constitute moments of culmination and consciousness within the Sorbian (Wendish) culture, yet there is much more to it. The most widely celebrated customs in Lower Lusatia include Shrovetide with its accompanying activity of "Zampern" - groups in fancy dress and more or less traditional masks going from door to door, making music and noise and asking for donations of food and drink -, the Easter fire, the setting up of the Maypole and the harvest custom of cock plucking. These customs closely follow the natural cycle and, true to their pagan origins, are intended to, for example, drive the winter out or promote fertility.

The Sorbian carnival is one of the main festivals in the Lausitz region. The long winter is bidden farewell and evil spirits and demons driven away. One important element of the Sorbian carnival is the so-called custom of Zampern: costumed Zamper people go through the village accompanied by a band with pannier, basket and cashbox. The village residents offer them bacon, eggs, money and brandy. The Zapust is crowned by the traditional carnival dance and the eating of pancakes.

The numerous Easter customs in the region can also be traced back to the Sorbs. They include egg-rolling, fetching Easter water and the widespread tradition of the Easter fire. Easter riding is also celebrated in the Oberlausitz region, particularly among Catholic Sorbs.


25 Pfennig - Waleien
A well known game played by children as well as by adults is "Waleien". Most likely it has ist origins in an ancient magic spell for fertility was supposed to support the growth of fresh grass. Rolling eggs over fields and grass was supposed to have a positive influence on the growth. People dug holes, called "walka", into the ground everywhere on the courts. On Easter Sunday the children went with their beautiful adorned eggs to these places for playing "Waleien". The game is working as follows: An egg was placed at the deepest point of the hole. All players then try to hit this egg with one of theirs. In case of being successful the player was allowed to keep both eggs. Otherwise both eggs stay in the "walka". Often it happened that children lost all eggs. Then coins or buttons were used instead.

Up to the 1960s you could have seen people playing this game in Lower Lusatia but now it is very rare to find someone still practising this custom. Exceptions can be found at a few kindergardens and the Niedersorbisches Gymnasium (Lower Lusatian Grammar School) as well as in a few villages.

The "Eierspecken" or "Eierpicken" has also disappeared. In this very popular game both players had to knock the ends of two eggs together. The owner of the egg which is left intact won the other player's egg.


35 Pfennig - Painting Easter Eggs
On Easter, a Wendish or Sorbian godchild will visit his/her godparents, and receive a gift of a few beautifully painted eggs, some sweet bread, and maybe some money. The children would then take their colored eggs and play a game called Waleien with them, where they are rolled down a slope in a sort of competition. This happens every year until their confirmation, when the child gives a gift to the godparents.

You will recognize Sorbian Easter Eggs by their bright colors and beautiful symmetrical patterns. (Red is the color of love and friendship) Symbols like the Trinity, the Tree of Life and Easter symbols are also quite common. Bees symbolized industriousness, flowers for fertility. Originally, all dyes were natural, today, a little chemical help is also used.


40 Pfennig - Jańske Rejtowanje
The time around Midsummer’s Night is the nature's most powerful period. This is reflected on St. John's Day celebrations on June 24 showing. According to an old belief this day would be the most miraculous of the year. The people believed that curativeness would be caused especially by the Midsummer Night.

Nowadays you can see the "Jańske rejtowanje", a riding procession, only in Casel, a small village near Drebkau. In the middle of the 19th century it was still celebrated in several villages of Lower Lusatia. But not only the locations but also the responsible persons have changed. In former days the village's youth did the job but now it is planned and organised by a special traditions club.

The central figure is "Johann" or "Jan", a man in a fancy dress, personifying the spirit of growth and fruitfulness. You can see that since he is fully covered with flowers and greens, also wearing a crown on his head. This festivity requires substantial efforts to prepare it. Thousands of cornflowers have to be collected in order to make Jan's odd-looking costume. Already on the day before, each girl collects masses of flowers and then plaits wreaths and tendrils some metres long. The young men have to supply water lilies at the crack of dawn in order to complete Jan's crown which is already composed of roses and Carthusian Pinks. The flowers stand for people's vitality and lea's fruitfulness. Cornflowers are also used as medicinal herbs. Water lilies and reeds are signs of the vitally important water.

On the festival's forenoon the maidens begin to dress Jan. Cornflower tendrils are sewn on the garment from the neck down to the knees. Completely decorated, Jan rides from the restaurant to the festival place, accompanied by the village's fellows and a brass band. The riding procession is led by the maidens marching ahead in their white frocks trimmed with blue and red stripes. They take along a second crown which is to present Jan at evening's honouring dance. Having arrived at the festivity area, Jan and his whole attendance ride some rounds through the crowd. Now the companions have a hard job: They have to protect Jan against people making attempts to pull him down the horse in order to loot his flower decoration.


50 Pfennig - The "Bescherkind"
On Wednesday before Christmas, at the last spinning room event of the year, the girls of the village meet to dress the oldest one among them as a "Bescherkind". This Christmas tradition that has only survived in Jänschwalde. The costume's particularly elaborate head decoration is adorn with marriage garlands and three bridesmaid chaplets. To keep the Bescherkind's identity secret, she is covered with netting, ribbons and pearl strings. Two women accompany the "Bescherkind" and a small bell is rung when she arrives. Wrapped up and unable to speak, she gives sweets to the children. The parents and grandparents are touched with a rod to wish them health and good fortune.

The "Bescherkind" can often be seen in the Wendish House, in kindergardens or in schools, especially when Christmas festivities are celebrated for the children.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Uruguay 2020 - MERCOSUR - Moda


Technical Details:
Date of Issue: 13 May 2020
Series: “MERCOSUR-Moda” 

Size of Stamps: 30mm x 42mm 
Print Run: 15,000 (Consisting of 2 stamps)
Value: $ 95 (a stamp of $ 25 and another of $ 70, Uruguayan Pesos)
Sheets: Made up of 24 stamps
Graphic Design: Alvaro Rodríguez
Designs: Fashion Designers Gustavo Guigou / Gustavo García
Photos: Parallada / Pazos-Landarín
Models: Florencia Alba/ Sharif Dogliotti
Printing: Sanfer S.R.L.