Åland - Sepac 2023

Åland - Sepac

Date of Issue: 27th July 2023

one stamp (Lokalpost value)

Bulgaria 2022

Bulgaria

Date of Issue: 7th December 2022

two stamps (1.25 & 2.70 BGN) and one souvenir sheet (1.25 & 2.70 BGN)

 both stamps are issued in mini sheet of 8 stamps

both stamps are issued in a booklet of 2 panes (2x 4 unperforated stamps)

a postal stationery is also issued (0.75 BGN)

Khan Asparuh, the first Bulgarian king, had a sister called Huba. She was held captive in another kingdom. Asparuh sent a message to his sister that he had found a land where they could settle down south of the Danube River, a place that nowadays is Bulgaria.

When Huba got the good news from her brother, she managed to escape from captivity and run away. She rode on horseback without stopping until she reached the Danube River. She looked for some way to cross the mighty river but couldn’t find a ford to pass across. So then she tied a thread of white yarn to one of the legs of a falcon sent by her brother and let him fly up into the air, holding the other end of the thin thread in her hands.

The falcon flew away to find a ford for passage across the river and just then, when he found a place, an arrow shot by an enemy pierced the falcon, and he fell to the ground dead. The yarn became red from his blood. Huba followed the thread she was holding and so she found the way to cross the great river and reach the country where her brother Asparuh had made his new home. Then they lived free and happy in the new land they called Bulgaria.

That day was March 1st, the new year in the tradition of those times. They called the white and red threads of yarn after the name of the month March, and named it ‘Martenitsa.’

The Martenitsa became a symbol of peace and love, health and happiness. The white color symbolizes purity and honesty in relationships, and the red color means life, passion, and cordiality in friendship and mutual love. Source : Europe's not dead

 

Belgium 2023

Belgium

Date of Issue: 12th June 2023

one stamp (Europe 1st class value)

This stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 5 stamps

Ukraine 2022

Ukraine

Date of Issue: 22nd November 2022

two stamps (2x A value = 1.- USD)

 both stamps are issued in a mini sheet of 6 stamps

 

Svarog – God is the creator of the Universe - Svarog is a Slavic god of fire and blacksmithing, who was once interpreted as a sky god on the basis of an etymology rejected by modern scholarship. He is mentioned in only one source, the Primary Chronicle, which is problematic in interpretation. He is presented there as the Slavic equivalent of the Greek god Hephaestus. The meaning of his name is associated with fire. Source Wikipedia

Lada – Goddess of motherhood - Lada was first mentioned around 1405-1412 in the sermons of Lucas of Wielki Koźmin, which warned against worshipping Lada and other gods during spring ceremonies and folk performances. They owe their popularity to Długosz, who in one of his sources recognized Lada as a goddess and in another as a god of war, the Polish equivalent of the Roman god Mars, to Aleksandr Faminstyn, who recognized the word Lada in Russian songs as the goddess of marriage, and to scholar Boris Rybakov, who insisted on recognizing her historicity. However, the vast majority of religious scholars and Slavists reject the historicity of these deities, believing that they owe their divine status to a misunderstanding of the song refrains by medieval scribes. Source Wikipedia

 

Åland 2023

Åland

Date of Issue: 9th May 2023

two stamps (2x Europa value = 2x 2.40 €)

Italy 2022

Italy

Date of Issue: 25th October 2022

two stamps (B50g & B zona 3 values = 2.70 & 3.10 €) - NOTE both stamps are self-adhesive

 

Colapesce - Colapesce holding up one of the three columns on which Sicily rests, consumed by the fire of Mount Etna, to prevent the island from sinking.

In a version from Palermo, edited by Italo Calvino, Colapesce spends all of his time swimming, until his frustrated mother curses him to turn into a fish. He instantly becomes half fish, with duck feet and a frog's throat. He appears to fishermen and warns them of upcoming storms, and also informs them of the marvels found at the bottom of the sea. A king hears of him and summons him, then gives him orders to swim around the island and explore the bottom of the ocean. The king sends him down on numerous dives around Italy. Nick Fish discovers that Messina rests on three columns, some of which are broken, and brings back hot and fresh water from springs in the ocean around Naples. Finally the king urges Nick Fish to explore a bottomless ocean chasm, despite his resistance. He throws his crown into the chasm and orders him to fetch it. Nick Fish reluctantly dives in. Some lentils he was carrying float to the surface, but he but never returns. Source Wikipedia

Romeo and Juliet - Grieving Juliet in the presence of lifeless Romeo.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young Italian star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families.
The play is set in the Italian city of Verona.

Finland 2023

Finland

Date of Issue: 9th May 2023

one stamp (national value = 2.30 €) - NOTE this tamp is self-adhesive

this stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 10 stamp 

 

Europa 2023 - Common design competition

Europe


PostEurop announced during their General Assembly in Dublin on 5 October 2022 the common design who will be used on all 2023 Europa stamps on the theme 

“PEACE – the highest value of humanity”

29 entries were submitted for the design competition, 44 postal companies participating in the voting. 

The winning motif is the one submitted by Luxembourg : “The New Peace Symbol”.

Designers : Linda Bos and Runa Egilsdottir from A Designers' Collective.

PostEurop writes in their press release this about the story of the design: 

The world needs a new Peace symbol, uniting all nations. Cultural differences perchance a barrier for a state of Peace. If only mankind could respect each other's differences by understanding their significance and responding to them with consideration, the world would be a better place. This design shows a visual metaphor for a peacefully integrated, cooperative society in which people embrace each other’s culture. It was inspired by the Celtic Love Knot symbol, with interlocking hearts. The colour palette illustrates all the nations in the world. By adding hands with intertwined fingers, it conveys the message of mutual respect.

I find this logo not very original. You can see a quite similar design already used on the UPU 2016 World Post Day campaign. The design was made by Swiss designers Büro Sequenz. The meaning of this one was explained like this :

The emblem's design represents the two remaining pillars, integration and inclusion. The crisscrossed arms and layered colours act to show the integration of knowledge and processes, enabling seamless and affordable services for all. The intertwined design was inspired by the Celtic knot, which itself has Persian roots. Finally, the clasped hands represent how the Post connects and includes people around the world.

 

On this date, we know only one design proposed by another country in this selection. The design of Ukraine, more about in this post.

Best Europa stamp 2022

Luxembourg

The 2022 Best Europa stamp has been announced by PostEurop in this press release.

Luxembourg (stamp 2/2) is the winner of the 2022 Best Europa stamp contest organized by PostEurop. Finland (stamp 1/2) finished second and Liechtenstein (stamp 2/2) is third.

1. LUXEMBOURG
2. FINLAND
3. LIECHTENSTEIN

As written earlier on this blog, PostEurop changed the rules for this contest. 3 voting panels (public, jury and operators) are selecting the best Europa stamp. The results of these three panels are compiled and gives an overall winner.

Luxembourg wins the overall contest in a deserved way by winning 2 of the 3 voting panels :

Public voting :

1. Finland
2. Georgia
3. Turkey

Jury voting :

1. Luxembourg
2. Liechtenstein
3. Switzerland

Postal operators voting :

1. Luxembourg
2. Finland
3. Åland

Consolidated result of all three panels - top 10 :

1. Luxembourg
2. Finland
3. Liechtenstein
4. Croatia
= Georgia
= Åland
7. Azerbaijan
= Germany
9. Switzerland
= Turkey

Note that Belarus and Russia were excluded of this contest due to their aggression of Ukraine.
Armenia withdrew for "technical" reasons.

Kazakhstan 2022

Kazakhstan

Date of Issue: 28th September 2022

 2 stamps (2x 2000.- KZT)

both stamps are issued in a souvenir-sheet of 4 stamps (2 of each)

Bayterek and Samruk : Ancient Turkic myth a tree of life "Bayterek" and a sacred bird "Samruk". Bayterek in Kazakh means "High poplar tree", every year the Samruk, lays its egg (the Sun) in the crevice between the branches of the poplar tree.

Malta - Sepac 2022

Malta - Sepac

Date of Issue: 13th September 2022

one stamp (0.37 €) out of a set of four stamps (only this stamp is bearing the official Sepac logo).

this stamp is issued in a mini sheet of 10 stamps

Sepac 2022

Europe - Sepac

Sepac 2022
"Local beverages"

16.05.2022 Faroe Is. - 1 stamp (29.- DKK)
24.05.2022 Jersey - 1 stamp (0.91 GB) out of set of 6 stamps
31.05.2022 Greenland - 1 stamp (20.- DKK)

07.06.2022 Liechtenstein - 1 stamp (1.80 CHF)
14.06.2022 Monaco - 1 stamp (1.65 €)
22.06.2022 Guernsey - 1 stamp (1.10 GBP) out of a set of 4 stamps

06.09.2022 Åland - 1 stamp (1.90 €)
13.09.2022 Luxembourg - 1 stamp (E50g value)
13.09.2022 Malta  - 1 stamp (0.37 €) out of a set of 4 stamps

no issue Gibraltar
no issue Isle of Man
no issue Vatican

Ireland 2022

Ireland

Date of Issue: 8th September 2022

two stamps (N & W values = 1.25 & 2.20 €)

According to the Irish folklore tales, Balor caused great pain and anguish to the Tuatha Dé Dannan, the other supernatural race in Irish folklore.

The legend centres on Balor having an eye that, when unleashed, could cause instant death or poisoning.

Balor’s Poisoned Eye is the main focus of one stamp. The second stamp relates to the legend that claimed Balor had only to look on the landscape to cause damage, such as in the Poisoned Glen in County Donegal.

In both cases, contemporary colours are used to create the impression of poison almost leaping off the stamp. 

Isle of Man 2022

Isle of Man

Date of Issue: 12th September 2022

one stamp (1.04 GBP) out of a set of eight [!] stamps (only this stamp is bearing the official Europa logo)

 

this stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 9 stamps

but this stamp is alos issued in a sheet of 9 stamps + 1 vignette (this sheet is also issued imperforated)

this stamps is also issued in a "mini-book" with 4 panes of 4 stamps (2x the Europa value)

David Bowie starring as Jareth the Goblin King in Jim Henson's film Labyrinth which ties into the wider 2022 PostEurop theme of Myths and Legends

 

 

Special 2022 Europa folder issued by 6 countries

Europe


6 countries - Austria - Germany - Liechtenstein - Luxembourg - the Netherlands and Switzerland - issued a common "Multilaterale" folder containing this year's Europa stamps from the six countries (10 stamps in total).

This folder can be ordered by any of the 6 postal administrations.

It is the 7th issue of this kind after :  2013 (theme - "The postman van") ; 2016 (theme - "Ecology in Europe - Think Green" ; 2017 (theme - Castles) ; 2018 (theme - Bridges) ; 2019 (theme - National birds) ; 2020 (theme - Ancient postal routes) and 2021 (theme - Endangered national wildlife)

Sepac folder 2022

Europe - Sepac

"Local beverages 13", this special folder contains the 9 Sepac stamps issued in 2022.

This folder will be on sale by any of the Sepac countries philatelic offices !