Belgium
Date of Issue: 12th June 2023
one stamp (Europe 1st class value)
This stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 5 stamps
Belgium
Date of Issue: 12th June 2023
one stamp (Europe 1st class value)
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
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.
this stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 10 stamp
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.
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.
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.
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.
this stamp is issued in a mini sheet of 10 stamps
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
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.
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
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 !
this stamp is issued in mini-sheets of 10 stamps
Greenland
Date of Issue: 31st August 2022
two stamps (18.- & 20.- DKK)
both stamps are also issued in a booklet of 12 self-adhesive stamps (6x each stamp)
Aka Høegh, one of Greenland’s most significant living artists, says about her two stamps :
- “The first stamp symbolises Inuit narratives in a broader sense. I have drawn two mask-like faces to represent that our stories are told and passed on. The book is open to let the stories come out. In creating the design, I cut from an old history book with old orthography, as a form of talking flower that grows.
- The second stamp depicts a myth about the children between the willow twigs. After Earth came into being, humans appeared. It is said that the little children came forth out of the earth between the willow bushes, covered in willow leaves. Then they lay there with their
eyes closed, between the bushes, squirming. Then the children crawled around and ate of willow twigs and of the soil. This is an Inuit narrative of the genesis of man.”
Ukraine
UPDATE 2 - On PostEurop's request, the Ukrainian winning stamp (with the sunflowers) has been replaced in the European contest by the design that took second place (n° 1 - girl with dove). This stampa arrived 2nd in the European selection behind Luxembourg who won the contest.
UPDATE 1 - stamp n°2 (with the sunflowers) won the Ukrainian national selection as announced the 26th of July by the Ukrainian post :
Not sure if it will suit the European voters as this "peace" stamp is too much related to Ukraine. I think n° 1 or n° 4 would have been a better choice. They have less Ukrainian symbols depicted, making it more a design in which more Europeans can relate to.
---------------------------
What I wrote earlier when the Ukrainian national selection was launched :
No information about the 2022 Europa stamps issue of Ukraine yet...
But the Ukrainian post is already actively working on their 2023 issue !
On the 15th of July, Ukrposhta published an online voting on Facebook (but also on Instagram and Telegram) in order to select the design of their entry for the 2023 common Europa stamp issue.
Their entry will enter a European "final" who will select the design used on all Europa stamps next year.
The 2023 common theme will be : "PEACE - the highest value of humanity"
The result of the Ukrainian selection will be announced on the 22nd of July 2022.