europa, cept, norden and sepac stamps information blog
Armenian post of Nagorno-Karabakh
those two stamps are issued in mini-sheets of 10 stamps
NOTE : the stamps issued by the Republic of Artsakh aren't recognized on an international level, not by the UPU nor by PostEurop.
Those stamps are listed in most stamps catalogues (Gibbons, Yvert &
Tellier, Michel) and most Europa stamps collectors collect those stamps
even if they aren't official stamp issues.
Germany
Gibraltar
Date of Issue: 30th March 2023
two stamps (1.98 & 3.16 GBP) and one souvenir-sheet of 2 stamps (1.98 & 3.16 GBP)
NOTE - On the 4th of July 2023, Gibraltar issued a set of 6 post & go stamps depicting the 2nd Europa stamps design and bearing the Europa logo - price 7.95 GBP
Monaco
Date of Issue: 9th May 2023
one stamp (1.80 €)
the stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 10 stamps
Jersey - Sepac
Date of Issue: 21st March 2023
one stamp (0.98 GBP) out of a set of six stamps (only this stamp is bearing the official Sepac logo).
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
Date of Issue: 12th June 2023
one stamp (Europe 1st class value)
Ukraine 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
