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.