Jul i Storskogen

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

I also got a FDC from Sweden.

This is how the FDC looks like:

front side: 



back side: 

In the FDC was a pamphlet.

in Swedish: 

in English: 



Stamps:
Christmas in Forest (issued 14-11-2013)

On the FDC are the stamps from the booklet:
- bullfinchs with a plaited christmas heart
- foxes and a christmas tree
- sleeping bears in their den
- a squirrel and a gingerbread man
and ...

from the coil:
- a reindeer overlooking a city

The postmark shows a mouse with a christmas bauble.

Table Tennis

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Sweden.

One stamp set is this:

Table Tennis (issued 27-09-2013)
(It is a joint issue with China)

The man on the blue stamp is Jan-Ove Waldner. Jan-Ove Waldner was born on 3rd October 1966. He is a Swedish Table Tennis player. Twice he became the World Champion, once the European Champion and once he became Olympic Champion (1992 in Barcelona).

Carl XVI Gustaf

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Sweden.

Sweden is a country in Scandinavia bordering on Finland and Norway. Sweden is a member of the UN, of the EU and of the OECD. Sweden's capital is Stockholm.

One stamp set I got is this:

Carl XVI Gustaf 40 Years as Head of State (issued 22-08-2013)
- Monogram of Carl XVI Gustaf
- Portrait of Carl XVI Gustaf
- Carl XVI Gustaf with his daughter Victoria and his granddaughter Estelle

Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden was born on 30th April 1946 in the Haga Palace near Stockholm as the son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His father died in 1947 in a plane crash and so became the new king after the death of his grandfather in 1973. In 1976 he married the untitled Silvia Sommerlath who he got to know at the Olympic Games 1972 in Munich. He is the father of Victoria (the Crown Princess of Sweden), Carl Philip and Madeleine and he is the grandfather of Estelle.



Christmas card

Because the stamps from Liechtenstein were ordered in the Christmas time, they also put a special Christmas maximum card in the cover.

This is how the card looks like:

front side: 



back side:

Stamp:
Christmas (from set of four) (issued 11-11-2013)

Thank You very much Post Liechtenstein! ^__^

Year of the Horse

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

I also got stamps from Liechtenstein.

One sheet is this:

Year of the Horse (issued 11-11-2013)

According to legend Buddha invited the 13 animals of the lunar calendar (including the cat) to a festival. The mouse said to the cat that the festival would be on another day, so she did not come. The animals came in this order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. All animals got a year which was named after the animal.
The year 2014 is the year of the horse (Chinese: 馬 mă). The year starts on 31st January 2014 and ends on 18th February 2015. The people born in the Year of the Horse are said to be intelligent, friendly and optimistic. The animals are also divided in wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This year is the Year of the Woodhorse. The next Year of the Horse is 2026.
Liechtenstein issues stamps on the occasion of the Chinese New Year since 2012 (Year of the Dragon) and all are looking like a traditional Chinese Paper-cut. The stamps are made with modernest laser technology. For the first time the sheet is also shaped.
The traditional Chinese Paper-cut is since 2009 a Intangible Heritage of the UNESCO.

I also got a maximum card:

front side: 



back side: 

The sheet and the maximum card are great addition for my collection of Year of the Horse stamps.

Gold on Silk

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

I also got stamps from Liechtenstein.

One sheet is this:

Stadtpalais Liechtenstein in Vienna (issued 11-11-2013)

The stamp consists of silk and the ink of gold.

Seto Leelo

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Estonia.

One souvenir sheet is this:

Cultural Heritage Year (issued 03-08-2013)

The Leelo is the cornerstone of contemporary identity for the Seto community living in south-eastern Estonia and the Pechory district of the Russian Federation. Leelo is an ancient polyphonic singing tradition performed to traditional melodies and in traditional costume. The lead singer sings a line and choir joins in for the last syllables and then repeats the line. The most singers are women. On the Seto Kingdom Day the best singer is crowned as the King's Mother of Song. The Seto Leelo is since 2009 a Intangible Cultural Heritage of the UNESCO.

Weasel

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Estonia.

One stamp set is this:

In Estonian Weasel means "Nirk". In winter the Weasel turns white all over. The Weasel eats mostly mice.

I got also a Maximum card and ...

front side: 

back side: 

a FDC.

 front side: 

back side: 

Estonian Flag

This year I got many stamps as christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Estonia.

One stamp is this:

 Estonian Flag (issued 22-02-2013)

The Blue stands for the bright future of Estonia and shows the Nordic Sky. The Black stands for past of Estonia and shows the Earth. And the White stands for the aspiration of the people for enlightenment and shows the snow and the summer light nights.

Struve Geodetic Arc

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Estonia.

One stamp set is this:

Struve Geodetic Arc (issued 06-05-2011)
- Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve (1793-1864)
- Tartu Observatory and the map of Estonia

The Struve Geodetic Arc runs from the Black Sea to the northern coast of Norway. It was built on the initiative of Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve and should measure the size and the shape of the earth. The Arc is 2820 km long and is a exceptional example for the cooperation of scientists and monarchs of different countries for a scientific aim. Since 2005 is the Struve Geodetic Arc a UNESCO World Heritage Site of
Belarus (one of four, another is for example Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh)
Estonia (one of two, the other is the Historic Centre of Tallinn)
Finland (one of seven, another is for example the Fortress of Suomenlinna)
Latvia (one of two, the other is the Historic Centre of Riga)
Lithuania (one of four, another is for example the Historic Centre of Vilnius)
Moldova (the only UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Norway (one of seven, another is for example the Urnes Stave Church)
Russia (one of 25, another is for example Virgin Komi Forests)
Sweden (one of fifteen, another is for example the Laponian Area)
Ukraine (one of seven, another is for example Primeval Beech Forests).

1 €

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Estonia.

One stamp is this:

Accession to the Euro (issued 01-01-2011)

In 2002 twelve European countries (France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece) introduced a joint currency, the Euro. From 2006 to 2010 the Estonian stamps were issued in Kroons and Euro. In 2007 Slovenia, in 2008 Cyprus and Malta and in 2009 Slovakia also introduced the Euro. Estonia introduced the Euro in 2011 and thus the stamps are only in Euro. The coins show a map of Estonia and are coined in Suomen Rahapaja in Finland. In 2014 Latvia will introduce the Euro.

EUROPA 2010

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Estonia.

Estonia is the most-northern Baltic state and borders on Latvia and Russia. Estonia is a member of the UN, of the EU, of the NATO and of the OECD. Estonia's Capital is Tallinn.

A stamp set is this:

EUROPA (issued 06-05-2010)

Andersen

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Denmark.

One stamp set is this:

Hans Christian Andersen (issued 02-09-2013)
- The Tinderbox
- The Flying Trunk
- The Sweetheart's
- The Little Match Girl

Andersen's stories laid the groundwork for other children's classics, such as Wind in the Willows and Winnie the Pooh. The technique of making inanimate objects, such as toys, come to life (Little Ida's Flowers) would later be used by Lewis Carroll and Beatrix Potter. The 2nd April, Andersen's birthday, is the International Children's Book Day. In 2006 a theme park on Andersen was opened in Shanghai. The airport in Odense is also named after Andersen.

This are the second stamps of a series started in 2012 and the stamps are again designed by Chinese artists.

Little Mermaid

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Denmark.

One sheet is this:

100 years of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen (issued 27-05-2013)

The bronze is 1,25 meters high and thus the smallest town's landmark in the world. The design was made by Edvard Eriksen. The ideal for the bronze is Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Mermaid".

Andersen

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

A new country is Denmark.

Denmark is a country in Northern Europe bordering on Germany. Denmark is a member of the UN, of the EU , of the NATO and of the OECD. Denmark's capital is Copenhagen. Denmark is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, Greenland and Faroe Islands.

One stamp is this:

Hans Christian Andersen (issued 01-06-2012)
- The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep
- The Nightingale
- The Wild Swans
- What the old man does is always right

Hans Christian Andersen is born in 1805 in Odense in Denmark as the son of the destitute shoemaker Hans Andersen and the alcoholic laundress Anne Marie Andersdatter. After the death of his father in 1819 he went to Copenhagen to become a actor. But as it does not not work he tried to become a singer and he also wrote his first poems. Finally Jonas Collin, the director of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen (Det Kongelige Teater), take in charge of him. From 1822 to 1828 he visited different Latin schools and following the University in Copenhagen. He became famous for writing fairy tales. He died in 1875 in Copenhagen. Today he is one of the most famous Danes. The manuscripts and correspondence of Hans Christian Andersen are since 1997 a part of the Memory of the World Programme of the UNESCO.

The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen are read in the whole world, so the idea of the Post Denmark was to commission foreign artists to design the motifs. The Chinese designer Shen Jiahong has created this stamps. The stamps are the first stamps of Denmark designed by a Chinese artist. This are the first stamps of the series. The second stamps were issued in 2013.

Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer

This year I got many stamps as Christmas presents. Many of them are from countries which I had not in my collection before.

One stamp set comes from Alderney.

The set is this:

Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer (issued 13-11-2013)
- Santa tending Rudolph
- An elf comforting a sad Rudolph
- Rudolph & his snowman friends
- Rudolph being called names
- Santa surveying the fog
- Rudolph's glowing nose
- Rudolph leads the way

Rudolph is one of Santa's nine reindeer. The others are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Rudolph appeared for the first time in 1939 in a colouring book and was created by Robert L. May. There is also a very famous Christmas carol about Rudolph and his story.
Lyrics:
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixon,
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudi
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudi the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history

Bantengan and Bukcheong

On Thursday I got a postcard from Indonesia with a complete stamp set on it.

The stamp set is this:

40 years Diplomatic Relations with South Korea (issued 17-09-2013)
(It is a joint issue with South Korea)

The first stamp shows the Bukcheong Lion Play in Korea.
The other stamp shows Bantengan. Bantengan is originated from Banteng which means Bull. Bantengan comes from Java and is played by two people wearing cow masks. The Cow represents power, justice and prosperity and hold the evil Monkey and Tiger. Bantengan is related with the agricultural culture of Java and is performed by farmers of nearby villages. Since 2008 the Bantengan groups come together in Batu to perform Bantengan in a great parade.

Thank You very much Shinta!

Christmas from Austria

On Thursday I got a nice First Day Cover from Austria.

This is how the FDC looks like:

On the FDC are three different Christmas stamps:

125th anniversary of the death of Franz Xaver Gruber-Silent Night (issued 29-11-2013)

Silent Night was first written as Christmas Poem by Joseph Mohr, but Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863) set the poem to music. It was premiered on 24th December 1818 in Oberndorf. The stamp shows Franz Xaver Gruber and the "„Stille Nacht“-Kapelle" in Oberndorf.
Lyrics:
Original:
Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!
Alles schläft. Einsam wacht
Nur das traute heilige Paar.
Holder Knab’ im lockigten Haar,
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!
Common Lyrics:
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!
Alles schläft, einsam wacht
Nur das traute, hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh.
English Version:
Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round young virgin , mother and child
Holy infant so, tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace!

Shepherds at the Crib (issued 29-11-2013)

The stamp shows the a part of the High Altar in St. Michael in Lungau. Actually the First Day Special Postmark is only for this stamp, but in Austria you can use the First Day Special Postmarks also for other stamps as on this FDC.

St. Georgenberg (issued 15-11-2013)

The stamp was designed by Reinhold Stecher (1921-2013). Reinhold Stecher was since 1951 Doctor of Sacred Theology and since 1980 Bishop. He designed six Christmas stamps in the last years and this Christmas stamp of this year.

Thank You very much Marco!

TV Broadcast

This is the 75th post in my blog! Thank You everybody for the nice stamps I got mint, on postcards and on covers!

On Monday I got a postcard from Singapore with a complete stamp set on it.

The stamp set is this:

50 Years of TV Broadcast (issued 22-11-2013)
- high-definition TV
- more channels/pay-TV (1995)
- more channels
- commencement of colour transmission
- black and white broadcast on a single channel (1963)

Thank You very much Jeremy!