Festivals

 

1955: Publicity Issues

Alpine Herdsman and Costume Festival, Interlaken where of course there are Alpenhorn blowers aplenty.

1996: Publicity Issues

Enter a brass band at the 30th Federal Music Festival considered the largest wind music and brass band competition in the world. It is held every five years in various regions of Switzerland.

2013: Town Festivals (Designer - Linda Olafsdottir)

The Smelter Music Festival held in the remote village of Borgafjorour Estri in Iceland. The concerts are held an old fish reduction and herring factory which the locals convert into a concert hall once a year.

Entry to Sunday Stamps theme - Celebrations/Festivals - See It On A Postcard 

Eire in Europe

1995: Europa - Peace and Freedom (Designer - Robert Ballagh)

The theme for the 1995 Europa stamps was Peace and Freedom and the Irish artist and designer chosen for this set was Robert Ballagh, a prolific stamp designer for decades and a fun fact for the dance enthusiast, he was the set designer for Riverdance.  He has a rather nice website that showcases his work here.  I noticed Ireland's An Post had a postcard booklet of some of his designs

my finger was hovering over the 'buy' button. I love the cover and wonder where that road might take us

1999: Europa - Parks and Gardens (Design F O'Connor)

perhaps to the west of Ireland and Kilcolman Nature Reserve in County Cork often referred to as Kilcolman Bog but it actually is a rare example of a limestone fen and a wintering ground for many water birds.  If wanting a trip to combine town and green spaces then head for the 1,750 acre Phoenix Park in Dublin

1998: Europa - Festivals (J Dunne)

If it is August then the Gathering of the Boats at Kinvara in Galway Bay is quite a sight or head for the stunningly beautiful County Kerry and the Puck Fair whose origin is lost in antiquity. It lasts for three days and a goat is caught in the mountains and brought into town where a school girl who has been crowned queen for the festival will crown him King Puck. The goat will be fed and watered, looked after by a vet and then at the end of the festivities released back into the mountains. I'm hoping it looks on it as a little holiday.  There is no goat trade union so I don't know its rights 

1996: Europa - Famous Women (Design - S Young)

but Louise Bennet fighter for women's emancipation and trade union rights would be the person to set one up. After all this activity maybe it is time to visit the Abbey Theatre one of whose founders was Lady Augusta Gregory opening its doors in 1904 with one act plays by her, WB Yeats and JM Synge the Irish National Theatre was born.

Aughrim Post Office and An Post van, County Wicklow

This week's Sunday Stamps II prompt of the Letter E -  for Eire, Europa and emancipation - See It On A Postcard

Red All Over

1977: 60th Anniversary of the October Revolution

I thought I would find a lot of red in the stamps of Russia so that is where I turned for this week's Sunday Stamp theme, and I wasn't disappointed for these first stamps were very red indeed.  The first shows the cruiser Aurora which in 1917 was moored in St Petersburg for major repairs.  The crew joined the Bolshevik Revolution and the shot fired from the forecastle signaled the start of the assault on the Winter Palace and so started the October Revolution.

Perhaps the pen is mightier than the sword for this stamp shows a page from the Izvestia newspaper (first published in 1917), a book by Brezhnev (leader of the Soviet Union from 1964-1982) and a crowd.  From the 60th Anniversary of the October Revolution we travel to

1978: 61st Anniversary of the October Revolution

the 61st anniversary, not quite as red, apart from the flag.

Another famous Russian newspaper appears swooping across this commemorative sheet, Pravda.  Established in 1903 it became the mouthpiece of the Soviet Communist Party but this sheet also shows lots of other publications because it commemorates the 60th Anniversary of 'Soyuzpechati', the state newspaper distribution service. Looking at the map of Russia on the globe I can only wonder at the enormous task that must have been in those early years, of course the communication satellite made thing a whole lot easier. I don't know the significance of the flower, which to my eyes looks like a carnation, but the Russians are great flower givers and lovers of flowers.

1978: Moscow Flowers

This is a set called Moscow Flowers, a place where the flower shops are open 24 hours a day.  The stamps show the tulip 'Bolshoi Theatre' and the rose 'Moscow Morning'

Next is the dahlia 'Red Star' and the gladiolus 'Moscovite'

A white flower has sneaked in, happily it is on a red background.  The iris is called Il'ich's Anniversary.    I didn't know whether this referred to Lenin or Tchaikovsky, both of whose middle name was Ilich, but managed to google the building and its the Lenin Central Museum.

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Red - be well red and visit See It on A Postcard