This historic FDS with the iconic stamps was
issued on 28.02.1985,
in order to
celebrate 150
years of the Kalevala. The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic
poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and
mythology. It is
regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most
significant works of Finnish literature. The Kalevala played an instrumental
role in the development of the Finnish national identity, the intensification
of Finland's language strife and the growing sense of nationality that
ultimately led to Finland's independence from Russia in 1917. The first version
of The Kalevala (called The Old Kalevala) was published in 1835.
The version most commonly known today was first published in 1849 and consists
of 22,795 verses, divided into fifty songs (Finnish: runot). The title can be
interpreted as "The land of Kaleva" or "Kalevia".
The
postage stamp on the left (1.50) depicts the Finnish oral poet Petri
Shemeikka. The picture is based on a photo taken by Samuli Paulaharju. The
postage stamp on the right (2.10) depicts the Finnish oral poet Larin
Paraske. The painting is done by Albert Edelfelt, but there is
an error: she didn’t play the kantele at all.
This lovely FDC was
given to me by my dear friend Pia.
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