First Anniversary of Coronation

This minisheet of three circular stamps of 3Nu each was issued on 01 November 2011 to commemorate the 1st Anniversary of the Coronation of King Jigme Kehsar Namgyal Wangchuk of Bhutan. This nice minisheet was given to me by Shashi.

Happy Family Campaign in Brunei Darussalam 1991

This nice homely FDC was given to me by Maria.

21st Independence Day of Israel

These two stamps released on 16.4.1969 to honor the Armoured Corps (tank) and the Navy (ship - destroyer) were issued to commemorate the 21^st Independence Day in 1969 of Israel. One could write reams and reams on what the tank and the ship symbolize as far as Israel is concerned. Suffice it to say that this small nation has taken on the might of the surrounding Arab nations ever since their Independence in 1948. And mind you not just taken them on, but, taken them on successfully. Hats off to this great nation and its great people. Merja sent me this wonderful FDC.

Centenary of International Nurses Day

The year 2012 marks the Centenary of International Nurses Day. The profession of nursing was started by Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), a British nursing pioneer who established the first school of modern nursing. In honour of the significant contribution that Nightingale, reputed as the “Lady of the Lamp”, made in nursing, her birthday May 12, is celebrated worldwide as the International Nurses Day, aiming to advocate, inherit, and promote the pioneer’s humanistic spirit of overcoming difficulties to help the sick and wounded through dedication and sacrifice. China National Philatelic Corporation issued an FDC with special 1.20 Yuan stamp to commemorate this Day. My friend Cloud sent me this cover from China.

Florence Nightingale OM, RRC (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night. An Anglican, Nightingale believed that God had called her to be a nurse. Nightingale laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment, in 1860, of her nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London, the first secular nursing school in the world, now part of King's College London. The Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses was named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday.

Ukraine Flag, Anthem and Emblem

The Constitution states that the national symbols of Ukraine shall be the National Flag of Ukraine, the National Emblem of Ukraine and the National Anthem of Ukraine. This Ukrainian minisheet commemorates the 20^th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Anthem, Flag, and Emblem. Thank you Julia for this lovely minisheet of stamps. The stamp on the left (2.00) depicts the emblem, the stamp on the right (3.00) shows the Flag and in between them is written the Anthem of Ukraine.

National Flag of Ukraine. The Ukrainian flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width. The top is blue, the bottom - yellow. Blue and yellow, the colours of the sky, mountains, streams, and golden fields have symbolized Kyivan Rus' long before the introduction of Christianity. With the acceptance of Christianity, blue and gold were incorporated into church symbolism. After the Mongol-Tatar invasion in the 1200's the use of blue/gold was interrupted, to be revived again in church ornaments and city crests some time later. The emblem of the city of Myrhorod, for example, was a gold trident over a blue background. Another city, Pryluky, used the head of an ox in gold over a blue background as its insignia. And in Lubny, the city emblem pictured a hand holding a golden mace over a blue background. The banners of the Cossacks (17th Century) were blue with gold stars, a gold cross, or with pictures of saints rendered in gold.

National Emblem of Ukraine. The National Emblem is a trident. The first image of a trident appeared in the 1st century AD. When Ihor, Prince of Kyivan Rus' from 912 to 945AD, sent ambassadors to sign a treaty with the Byzantine emperor, they sealed the document with a trident. As the official emblem of the Kyivan princes, the trident was stamped on coins, seals; it was depicted on porcelain and in frescoes. It is thought that the trident represented the division of the world into three spheres: the earthly, the celestial, and the spiritual as well as the union of the three natural elements of air, water and earth. The trident was endorsed as the official emblem of Ukraine; the blue and yellow flag as the national flag of Ukraine by the Supreme Rada in 1992.

National Anthem of Ukraine. Pavlo Chubynsky -a scientist and poet - wrote the lyrics to the anthem of Ukraine in 1862. M. Verbytsky composed the music.

Centenary of the Helsinki Zoo 12.6.1989

I don’t think I am the only one who’s adrenelin starts pumping at the mention of the words “zoo” and “circus”.  What great fun it is to visit these two wonderful places, and talk about them endlessly thereafter. I admit I still do. And what is common to a zoo and a circus? That’s not difficult. It s the animals, what else. Yes animals. Exotic animals. The resident’s of Helsinki, Finland are lucky to have a wonderful zoo nearby. At Korkeasaari. Pia sent me this great FDC. The two lovely stamps on it as the Cover too were issued on 12.06.1989. The animals depicted are the Snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia) and the Markhor (Capra falconeri).

Korkeasaari is an island in Helsinki, Finland where the country's biggest zoo is situated. The English name of the zoo is Helsinki Zoo. The zoo is located on a 22-hectare (54-acre) rocky island. It's connected to mainland via a bridge to Mustikkamaa, where there is access to the zoo all year round. A ferry and water buses take visitors to the island summertime from Kauppatori and Hakaniemi. Korkeasaari is one of the most popular places among visitors in Helsinki. The animals on display are divided geographically to Amazonia, Africasia and Borealia. Animal species number about two hundred, and plant species about a thousand. Korkeasaari has been a recreational park for Helsinki people long before the zoo was founded, since 1569. It was first used as pasture and for fishing. In 19th century, it was used for storing timber. During the Crimean war, the island was a military area. Helsinki city gained access to it again in 1864 and then the recreational use really started: steamboat traffic was established, and a restaurant together with facilities for dancing, bowling, and picnics were provided. The zoo was started 1889.

The main collection comprises mammals and birds, but even reptiles, fish and invertebrates are on display. (The Amazonia building has an aquarium department.) No big mammals (elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus) are on display, as all warm climate animals must be indoors for wintertime. There is a large collection of big cats, and the snow leopards born in Korkeasaari are famous. Two or three times a year the zoo organizes night walks, when visitors can see the big cats and other nocturnal animals in their natural waking hours. And I am sure this must be a wonderful experience. Singapore zoo organizes a similar trip calling it a “night safari”. And it is great. I can really vouch for that.

400th Anniversary of the founding of Pori (Bjorneborg)

The son of King Gustaf Vasa, Duke John, established Pori at the mouth of the Kokemäenjoki river in 1558. At that time, Finland was under Swedish rule. For a Finnish town, Pori was quite large, with a population of 1,500 in 1766. In 1809, Finland became part of Russia. This did not affect the people of Pori much; they continued living as they were used to. Pori was an important port, the key export items being fish and timber. In 1852, the town of Pori was reduced to ashes in a single day. After the fire, the city was rebuilt, better than ever: the town got a new town plan, and many new houses were built of stone. Thus there are historically valuable buildings in Pori, including the Juselius Mausoleum and the City Hall.

After the fire, industry began to flourish as well: a match factory, machine shops, a cotton mill, and sawmills were founded. The railway line between Pori and Tampere was opened in 1895, at a time when the population of the city had already increased to 12,279. A hundred years ago Pori was already a significant centre for culture: the first Finnish language theatre company was founded in Pori, libraries and museums were established, and several newspapers were published in the city. Ever since Finland gained her independence in 1917, Pori has been an important, growing city of industry and ports. My friend Pia gave me this FDC commemorating 400th Anniversary of the founding of Pori (Bjorneborg), a town steeped in history. The stamp and the cover were issued on 8.3.1958.