Christmas Scenes – A Time Gone By ( Isle of Man)

 

On October 20, 2012, to celebrate the Christmas 2012, Isle of Man issued the delightful stamp issue depicts images taken from black and white photographs of old buildings and streets that no longer exist on the Isle of Man but brought back to life in color with memories and research.

 

 

The 38p stamp shows shoppers with the Christmas tree lights at the Courthouse in Ramsey which is now Ramsey Post Office. The lights give cheer and hope in the cold, frosty night with quite often the brass band playing and choirs singing. This painting shows a group at about six o’clock on Christmas Eve. It’s about that time that people start to think “Have we got everything?”

 

The 41p stamp depicts a postman delivering in Glen Auldyn.  Here we see a Morris 1000 van and the postman in Glen Auldyn on the outskirts of Ramsey just before dark. It was often quite late into the night before some of them returned.

 

The 71p stamp features a small choir with a couple of late shoppers outside Castle-town Police Station. A policeman keeps a watchful eye to keep the town safe and secure on Christmas Eve. The castle looms large in the background as the lights are on in the station. Soon the lights will dim and peace and quiet will reign for Christmas.

 

Christmas 2011 – Chile

Chile Post  issued  a special stamp  to celebrate the Christmas Season on November 28, 2011.

The stamp depicts the Virgin Mary  is kissing the baby Jesus. The Star of Bethlehem shown in the background of stamp.

Classical Faroese Christmas Carols

 

Any country, where people celebrate Christmas, has its own Christmas carols. There are numerous Christmas carols in Faroese, and the next three years ,  since 2010 Faroe Islands Post  have been issued Christmas Carol stamps.

On March 28, 2010, Faroe Islands Post issued a set of two stamps feature   the undisputed masters of Faroese children's songs – Hans Andreas Djurhuus and Alexandur Kristiansen.

 

 

Á barnaárum ungu – In My Early Childhood
In the song "Á barnaárum ungu", H. A. Djurhuus looks back on his childhood Christmas, when he played with the candles. He used to light the candles and put them out, while he waited for the church bells to ring. When the bells started their ringing, he lighted all the candles, and in their lights he imagined the little prince, which brought light and hope to the world.

“And years have past since then. And children wait, like I did then, when the candlelight is burning the memories come back. “

Christmas Star 2004

Vanuatu Post celebrated  the Christmas Time 2004 by issuing one self adhesive stamp feature the bright star on September 18, 2004.

The stamp depicts a brightest star , the Star of Bethlehem with marking “Vanuatu Christmas Greeting”. The star that guide the Three Wise Men finding baby Jesus.

Christmas 2011 – Greenland

Greenland Post celebrated the Christmas 2011, by issuing a set of two stamps which have designed by Camilla Nielsen on October 17, 2010.

The Christmas star in the windows and the snow is the essence of Greenlandic Christmas for Camilla Nielsen.

The star shines, guides, gathers, strengthens and warms human relations and traditions. The dogsled on the stamp is the model, which is most often used in the Disko bay area.

There are different types of dogsleds in Greenland depending on where in the country they are used.

 

The strawberry girls have been with Camilla ever since her school years in the early nineties.

The little strawberry girl was not created until 2005, however, when Camilla’s niece Sofie-Amalie “Musse” was born.

The stamps show the strawberry girls in variety of merry Christmas situations. It seems as if they are always searching out their surroundings. (Sources: Greenland Post Bulletin)

Christmas 2010 – Wallis et Futuna

Wallis et Futuna  celebrated the Christmas Season 2010 by issuing one stamp features the replica  image of the nativity Christmas story on December 24, 2010.

The stamp depicts  baby Jesus  in a manger with Joseph and Mary . Whilst  a star of Bethlehem shining  in night sky ,  angels sing songs of praise to  God.

Christmas 2005 – San Marino

 

Dedicated to the Christmas spirit, San Marino Post issued  a set of three stamps feature some significant moments relating to the birth of Jesus on November 17, 2005.

The € 0.62 stamp present the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. The image on stamps are drawn by Leonardo Blanco .

The € 1.55 stamp  presents the Nativity scenes, Holly family. Holy Family is a Christian term for Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”.

The € 2.20 stamp presents the Adoration of the Magi.The images used to represent these moments draw inspiration from the traditional Christian iconography and, in terms of immobility and composition, from the Byzantine one.

Christmas 2010–Bulgaria

In celebrating of the Christmas Season 2010, Bulgaria Post  has issued  one stamp  features Santa Claus’s face  in graphical  drawing on December 19, 2010.

Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man - sometimes with spectacles - wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache).

Christmas 2012 – Slovenia

To make the celebration of Christmas Time 2012, Slovenia Post issued a set of two self-adhesive stamps  feature the Christmas spirit. The issue stamps depict ‘Angelic singing heard in the heights’ and ‘Škofja Loka rural Nativity scenes’.

Angelic singing heard in the heights ...
The celebration of Christmas, the birth of Christ,became established by the mid-4th century, and along with Easter it now represents one of the biggest Christian festivals.

The celebration of Christmas is therefore a much more recent custom than that of Easter, and represents an important family festivity marking the birth of Christ.

Christmas also marked the start of the year, and it was only Pope Innocent XII in 1691 who set 1 January as the beginning of the year, while 25 December remained Christ’s birthday.