Portugal China Joint Issue

Date of Issue : 8 February 2019

2019 marks 40 years of official diplomatic relations between the Portuguese Republic and the People’s Republic of China (on 8 February 1979, the two countries reached an agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations). The historical relations and direct friendship between the people of China and Portugal began as early as the 16th century, after Portuguese navigators managed to join the Cape Route with the Maritime Silk Road, which had hitherto been used by large Chinese ships, under the command of Admiral Zheng He, to reach the coast of East Africa. Thus began the globalisation of the modern aera, for the first time joining, with a direct and continuous shipping route, the four main continents, from Europe to Africa, America and Asia. Since then, understanding and reciprocal influence between the two peoples have grown, both in terms of knowledge and technology and on a cultural level.

Today Portugal and China develop relations of deep mutual respect and friendship in multiple areas of political, economic, social and cultural activity, namely participating in the Chinese initiative One Belt, One Road, in the more global context of Portugal’s European and international relations.

Stamps for sweet lovers - Traditional Portuguese desserts

Date of Issue : 16 May 2017

The history of Traditional Portuguese Desserts can be likened to a poem composed of words as simple as the ingredients used in the majority of recipes included in this  philatelic issue devoted to this sweet theme. These beautiful tempting stamps were issued by Portrugal Post on 16th May 2017.

 Water, eggs, sugar, milk and wheat  are a starting point for many creations, transforming, in the experienced hands of  pastry chefs, into sumptuous desserts, prodigious in shape, delicate in texture and surprising in flavour. Like the best poems of simple words, through the alchemy of cooking, be it a simple chemical interaction or beautiful divine inspiration, the bringing together of these ingredients results in exceptional desserts that do not allow us to forget the places they were created and the people who made them or with whom we savour them. They penetrate our beings and we are never again able to escape from the memory of how they tasted. Just like the most beautiful poems that cause us to over flow with emotion, traditional Portuguese desserts fill our hearts with sweetness transformed into happy feelings.

My Recent Covers...

Cover from Portugal

Portugal - India Joint Issue 

Many Thanks to Mario Paiva - Blog :  https://o-filatelista.blogspot.com 

Cover from Germany

Thanks to Mr Wolfgang Beyer, Germany

New stamp from India - India - Portugal Joint Issue

Date of Issue : 7 January 2017

Prime Minister Shri Narendra  Modi  and Prime Minister of Portugal Mr. Antonio Costa released a set of   joint postage  stamps on 7th January 2017. The stamps feature dance forms of the two countries.

Portugal 2017 Joint issue with India- MS, stamp & postmark depicts the Chakra and the flag colours.

Courtesy - Kenneth Sequeira

Portuguese Pavement

 Date of Issue : 28 July 2016

Here is a set of beautiful stamps and a souvenir sheet  issued by Portuguese Post featuring decorated Portuguese Pavement. The unique characteristics of the stone and its laying, is termed Portuguese Paving. 

Several civilizations have come and gone on Portuguese territory, having left a varied aesthetic legacy — also on the ground and on its walls. This was true of the Romans, until the first century with the tesserae. It was also true of the Arabs, until the twelfth century with their geometric designs. Later religious orders also introduced mosaic design around their temples, such as the Discalced Carmelites in the seventeenth century.

In a later phase, major humanitarian currents developed in Europe, especially in the nineteenth century, at the peak of the promotion of great travel and Revivalism. Lisbon, the capital, seized the moment to reinvent itself in the Art Nouveau style. Eusébio Cândido Pinheiro Furtado, Lieutenant-at-Arms at the Prison of São Jorge Castle, a benefactor and a connoisseur of Roman arts, promoted a new concept to pave the ground in mosaic style, with only black and white stones, which has come to be called mosaic-pavement.

In his first experiment, he used the atrium of the prison itself and subsequently, on a new scale, proposed the paving of the iconic Praça Dom Pedro IV (Rossio) to the City Council, work performed mainly with resident prisoner labour, nicknamed grilhetas (“shackles”) due to the heavy iron shackles that they brought strapped to their legs. The result was the 8,712 square metre cobblestone public square, covered with waves of black and white which was designated Mar Largo, an expression taken from Canto IV of The Lusiads, in a tribute to the Portuguese Discoveries.

The city grew and with it, new streets were paved with this concept, which, due to the unique characteristics of the stone and its laying, was definitively termed Portuguese Paving. The Public Promenade became a reality for the enjoyment of its inhabitants. Graphic elements linked to the city’s history were the main motifs applied in the designs, such as caravels and dolphins.

In the 1940s, it had its greatest expression in the development of large paved areas such as those at the Portuguese World Exhibition and at the National Stadium. Later on, in the 1960s, the art became much more widespread, and came to be admired by everyone. In the late twentieth century, Expo ‘98 invited some of the new visual artists to create designs for the paving, who developed more daring designs, where a new aesthetic would break the concepts of a formalism that the city was accustomed to on its pavements up to that point.

Portuguese paving is mainly created with black and white stones that provide maximum contrast, but other colours are also employed using, for example, pink or yellow limestone. Many Portuguese cities followed the example of Lisbon and started using this method to pave the ground. In some parts of the world, where the Portuguese presence has influence, this concept of carpeting the ground as a way of celebrating and fully enjoying the public spaces of cities was also applied. Crossing the Atlantic, it was first taken to Manaus in 1905, in front of the iconic Teatro Amazonas. The following year, it appeared in Rio de Janeiro, applied to its famous Promenade, along Copacabana Bay (animated by Walt Disney in the 1942 movie, Alô Amigos), which went on to influence many other Brazilian cities. In the 1980s, the territory of Macau adopted this paving technique on their main pavements and to decorate the ground.

Postcard on International Yoga Day From Portugal

 

 

A commemorative Post card was issued on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga in Portugal on 21st June. The post card was signed by the Ambassador of India to Portugal, Dr. Jitendra Nath Misra, President of the Portuguese Yoga Confederation, Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja and Director Sales, CTT Correios de Portugal, Dr. Jose Laia Henriques.

 

Courtesy : Ministry of External Affairs Govt.of India

New stamps on International Year of Crystallography from Portugal

 

 

Here are new stamps from Portugal commemorating International Year of Crystallography. By official decision of the UN, the year 2014 was declared the International Year of Crystallography. This ephemeris is jointly organized by the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) and UNESCO and aims to create a link between two other initiatives of this sort: the International Year of Chemistry, held in 2011, and the International Year of Light, which will be celebrated in 2015.

    

As such, these three worldwide celebrations fall into the strategic guidelines of the International Program of Fundamental Sciences of UNESCO, in collaboration with other scientific programs of the Organization, such as the International Geoscience Program, designed to further knowledge of this Science within Society and of its vital contribution to our well-being on this planet.

  

However, although Crystallography is today basilar to all Fundamental Sciences (Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Biology and Geology), it remains relatively unknown to the general public. One of the goals of this anniversary is to promote education and public awareness of the importance of this science by conducting various activities worldwide, such as this stamp issue.

The issue “Ano Internacional da Cristalografia” consists of five stamps and a souvenir sheet, which illustrate crystallography in the areas of geology, physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology. In the souvenir sheet water is present as an aggregating component.

Porcelain on New Taiwan stamps

Date of Issue : 19 September 2014

Taiwan Post office is issuing the stamps that are dedicated to porcelain – China’s most important inventions. Traditional blue and white porcelain, an especially exemplary combination of skillful technique and aesthetic sensibility, is regarded as one of the most unique forms of Chinese ceramics.

So as to celebrate the cultural legacy, Chunghwa Post has selected works from the National Museum of History for a set of four stamps and a souvenir sheet.

Their designs follow:

Stamps: Dish decorated with floral design in underglaze blue, Qing Dynasty (NT$5); Jar decorated with peony pattern in underglaze blue, Ming Dynasty (NT$10); Jar decorated with dragon design and character “shou” in underglaze blue, Ming Dynasty (NT$12); Flat vase decorated with ladies in underglaze blue, Qing Dynasty (NT$20).

Souvenir Sheet: Plate decorated with flower and bird pattern in underglaze blue, Qing Dynasty (NT$25).

New pictorial cancellation from  Poland

On September 9th 2014 a new pictorial cancellation will be available in Koszalin 9.The pictorial cancellation is featuring a Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus).
Courtesy : Wolfgang Beyer, Vice Chairman of the German Philatelic Collector Group ARGE ZOOLOGIE. E.Mail: Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de  & Heike Peschel

 

Indian theme on foreign stamps

 

Date of Issue:  24 February , 2014

Portugal Post issued a stamp and souvenir sheet on 24th February to commemorate  400th Anniversary of First Edition of 'Peregrinacao' (Pilgrimage) by Fernao Mendes Pinto. The stamp features  Hindu God of war and victory, six-headed Lord Murugan (Lord Shiva's son and Lord Ganesha's brother) on his mount, Peacock, with serpent.

Fernao Mendes Pinto (1509 - 1583) - a Portuguese explorer and writer. His exploits are known through the posthumous publication (published after his death) of his memoir Pilgrimage (Portuguese: Peregrinação) in 1614, an autobiographical work whose truthfulness is nearly impossible to assess.

In the course of his travels in the Middle and Far East, Pinto visited Ethiopia, the Arabian Sea, China (where he claimed to have been a forced laborer on the Great Wall), India and Japan.

: Kasinath R. – Tanjore

email : kasinath80@gmail.com

Souvenir sheet

“ 400 Years of the 1st Edition of Peregrinação, by fernão mendes pinto”

Four hundred years have passed since the first edition of Peregrinação (Pilgrimage), a majestic account of an extended journey to the Orient that earned Fernão Mendes Pinto, “a hero made of human flesh”, his immortality(1510-1583).

The course of history would eventually distinguish this extraordinary autobiographical book as a masterpiece of universal literature, written by a great Portuguese traveller of the 16th century who was an adventurer, a merchant, an ambassador, a mercenary, a beggar, a sailor and a pirate. And was also “held captive thirteen times and sold seventeen times(...)”.

Throughout 266 emotion-filled and adventure-packed chapters, the author describes in a fresh, spontaneous and colloquial tone the impressions of a European in contact with Asian civilisation, its peoples, traditions, cults and landscapes. At the same time, he reveals the impact of the Portuguese in the Orient, often providing the reader with critiques and satirical notes.

Earliest title of the “travel literature” genre, Peregrinação stands out for its picaresque spirit that runs through the entire work, evidenced as a clear inversion of the heroic style. Some call it an anti-epic. Showing “what miseries make up a man”, the characters lay bare all their weaknesses and fears.

Traditional Portuguese Festivities…

 

  

Date of Issue : 22 July 2013

Portuguese Post issued a set of stamps on 23 July 2013 featuring traditional festivities of Portugal.

The “Festa de São Mateus” (Feast of Saint Mateus) being an icon of the city of Viseu, is said to have been established as a free fair since 1392. History also claims that it was a gift from king João I, Master of Avis, on account of Viseu being the only Portuguese city to have been on his side during the 1383-1385 crisis. From the 16th century onwards, it became known as Feira de São Mateus (São Mateus Fair), its current name, and with its more than 620 years of existence, is considered one of the oldest fairs in the country and maybe even in the Iberian Peninsula. Within an area of about 18,000 m2, hundreds of merchants and vendors, mainly of local gastronomy and handicrafts, join a varied programme of musical and sports shows, attracting thousands of visitors throughout the 40 days of the event, from mid-August to mid- September.

  

The “Festa da Senhora da Agonia de Viana do Castelo” (Feast of Our Lady of Agony, Viana do Castelo), held in August, is a prominent hallmark in the world of Portuguese pilgrimage. The feast is famous for the luxury of the costumes, the gold worn by the major-domos and for the richness of the ethnographic procession, and includes religious processions, parades, the “gigantones e cabeçudos” (giants and big-headed puppets) variety show, as well as groups of bass drummers, pipers and “Zés-Pereiras”, a huge folk festivity and the famous Minho firework displays. The main trait is the devotion of the seamen, who reciprocate the grace received during storms and shipwrecks. The main float is therefore traditionally transported by fishermen; since 1968, a river procession started being held at the Lima River, featuring the statue of this saint. The “Festa de Santo Estevão” (Feast of Saint Estevão) in Ousilhão is part of the Cycle of the Twelve Days of Northeast Trás-os-Montes, celebrated around the time of the Winter solstice. Besides the important role of the “Caretos”1, who are offending characters who ritually steal the smoker during the rounds, the major-domos of these festivities include a king, vassals and young men. The food ritual, in this case, involves a group meal – the table of St. Estevão –, and the central role of circulating and distributing the food offerings. 1 Young men with masks, dressed up in suits made of fringe wool quilts (for Carnival).

International Year of Statistics 2013

 

 

Date of Issue : 24 May 2013

Portugal Post issued a set of two stamps and a miniature sheet to commemorate International Year of Statistics 2013 .

The International Year of Statistics (Statistics2013) is a global initiative, now encompassing more than 1400 participating organizations from 108 countries, which aims to celebrate and recognize the powerful contributions of statistical science to the lives of each one of us, on our everyday chores.

    

Through the combined effort of many organizations specializing in this area, the event "Statistics2013" aims to promote the importance of statistics, not only for the scientific community in the broad sense, but also for the business community, the government, the media and the public in general.

The objectives of this comprehensive celebration are:
- To increase public awareness of Statistics as a fundamental tool in all aspects of life in society.
- To promote Statistics as a career, especially among young people.
- To support and encourage creativity and development in Probability and Statistics sciences.

Nowadays the notions of Statistics and of (the Theory of) Probability are well differentiated. In a synthetic form, it can be said that the Theory of Probability is the study of mathematical models suitable for the description of random experiments, i.e., involving uncertainty (the so-called probabilistic or stochastic models). And that Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, analysing, interpreting and transmitting data, i.e. measurements or observations taken from the real world, as well as the prediction of new data. Thus, Statistic is an area of science, separated from Mathematics but in many aspects (in obtaining inferences and predictions) it is based on it and dependent on Computing. Depending on the many different approaches we may have Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Inference, Statistical Prediction, Statistical Decision, Official Statistics, Mathematical Statistics, Computational Statistics, Frequentist Statistics and Bayesian Statistics.

Special Folder : Portugal Gastronomy

Date of Issue : 7 July 2013

 

Asiago International Awards for Philatelic Art

 

 

On July 17th, the 41st Asiago International Awards were held. UNPA  won the Best Stamp of 2010 award for 2 event sheets about human trafficking and the fight against child labour.

At the ceremony for the forty-first Asiago International Awards for Philatelic Art, held in Italy on 17 July, UNPA received the prize for "best stamps in the world" for 2010. The winning stamp sheets highlighted "Human Trafficking - Blue Heart Campaign (UNODC)"  by UNPA Vienna and "Against Child Labour (ILO and Geneva World)" by UNPA Geneva.

UNPA Vienna issued a special stamp sheet on the theme "human trafficking" on 5 February 2010. The Blue Heart Campaign is an awareness-raising initiative developed by UNODC to fight human trafficking and its impact on society. The campaign aims to inspire decision makers to effect change, as well as to encourage the involvement of all areas of society to help stop this crime. The campaign allows people to show solidarity with the victims of human trafficking by wearing the blue heart as an international symbol against this crime. The blue heart represents the sadness of those who are trafficked while reminding us of the cold-heartedness of those who buy and sell fellow human beings.

On 2 September 2010, UNPA Geneva issued a stamp sheet on the theme "child labour". The drawings featured on the stamps show the grim realities of exploited young people. The selected images are part of "Children's Views of Child Labour", a vast initiative promoted in 2009 by GenevaWorld in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and with the support of local volunteers to mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the ILO Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

The prize is given annually under the patronage of the President of Italy. The organizing Italian stamp collectors club, Sette Comuni, is one of the most well-known and respected stamp collectors clubs in Europe.

Awards won by other Postal administrations..

Portugal won the Tourism award for the Public Elevators series.

Hong Kong won the Ecology award for a souvenir sheet about the Development of Old Areas.

Greece won the Olympic Academy award for their Europa 2010 Children's book set.

Pierre de Fermat's birthday celebrated in Google Doodle

 

 

La Poste commemorated Pierre de Fermat's  400th birth anniversary on a postage stamp in 2001

 

Hi ! Just received a mail from Mr Anurag Pratap of Silvassa about this news with the postage stamp issued by French Post…I wish  to share it with the readers …Some might have noticed it in 17th August 2011 in Google Doodle ….Those who have not noticed, might like the stamp issued on great “Amateur Mathematician” !  Mathematics  is a wonderful theme for the lovers of this subject ! This is all in this Post…Have a Nice Time !

The birthday of Pierre de Fermat, the 17th century French lawyer famous for the so-called 'Fermat's Last Theorem' mathematical puzzle, was celebrated in a Google Doodle on 17th August 2011. Because Ferment did not spread his work through books and journals and he often did not provide any proof for his theorems he was referred to as an 'amateur' mathematician, but that the same time Fermat is also considered to be one of the two (the other being Rene Descartes) leading mathematicians of the first half of the 17th century. Pierre de Fermat died at the age of 63 on January 12, 1665 at Castres, France.

Google doodles have gained immense popularity over the past few years and the Google team has put out commemorative doodles on events ranging from news events, civic milestones, birthdays, death anniversaries and important dates in history. Google estimates it has created more than 900 doodles since 1998, with 270 of them running in 2010.

The Doodle of  Pierre de Fermat shows a blackboard with algebraic symbols on it, with the word "Google" faintly visible as though rubbed out earlier. The symbols read: xⁿ + yⁿ ≠ zⁿ. If you hover your mouse over the Doodle, the pop-up text reads "I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this theorem, which this doodle is too small to contain."

Pierre de Fermat, was born on 17 August 1601, 410 years ago. A lawyer at the Parlement of Toulouse and a gifted amateur mathematician, he made breakthroughs in several fields of calculus, probability, geometry and number theory, but is best known for a brief note he made in the margin of a book of arithmetic. His enigmatic aside set the scene for perhaps the greatest mathematical mystery of all time.

Read More….

New Stamp…

Joint Issue : Portugal - Thailand

 

Date of Issue : 20 July 2011

Diplomatic Relations : Portugal - Thailand

 

500 Years of the Arrival of the Portuguese to Siam and the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations

Five centuries of unbroken relations from 1511 to 2011 between Portugal, the oldest established nation in the West, and Thailand, the only Southeast Asian State ever to be colonized,  go far beyond simple trade contacts and are a unique case in the annals of international relations, with diplomatic, political, military, religious, cultural and sociological dimensions. The relationship from the very beginning was one between equal nation states.

 
In the former capital, Ayutthaya, where a Portuguese district with churches and a mixed Luso Thai population long existed, generations of naval pilots, soldiers, interpreters and doctors loyally served the Kings of Siam. From the 16th to the 18th Century, portuguese was the lingua franca, and it was here that the Portuguese introduced technology and the skills of military construction, as well as European pharmacology and medicine.

Sia, was closely connected to the Asian possessions of the Portuguese Crown and received large and important embassies from Portuguese centres such as Malacca, Macau and Goa, The relations between the two countries remained unaltered, even during the troubled times of the war of liberation led by King Taksin – whose personal guard was provided by Portuguese military men – and Rama I, who received important military assistance from the Portuguese Queen Dona Maria I, in 1796.

In 1820, Siam and Portugal signed the first written treaty of modern times, ensuring Siam’s full integration in to the international community. During the period of the major reforms that took place during  the 19th century and the  beginning of the 20th century, under the reign of Rama V and Rama VI, many Portuguese from Macau settled in Bangkok acting as advisors to the Siamese government. Unlike other foreigners, they became Siamese citizens and received Thai citizenship. The history of this old alliance is an eloquent and pioneering example of fruitful dialogue between civilizations.

Club News

 

PHILANIPPON – 2011
World stamp exhibition, Yokohama city, Japan (28th July – 2nd August 2011)

Pradeep Jain from Patna writes…

Participating in Philanippon 2011 as a booth holder representing India, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka was a very pleasant experience. Being my first visit to Japan, I was excited on one hand but anxious on the other given the unfamiliar culture, taste and preferences and above all difference in language.

( From L to R ) : Mr Pradip Jain, Mr AR Singhee (Jury ) Mr Tay Peng Hian, RDP President FIP, Mrs Singhee, Mrs Pramila Jain and Mr Praggya Kothari

Exhibition hall was well organised and perfectly laid out providing sufficient displays and space for the visitors. The end of the exhibition hall featured rows of collections of various categories. One side of the hall had space for postal operators and the other side for domestic and international dealers. My most memorable moment was watching kids
engrossed in various activities spread across the exhibition hall. Another Interesting feature of the Exhibition was the presence of various security printer international and domestic who were giving out special souvenirs.

Visitors at Mr Pradip Jain’s Booth

A special mention of Cartor Security printers - who had brought in their printing machine in the the exhibition hall. Visitors were provided hands-on demo and interesting souvenirs which was printed and perforated on spot was given as gift. Over the next few days as the crowd of stamp lovers increased, I am especially grateful to Japan Post for arranging a volunteer that provided assistance to us in the booth during the crucial hours of massive crowd.

Overall my experience of Phila Nippon, Japan post and Japan was of immense satisfaction. Starting from our arrival,hotel accommodation, exhibition and finally custom clearance and departure, I had never witnessed anything so smooth, well managed and professionally handled. In the face of great natural calamity faced by Japanese, organising an event of such magnitude with great efficiency is remarkable achievement in itself. My Heartiest gratitude to organizers of Phila Nippon and People of Japan for their services and hospitality which i shall carry with me for my life.