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Monday 28 February 2022

2251) The "Dance of the Bear" ("ball de l'ossa d'Encamp"), Principality of Andorra ("Principat d"Andorra"): "Correus Espanyols" ("Correos Espana" or Spanish Post) has issued a postage stamp of 1.65 Euro depicting the popular festival: Date/Year of Stamp set issue: 11.02.2022:

2251) The "Dance of the Bear" ("ball de l'ossa d'Encamp"), Principality of Andorra ("Principat d"Andorra"): "Correus Espanyols" ("Correos Espana" or Spanish Post) has issued a postage stamp of 1.65 Euro depicting the popular festival: Date/Year of Stamp set issue: 11.02.2022:

The "Dance of the Bear" ("ball de l'ossa d'Encamp"):

The "ball de l'ossa d'Encamp" ("Dance of the Bear") is a popular theatrical and dance performance around a bear hunt that takes place on Carnival Monday in the parish of Encamp, Andorra. 

In the first half of the twentieth century the tradition was lost and the dances of the Bear were disappearing from the Principality. 

In Encamp, the dance of the bear revived in the fifties by the journalist and writer Rossend Marsol Clua (Sícoris), who formalised its representation.

 The "Dance of the Bear of Encamp" together with the "Last Bear of Ordino" that is celebrated in the first week of December, are the only manifestations that survive of this ancestral Andorran tradition

These two festivals are included in the "General Inventory of the Cultural Heritage of the Government of Andorra" as "Intangible Assets", and their inclusion in the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO" is also being processed.

The Andorra Bear Festival is considered a theatrical farce, in other words, a one-act comedy performance. This festival features a variety of characters typical of Andorran rural life of the last century and the hunting of the animal is presented as a pretext to stage the trifles in which they are immersed.  

During these festivities, a variety of characters from Andorran rural life appear and the hunting of the animal is presented as a pretext to stage the trifles in which they are immersed. 

The bear dance is, therefore, a carnival representation where the people caricature the social classes, mocking both the rich and the poor.

 At the end of the performance, garlic and quince oil are distributed to all attendees.

The Stamp:

The Postage stamp of 1.65 Euros depicting the Bear Dance.


The First Day Cover (FDC) shows the Bear Dance at left. At top right is affixed the postage stamp issue to celebrate the festival.

The square shaped Cancellation Stamp is titled "BALL DE L'OSSA" and is of Andorra la Vella Post Office. The Cancellation is dated -"11.02.2022". 






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