2306) "Legend of the Moldavian Aurochs" and the "Legend of the Bull Head", Romania: EUROPA - 2022: "Stories and Myths" Theme: Romfilatelia (Romanian Post) has issued two EUROPA stamps depicting the Legends/Myths: Date of Stamp set issue: 08.04.2022:
About Europa 2022 - Stamps:
EUROPA Stamps are special stamps issued by European postal administrations.
They bear the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.
EUROPA stamp issues are among the most collected and most popular stamps in the world and have been issued for over 60 years.
Every year a new theme is assigned by PostEurop and all participating countries issue stamps with their own interpretation of the theme. The theme for 2022 is "Stories and Myths".
More about EUROPA Postage Stamps:
EUROPA Postage stamps (also known as Europa - CEPT - European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations - until 1992) are special stamps issued by European Postal Administrations/Enterprises and bears the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.
EUROPA stamps underline cooperation in the posts domain, aimed at promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.
As such, EUROPA stamp issues are among the most collected and most popular stamps in the world.
Since the first issue in 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a tangible symbol of Europe's desire for closer integration and co-operation.
In 1993, PostEurop became responsible for issuing EUROPA stamps.
When CEPT decided to focus more on telecommunications in 1993, PostEurop took over the management of the Europa issues. The CEPT logo was replaced by a new logo created by PostEurop i.e. the word "EUROPA" leaning towards the right hand side.
Each year, PostEurop's "Stamps & Philately Group" selects the EUROPA stamp theme:
1993 - Contemporary Art
1994 - Great Discoveries
1995 - Peace and Freedom
1996 - Famous women
1997 - Tales and legends
1998 - Festivals and National Celebrations
1999 - Nature Reserves and Parks
2000 - Common Design. Tower of 6 stars
2001 - Water - Treasure of Nature
2002 - The Circus
2003 - Poster Art
2004 - Holidays
2005 - Gastronomy
2006 - Integration through the eyes of Young People
2007 - Scout Centenary
2008 - Writing Letters
2009 - Astronomy
2010 - Children Books
2011 - Forests - International Year of Forests
2012 - Visit …. (for instance "Visit Finland" etc.)
2013 - Van of the Postman - Postal vehicles
2014 - Musical instruments - National musical instruments
2015 - Old Toys
2016 - Ecology in Europe - "Think Green". Common Design
2017 - Castles
2018 - Bridges
2019 - National Birds
2020 - Ancient Postal Routes
2021 - Endangered National Wildlife
2022 - Stories & Myths.
About Europa 2022 - "Stories and Myths" Stamp set issued by Romfilatelia (Romanian Post):
PostEurop stamp theme for 2022 is "Stories and Myths".
The EUROPA Stamps issued by Romfilatelia (Romanian Post), feature the Legends of the "Moldavian Aurochs" and the "Bull Head":
Romfilatelia has issued on 08.04.2022, a set of EUROPA stamps, consisting of two stamps, two perforated blocks (PB), two Minisheets (MS), a First Day Cover (FDC) and a Special Philatelic Album (SPA).
Romfilatelia through these stamps has recreated the "Legend of the Moldavian Aurochs" (stamp of Lei 10) and the "Legend of the “Bull Head” (Stamp of Lei 16).
The Legends - Background:
In the Northern part of Transylvania, there is a land of a special beauty: Voivodal Maramures.
The people of Maramures, called "Moroseni" are the descendants of those who gave the name of the land, the "Voivodes".
In the Land of Maramures there were, in the 14th century, seven principalities (territories under the jurisdiction of a ruler, called a knyaz, or prince).
The Legend of the Moldavian Aurochs (Postage stamp of Lei 10):
One of the most important principalities, located on the Viseu River Valley and on the upper course of the Iza River, was from Cuhea, which belonged to the Bogdanesti family. The centre of government and administration and the residence of the Voivodal family belonged to Bogdan I, the founder of Moldavia is this place.
The principalities had emerged as organized forms of Romanian resistance against Hungarian expansion. The local princes (knyaz), in turn, had elected a Voivode of all Romanians in Maramures (Voyvoda Olachorum de Maramurisio).
In 1343, the legendary Dragos, a general at the head of an army placed in the service of King Louis of Anjou of Hungary was on an annexation spree, directed by Louis, who was a descendant of Carol Robert.
Louis continued the policy of expansion, which, at that time, presupposed the stringent removal of the danger of the Tartar invasion from the borders of the kingdom, also accepting as a solution the help of the Romanian Voivodes (considered vassals).
Accompanied by a troop of cavalry, the Voivode Dragos advanced on one of the narrow roads of the secular forests of Bukovina, to the Eastern lands, where the vast plains were taken over by the Tartar hordes.
Somewhere, in front of the army, the companion dogs were led by a female dog Molda, who had begun to show signs of impatience, as if urging them to hurry.
After a while, the road began to widen, stopping in a beautiful meadow that bordered the banks of a clear and fast river.
Across the river, an unexpected image unfolded to the soldiers: a big, fierce aurochs staring from under the broad branch of a tree at the dogs, who, standing in a line by the river, were barking angrily, not having the courage to swim across the cold waters.
Hitting the ground hard with his front legs, the aurochs moved toward the noisy animals. Gushing from the shore alignment, Molda jumped into the river, quickly reaching the opposite bank.
The aurochs, a little astonished, slowed down a little, but resumed his walking vigorously when Molda clearly led the beginning of the attack.
Pulling out furrows of grass, the blow with the horns threw the dog’s body upwards, and the aurochs, as if by a well-thought calculation, found itself immediately on the spot where the dog was about to fall, applying a new blow, this time deadly.
Seeing this brave action on the part of Molda, Dragos, before the soldiers could move, rode his horse, rushing furiously at the fierce animal.
Arriving near the aurochs, the horse turned to the right, avoiding a direct collision. The soldiers had drawn their bows but were afraid to release the arrows for fear of injuring the Voivode.
Dragos had hurried away by a short detour and had pulled out his heavy mace with steel fangs. The horse, strongly reined in, headed back towards the aurochs, which, with its head down, almost touching the grass, was moving menacingly towards the rider.
For a moment he looked up at the man who had invaded his territory. With unusual force, the Voivode’s mace was thrown directly at the animal’s forehead. The blood from the wounds was visible and the aurochs’ gait was interrupted in a slow knee.
The soldiers, who had meanwhile crossed the river, while sitting in the saddle, threw their short spears at the fallen aurochs, causing it several injuries, through which the animal’s strength drained out with its life.
Reality or legend, the story continued with the burial of Molda and the baptism of the river with the name Molda.
The legend of the "Bull Head" (Postage Stamp of Lei 16):
The Tartar armies were defeated and the Voivode Dragos later returned to Baia, his royal fortress, where he ordered that the face of the aurochs, which had been killed by him in circumstances of great danger, to be sewn with gold thread on the princely flags.
In the next seven years of his reign, Dragos, Sas (son of Dragos) and Balc (son of Sas) succeeded one another in the throne of little Moldavia. The locals, however, rebelled against the sovereignty imposed by the king of Hungary.
In 1359, supported by Moldavians eager for independence, the Voivode Bogdan arrived in Baia. Sas got chased away, and Bogdan became the leader of Greater Moldavia (by adding to Dragos’s Little Moldavia all political parties on the territory of Moldavia).
Exactly 500 years later, in 1859, Greater Moldova added another country, Muntenia (Wallachia), under the sceptre of a single ruler, Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
The flags of Bogdan I continued to bear the image of the aurochs head, taken over in time by the sculptors who adorned the royal churches with ornaments.
Louis of Anjou recognized, after a few lost battles, the exit of Moldavia from under the Crown of Saint Stephen through the Royal Decree (02.02.1365).
Almost a century after the enthronement of Bogdan I, on the flags of Moldavia carried by the brave soldiers of Stephen the Great, shone from the fabric of golden threads, the coat of arms of the country having as its central image the Aurochs Head.
The EUROPA Stamps issued by Romfilatelia:
The First Day Cover (FDC) depicts a stone depiction of the Aurochs (Bull Head) at bottom left. At top right are affixed the two EUROPA stamps issued by Romfilatelia (Romanian Post).
The special cancellation postmark is of Bucharest Post Office and the cancellation is dated - "08.04.2022".
Tête-Bêche:
In philately, tête-bêche (French for "head-to-tail", lit. "head-to-head") is a joined pair of stamps in which one is upside-down in relation to the other, produced intentionally or accidentally. Like any pair of stamps, a pair of tête-bêches can be a vertical or a horizontal pair. In the case of a pair of triangular stamps, they cannot help but be linked "head-to-tail".
Mechanical errors during the process of production can result in tête-bêches. During the printing of stamps for booklets, the pages of stamps are usually printed in multiples from a larger printing plate. This can result in tête-bêche pairs.
Most booklet stamps are printed in sheets, each containing 4 booklets. Looking at such a sheet 2 booklets, one above the other, come in from the left with the other 2 sheets coming from the right which appear to be upside down.
Where the columns of stamps from each side meet there is therefore a row of tete-beche pairs. It is unusual for these pairs to find their way into the postal system, as the sheets are cut into individual booklet pages before binding into the distributed booklet.
The Philatelic Folder.
The philatelic album printed in a limited run of 313 pieces contains the special philatelic block of two imperforated stamps, the First Day Cover, with the postmark clearly imprinted in gold foiling, and also a special philatelic piece containing a reproduction after an engraving made by Octavian Ion Penda on which are applied the stamp of the issue with the value of Lei 10, as well as, the First Day postmark, clearly imprinted in gold foiling.
The special philatelic block, the First Day Cover and the special philatelic piece are numbered from 001 to 313.
Technical details:
Issue Date: 08.04.2022
Designer: Walter RIESS
Process: Offset, in 4 colours, paper for stamps, gummed, produced by Tullis Russel (UK origin), purchased by the Stamp Factory; weight: 112 ± 4% g/m2
Colours: 4 Colours
Size: Stamp Size: 48.00 mm × 33.00 mm
Minisheet Size: 162.00 mm × 90.00 mm
Blocks Size: 114.00 mm × 90.00 mm; 134.00 mm × 162.00 mm (in philatelic album)
Values:10.00 Lei, 16.00 Lei
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Links to Posts on "European Year of Rail":
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Rajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Good informative post👍👍"
Thank you, Trikha sahab.
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