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Sunday, 29 May 2022

2368) "Giantess" & "King Matjaž, Slovenia: EUROPA - 2022: "Stories and Myths" Theme: The Post of Slovenia (Slovene: Pošta Slovenije; PS) has issued two EUROPA Stamps depicting the Legends/Myths: Date of Stamp issue: 27.05.2022:

2368) "Giantess" & "King Matjaž, Slovenia: EUROPA - 2022: "Stories and Myths" Theme: The Post of Slovenia (Slovene: Pošta Slovenije; PS) has issued  two EUROPA Stamps depicting the Legends/Myths: Date of Stamp issue: 27.05.2022:

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" Stamps issued by  The Post of Slovenia (Slovene: Pošta Slovenije; PS):

 PostEurop stamp theme for 2022 is "Stories and Myths". 

The EUROPA Stamps issued by The Post of Slovenia (Slovene: Pošta Slovenije; PS)  feature the Legends of  the "Giantess" and "King Matjaz":

The Post of Slovenia (Slovene: Pošta Slovenije; PS) has issued on 27.05.2022, EUROPA stamps depicting the Legends of "the Giantess and King Matjaz".

The Legends/Myths - Background:

King Matjaž/Mátyás (Slovene: Kralj Matjaž, Hungarian: Mátyás király, Croatian: Kralj Matijaš):

The EUROPA - 2022 Stamp of 1.46 Euros depicting King Matjaz

He is a legendary King in Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and in some other countries, based on pre-Christian traditions of Carantania and in course of centuries gradually linked to a real-life king, Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, who lived in the second half of the 15th Century

King Matjaž is a well-known figure in the literary folklore of Slovenia. 

The basis for many legends of King Matjaž is the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus (1458–1490), who distinguished himself in the defence against the Ottoman invaders as the leader of the peasant's army that fought against the Turks in the Battle of Kokovo in July 1478. He also ensured tolerable living conditions for Slovene peasants.

Similar stories are told in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Croatia. The first written texts about King Matjaž date from the sixteenth century.

 Over time, numerous other elements were added to the original tale. 

These were of Indo-European, Oriental and medieval origin and in some cases can be linked to King Arthur, Charlemagne, Frederick Barbarossa and Frederick II. 

In amongst this multitude of elements of diverse origin, the version of the tale most commonly told in Slovenia is that of King Matjaž asleep with his army beneath a mountain (in this case the mountain is Peca/Petzen, which straddles the border between Slovenia and Austria).

 Legend has it that when he awakes and appears once again, good times will return. He is mainly represented as the king who is just and a defender of his people, and the bringer of the golden age of prosperity. It seems that he will continue to sleep for a long time!

Traditions and memorials:

- The traditions related to the King Matjaž have a significant role in the Slovenian Carinthia, particularly the Črna Valley, where a competition in building snow castles, as well as, visual art and literary writing related to King Matjaž takes place every January since 1993

This is related to a story, according to which King Matjaž sleeps in the Peca Mountain above the valley. In the vicinity of the Peca hut, there is a bronze sculpture of King Matjaž in the beginning of an abandoned pit. 

It was designed by the sculptor and mountaineer Marjan Keršič in 1958, put to bronze by the sculptor France Rotar, and placed in the cave in 1962.

In the mid-1990s, King Matjaž has been depicted on the King of Diamonds card of the Slovene Tarock. The depiction was based on a study led by the ethnologist Janez Bogataj, and the card was drawn by the academy-trained painter and illustrator Matjaž Schmidt.

In the year 2006 Slovenian country musician Milan Pečovnik - Pidži spotted the image of King Matjaž carved into the rocks of mount Peca.

The Giantess (Ajdovska deklica):

The EUROPA - 2022 Stamp of 1.33 Euros depicting the "Giantess".

She is one of many mythological figures in a Slovene folk tradition that tells of a mountain-dwelling race of giants.

 These giants were said to have lived “long ago”, as such, stories about them are thought to contain popular beliefs about the original inhabitants of the land. 

Stories about giants and giantesses vary considerably. People used to explain ancient material remains and prehistoric burial mounds as giantish structures. 

The former inhabitants of these structures were said to be trapped by enchantments in the ruins – or in some cases even in the walls of churches, as with the story of the giantess’s rib in the pilgrimage church at Crngrob near Škofja Loka. 

There are many tales and legends about giants and giantesses, but perhaps one of the best known is the story of the petrified giantess on the face of Prisank, a mountain near Kranjska Gora.

 According to the legend, a giantess prophesied that a hunter’s newborn son would grow up to be a hunter like his father and would one day shoot the golden-horned chamois known as "Zlatorog". 

This prediction angered the other giantesses, who turned their fortune-telling sister to stone, trapping her on the side of a mountain, where she can still be seen today by the many visitors to Slovenia’s Julian Alps.


The First Day Cover (FDC) depicts King Matjaz at left.

At  top right are affixed the two EUROPA - 2022 Stamps issued in the set, cancelled with a special Cancellation Postmark/Handstamp of Slovenian Post . The Cancellation Date is - "27.05.2022".

A Sheetlet of 8 stamps and a coupon/label on the EUROPA - 2022 Stamp Variant depicting the "Giantess".

A Sheetlet of 8 stamps and a coupon/label of the EUROPA - 2022 Stamp Variant depicting "King Matjaz".






Links:

Links to posts on "Stories and Myths"" on this Blog, the theme of PostEUROP "EUROPA -2022:





























Links to posts on "Endangered National Wildlife" on this Blog, the theme of PostEUROP "EUROPA -2021:


























Links to posts on "Ancient Postal Routes" on this Blog, the theme of PostEurop "EUROPA-2020":











16) "Ancient Postal Routes - Within and Outside Europe", Iceland: Two Postage Stamps issued by "Islandpostur" (Iceland Post) in the denominations of ISK 3150: Date of Stamps issue: 07.05.2020

17) "Ancient Postal Routes - the Old Road Majstorska Cesta", Croatia: A Se-tenant of two Stamps of the values of 8.60 HRK issued by Croatian Post: Date of stamp issue: 08.05.2020
















Links to Posts on "European Year of Rail":



Links to Posts on Slovenia on this Blog:

1) Republic of Slovenia (meaning -"The Land of the Slavs"):A 500 Tolarjev Banknote from Slovenia before the introduction of the Euro on 15.01.2007

2) "Contemporary Lacemaking", Slovenia: A Postage Stamp of 1.37 Euro released by Posta Slovenije (The Post of Slovenia) commemorating local Contemporary Lacemaking: Date of Stamp issue: 29.01.2021







2 comments:

  1. Santosh Khanna has commented:
    "Thanks for sharing this interesting story."

    ReplyDelete