India

One more card for today, this time showing a really lovely girl from India.

The people from the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are skilled craftsmen, where one village is an expert in one, while the next village in another craft.
Most of the crafts origin from there, especially certain apparels, jewelry, accessories, and they are quite cheap.
People who know me know that I have a really soft spot on such jewelry (no gold or silver but unusual, colourful, or funny ones) so probably these places would be my heaven.
I love the way this girl is dressed - so lovely and colourful, and I esp love her bunch of colourful bracelets - I'd definitely wear those, in the same quantity as well :)

We have quite a lot of stamps here, let's see how I manage this...
The two bigger colourful stamps are from 2013 (not from the same set though). The one on the very left is part of 2 stamps showing Heritage Buildings - this I believe is the Head Post Office in Agra.
The other big stamp is also from a set of two, showing the Wild Ass of Ladakh & Kutch.

Now, on the small stamps you can see Gandhi - from a set of 6 personalities' stamps issued in 2009. Below it is another stamp from 2009, also from a set of 3 personalities' stamps, showing E.V. Ramasami.
The last one, which you can see twice, is a definitive from 2008.

So, that would be all for today. Enjoy whatever's left of your weekend! Till next time!

Bali, Indonesia

I received this lovely card from Irien as a surprise for the FB surprise group! an absolutely great card!

the image is somewhere in Bali, showing two ladies that according to the caption are relaxing before going for a prayer...well, the place seems to be ideal for relaxing indeed...love that misty, chilly atmosphere they are surrounded with..

the stamps are from a set of 5 issued in 2012, representing Historic Buildings of Worship...the top stamp shows the Masjid Agung in Palembang, while the bottom one shows the Pura Beakih in Besakih.

América Andina, Chile

A few Chile cards I received in a swap two years ago...all people related, so I post them altogether now.
They are all fantastic, and I just love this kind of traditional clothing..esp. those scarves!! something i'd wear on daily basis! LOVE THEM!!

All three cards feature people from the Andes (the longest continental mountain range in the world.

The first card shows local peasant girls dressed in traditional clothing.
Traditional Chilean clothing, as it can be seen, is very vivid, lively, and festive and is also based a lot around comfort because most of the population in Chile works in jobs that use manual labor and modern fashion also has a lot of influence on the traditional Chilean clothing because it is very patriotic, showing pictures that represent the country. This relates to the ethnic composition because most of the articles of clothing made take a lot of work and manual labor, which is the type of work that the majority of the population does, it is very versatile, and people from all walks of life can wear it.

a cute stamp issued in 2008 in a set of 10 stamps representing Typical Chilean characters, and here you can see a road sweeper...who looks really happy and content while whistling some songs during his working hours.
And also there is an additional postage sticker (on all three cards)...it is funny to me that they weigh the cards....


This second card...isn't it one of the most adorable ones you've seen? I sooo much love it!!!!

and just look at all those colours she is tucked in! And those almond shaped deep-black eyes! Adorable!!!

the stamp is from a set of two stamps issued in 2006, for the World Forum for Quality


the third card shows a peasant family, again dressed in traditional clothing.

I do appreciate OUR traditional clothing and stuff...but often I wish I lived in one of these Latin/South American countries, that have this kind of clothing that is both like traditional and modern and absolutely MY taste! Add to this that I've been told on a number of occasions that I have something Latin/South American in my appearance...beats me why, it is not something i've made up...ask others for an explanation...but that's just probably another reason why unconsciously I find such clothing so appealing =)

this stamp is also from the set representing Typical Chilean Characters, and this one shows a Barrel Organ Grinder...

Lappstaden, Sweden

A beautiful Swedish card...I love those colours! I would love a sweater like that too!

and this lady and two children come from Lappstaden, which is the largest preserved Sámi church town in Sweden.
Although you probably won’t meet any Sámi here, you will at least be able to see how they used to live in traditional huts, or kåtor. About eighty of these huts in the eighteenth-century Sámi church town have survived, and are clumped unceremoniously next to a yellow, modern apartment building. The design of these square wooden buildings supporting a pyramid-shaped roof is typical of the Forest Sámi who lived in the surrounding forests, constructing their homes of indigenous timber.

seriously, Id love a sweater like this! It is just so much....ME!

well, a special part of this card is its back..because the stamps are all over it!! Katja has really put her efforts on it!
The three flower stamps are actually Christmas stamps (boy, I dread its coming!) issued in 1990, and these are part of a set of six stamps.
The blue stamp (at the very right) was issued in 1979 as a part of three stamps featuring Nobel Prize winners. This one here shows Johannes Stark who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1919, for his "discovery of the Doppler effect in canal rays and the splitting of spectral lines in electric fields".
The remaining two stamps were also issued in 1979 (im truly amazed at the fact that such oldies still can be purchased and used), and are a part of a set of 5 stamps about Fishing Development. Not quite sure what that one is all about though...

National Costumes, Romania

the next card shows some really nice Romanian traditional costumes from the late 19 century...but unfortunately, I couldnt really trace them down so any input would be highly appreciated :)

the lady's dress just feels odd to me...or probably it is the overall...but you know, when it comes to traditional costumes, Im used to seeing people either posing, or dancing...but these two are as if they are taking a walk in the park on an early Sunday morning...really, i just find it odd on the card :)

both stamps were issued in 2012 in a set of 4 stamps depicting the flora of Romania....the left stamp shows the Starflower, while the right one, the Alpine Forget-me-not.

Bear's Den Stone, Finland

I got this adorable card from the favourites tag! Just look at this pair of cute children.

if im not mistaken, these traditional clothing should be typical for Inari, the largest, sparsely populated municipality with four official language and the centre of the Sami culture.
And Bear's Den Stone is the English equivalent to Karhunpesäkivi, a place in this area.
I would still need some help from some of my Finnish readers....Anu? Please? :)

well, whether im right or wrong, I wish you days ahead full of love and hugs and kisses :)

the stamp is from a set of two self-adhesive Dahlias issued in 2011.
I know the Finnish issue some of the most unusual stamps...but the last one ive seen definitely beats them all so far...maybe ill get it on some postcard too :)

In the meantime, you can check it out here:

as a whole, it is crazy, no?? and just fantastic. It represents the Sami culture. Übercool!

Turkmenistan

Well, first of all, Happy Easter to all celebrating today! Hope you are enjoying it, along with some nice meals too....this may especially count for those who have been fasting....so it is about time to indulge into something 'forbidden'. Here Easter is next week, so today is just another regular Sunday. And since ive ignored you this past week, ill make it up today with a few nice cards (well, they are always nice actually :))

well, first one comes from the favourites tag....Claus always has in stock some rare countries....i dont know how he gets them all, but it is amazing! And i was really thrilled when he tagged me for this one :)
Well, it was not sent from Turkmenistan, so dont be TOO jealous...but still, the card is just great! I mean, it was in my favourites after all :) And i love cards showing anything traditional!

Now, I couldnt really find some reliable information about the kind of traditional clothes featured on this card...like on what occasions it is worn and from which part of Turkmenistan it originates and such...so if anyone knows, please help. And also, if you have info about the vessel the lady is holding and also the carpet/rug in the background, that would also be very appreciated :)

Estonia

well, after North Korea, we are moving to Estonia. I was browsing my cards and realized I have 3 from the same set, all received in 2009 as well...so I thought it would be appropriate to post them all.
they all show different Estonian counties, with some particular traditional  clothes for that county, as well as a map and some landmarks...pretty neat!

first is a card showing Harjumaa, situated in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. The capital Tallinn is also in this county. The traditional clothes presented are of the Kuusalu Parish...and you can also see the Jägala waterfall and the Open-air museum in Viimsin.

the stamps are lovely too, corresponding to the traditional clothes moment. the left one is from a set of two costumes' stamps issued in 1995, while the other one was issued in 2001 in another set of two costumes stamps.
Thanks a lot to dear Janek for the card!

the second card here comes from two dear ladies, Katy and Kriszti from the time they met back in July, 2009...wow, it's been that long since?! Time is really freaking me out sometimes =/
They sent me a lovely card of the Läänemaa county, which is located in western Estonia and borders Baltic Sea to the north and is said to be with a long coastline, meadows, forests and bogs.
The traditional clothes on the card are ones of  girl and boy of Lihula. You can also see the Episcopal castle in Haapsalu and at the bottom right corner...a train at a train station!!! LOVELY!!

the stamp was issued in 2009, depicting the Estonian flag.
Thank you so much to both of you!!!!

and the third card of the series, comes again from Janek and shows the Põlvamaa county which is situated in south-eastern part of the country. The card shows traditional clothes of a man and woman of Setumaa; the Taevaskoja Sandstone Cliff in Põlva; the Kiidjärve Water Mill in the Põlva County and the Piusa Caves.

some more lovely stamps here...the one on the left is from a set of 4 stamps issued in 1992 portraying the Baltic Sea, while the other two are from 2001 from a set of 8 fairy tales' stamps.
Thank you again Janek!!!

Folk Clothings, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Well, after they decided to fry my brain today, I decided to put aside everything work related tonight and do something relaxing instead...otherwise i would probably collapse during 5 more hours interpreting tomorrow....quite inhuman and unacceptable...those who have 'been there' know perfectly well what Im talking about...but sometimes you just have no choice...or they dont even give you one..nor they just dont pay you for it....but as long as there are sheep (like me) to be sheared....

Thats why there are postcards to turn to and ease your mind...and the first one came this Saturday as a grand grand grand!!! surprise from dear Pinar....from a very new country to me, and that is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus!!

For a few years back Ive been checking some travel offers to this country....one reason is coz it is rather mysterious to me and not explored enough (or at all)...the other reason is coz I wanted to go there and send out a bunch of postcards coz this is considered as a hard hard to get country! But there, Pinar overtook me and decided to surprise my dear mailbox with this treat! Doesnt mean that I still dont consider going to TRNC one day.

Pinar had chosen such a beautiful card for me! It is so lovely and colourful and it is always nice to see other countries' traditional clothing....the ladies' clothes here are somehow odd...for my eyes at least...cant really explain it why....the boys' clothes feel more authentic..what I love about this card is the moment captured and the girl's smile...so cute and genuine...I wonder if this was as a part of some traditional event, ceremony, holiday...or maybe just getting ready for a regular performance....either way, a lovely card :).

and...here is the stamp! to serve as proof where this card was directly mailed from :)
the stamp is from a set of 2 issued in 2010, regarding the Islamic Conference.
Now, down to the tricky part about Northern Cyprus...as you may or may not, it is a a de facto independent state, recognized by Turkey only...but however, they have their own stamps...which makes it more than worthwhile..but...the Universal Postal Union does not recognise Northern Cyprus as a separate entity, so in case you want to mail something there, it has to go 'via Mersin 10, TURKEY'. Quite confusing that a country is not recognized by the UPU, yet mail sent with its own stamps arrive perfectly well.....

Thank you so much Pinar for such a precious piece of card! 

Mexico

A card from the so much spoken Mexico on this blog....this lovely surprise was sent by dear Rosa, back in 2009.

the card is said to show a parade with women of different states of the country in their traditional outfits. Well, Mexican outfits are rather lovely...so vibrant.
Speaking of surprises and postcards....this past week I was out of town, travelled around Macedonia, but to my great disappointment, no postcards were found....mainly due to the lack of time to actually look for them...or due to the fact that when I had the time, everything was closed. In the city of Strumica (located in the south-eastern part of Macedonia) I came across a souvenir shop, and from what I could see through the windows, there was something that looked like postcards, but unfortunately, being 10 pm, it was, of course, closed. Maybe I wouldnt have been able to send cards directly from there, but I really wanted to get something different in my stocks of cards.....but well, maybe next time Ill be more lucky and will have more time for that...

the card bears a label instead of a stamp....and what makes me glad about it is that it bears the name of Macedonia, next to the ISO Country code..... I was quite saddened lately to see that at the postcrossing spotlight, some people had to jump in and complain that it is not Macedonia but FYROM and blah blah blah...I mean, c'mon people, it is just sooo tiring to argue about this...let me at least enjoy in my one and only PC interview, dont ruin it.....and just to point it out, no FYROM or anti-Macedonian posts will be tolerated here....

thanks a lot to dear Rosa for the lovely card here! 

The Floating Children, Hong Kong

My last card for today comes from Hong-Kong.

The name of the card is 'The Floating Children" and this is what the back of the card has to say:
The incredible tableau of traditionally dressed children seeming to fly in the air was part of the Hong Kong 10th Anniversary of the handover to China parade on July 1st 2007.

A very lovely and colourful card and also different than the majority of my HK cards, which in general are view-cards and sometimes I have the feeling that im seeing the same buildings on all of them.

And a bunch of lovely stamps on the card.
The birds' stamps all come from a set of 16 definitives issued in 2006 and here you can see the Kingfisher (the $1 stamp on the left side of the lighthouse), the Sea Eagle (top right corner) and below the Sea Eagle is the Minivet. The lighthouse stamp was issued in 2010 in a set of 5 stamps portraying lighthouses in Hong Kong. On this stamp you can see Cape D'Aguilar. Which now reminds me I have something nice to show off at my philatelic blog :)

Thanks a lot to Orange for such lovely card and stamps and thanks to all of you for following and reading. Have a great week ahead!

Malaysia

Ive realized that one can learn a rather lot through these cards representing traditional clothes and/or dances.

This one coming from Malaysia shows a Portrait of Sabandar Cultural Dancers in Malay costume worn to perform Joget, the Malay traditional dance
Joget is also performed at official functions as it is the National Dance.

Joget is a great example how elements from various culture can merge together into one single form. The dance of the Portuguese roots is accompanied by an ensemble consisting of; a violin of Western world, a knobbed gong of Asia, a flute (optional) and at least two rebana or gendang of Malay world. The tempo of Joget music is fairly quick with the feeling of teasing and playing between the partners. The music emphasizes duple- and triple-beat division, both in alternation and simultaneously, and sung in the northeast Malaysia style[2][3].
One of the most popular type of Joget is called "Joget Lambak" and usually performed by a large crowd together in social functions.

And here is what YouTube has got to say about Joget Lambak...uhmm....i feel im being mislead...

This stamp was issued this year in a flower stamps set, and also, each stamp of that set, as i understood, represents one state in Malaysia.

Doha, Qatar

Lets start the day with showing off a new country in my collection...from where i actually now have 3 postcards, not just one...its insane, isnt it :) Though i wouldnt mind if for all my newly received countries, i end up getting one more postcard from there...i can never get enough of postcards in the first place.

i think i have a particular short story to share with you, when it comes to Qatar, but ill leave it for another Qatar postcard, since this one already depicts something particular, and i dont wanna bother you with information that dont really belong here, though its nothing surprising for me to do it :)The card shows "The Ardah" which is a traditional dance related to the Saudi Folk Music, performed by men on some festive occasion in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and they are also dressed in traditional clothes. The the thing they wear on the head is only used in Qatar, while other colours and designs are worn in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
As you may know, traditional dances and clothes have never really been my strong side, though i think that many of them are a real state of art and i really dont give them the credit they deserve to get. And probably if i start talking about them, i would just end up in some dead-end street due to my unfamiliarity with it...but now this makes me thing how i would like to actually put cards of this kind on my wishlist too...they surely get to teach you a lot!
I would like to show you some videos i came across regarding this...as you can see, the sword is the crucial element of this dance.















did you happen to notice some intruders in the videos?

and getting down to the stamp...which i have to say is some special sort of favourite to me, due to that 'missent' stamp on it :))  I know many of you may hate to get such a 'ruined' stamp but for some reason, it has a great value of me and makes it just unique :)
I dont know how my card managed to get to Indonesia first, there is not much of a resemblance between Macedonia and Indonesia, except for the last two letters, but i hope it has enjoyed its stay while being there...
The stamp was issued in 1998 and belongs to a set of 20 stamps, on the subject of Insects. This here is a Rufous Bombardier Beetle...

Japan

In general, im not very fond of posctards with people (why, kill me if i actually know) but i DO like it when they are portraying something significant about the country, like in this case.

the back of the cards says: Maiko-Feminine charms of traditional Japan are still preserved by these Kimono-clad maiko in Kyoto.
I had no idea what Maiko actually is..but here is what friendly google says: Maiko is a Japanese word for "dancing girl" and is an apprentice of Gesiha.
And it also can be a female given name....whose meaning can be different regarding the Kanji used...hmm, and thats when i got lost and stopped googling...if you expected me to actually analyze each Kanji and what each name means, then sorry, but you've overestimated me!
I once started learning Japanese...I knew how to write my name, and some very simple words (which nowadays im teaching my 4 year old students) like apple, tree, sun...that Japanese learning is a real story, but i wont go into details...the thing is, today, i know NO Japanese at all...whatever i had learned, just disappeared...puff...like that...
I was analyzing this Maiko girl...how on earth can she walk on those platforms! I mean, i know it would be easier to walk on those then on high-heels of the same size since these are flat and its easier to hold balance and all(btw, im a walking-fiasco when it comes to high-heels of any size) but still...when you dont really have a close connection with the surface you are walking on, it gets difficult...even on platforms...i have a pair of lovely white sandals, which are like 20cm high...and i always feel as if my leg is gonna twist and im gonna break an ankle...with these ones as well...i mean, just look at them...all it takes is to lean a bit forward...and puff...again!