Issued by India

Issued on Dec 23, 2016

Issued for : The Department of Posts in an attempt to make the medium of communication more evocative, is bringing out two stamps on the theme of Season’s Greetings.

Credits :
Stamp / Miniature Sheet / Sheetlet / FDC / Brochure / Cancellation Cachet : Sh. Brahm Prakash

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 1000 & 2000 Paise

Miniature Sheet Printed : 0.1 million

Sheetlets Printed : 15000 each (two types)

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• The exchange of greetings amongst friends has been recorded from ancient times. Different countries and cultures have adopted their own unique ways to express affection, goodwill, gratitude and other sentiments during festivals. The celebrations of festivals serve to fulfil specific communal purposes. They offer a sense of belonging for religious, social, or geographical groups, contributing to group cohesiveness. They bring an opportunity to rejoice and provide an outlet to express the innate happiness. The traditional reasons of celebrations also include entertainment which was particularly important to local communities before the advent of mass-produced entertainment. Festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics also seek to inform community members of their traditions; the involvement of elders sharing stories and experience provides a means for unity among families.
• The tradition of sending good wishes at the start of the New Year goes back many centuries, probably beginning with the Chinese and Egyptians who exchanged goodwill messages to ward off evil spirits. Sending them in the form of something written was a Roman tradition of the New Year. Gifts or greetings were sent on December 25^th to ensure they arrived by January 1^st. Though Christmas was rarely mentioned in this practice it was implied in many cases. The sending of holiday greetings is also tied to the ancient practice of mumming, when neighbours would go door to door dressed in costumes, seeking treats and conveying well wishes for the new year with short plays and performing skits and songs of general merriment.
• The festival of Christmas is celebrated with extreme joy and enthusiasm. Though there are no historical records to tell if Jesus Christ was born on 25^th December, but people have started celebrating his birth on this day because it was found favourable for people living in the dark and cold countries, as the day marks the Winter Solstice.
• The legend of Santa Claus which is inseparable from the festival of Christmas, has a reference of St. Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. According to the popular stories, his wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy and sick. One of the earliest legends that was attached to his name tells how St Nicholas heard of a man who could not afford the dowries for his three daughters, with the result that he intended – regretfully – to sell them to slavery. St. Nicholas saves them from this fate by throwing three bags of gold through their window at night: it is this tale which is often identified as the root of St Nicholas’s reputation as a gift-giver. He dedicated his life in serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships. In the course of the development of his legend, St Nicholas does appear to have taken on some of the qualities/roles that originally belonged to the pagan deities Artemis and Poseidon.
• In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas”. Moore’s poem, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as the ageless, timeless, deathless white-bearded and red suited man who gives out gifts on Christmas. His poem helped popularize the now-familiar image of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve – in “a miniature sleigh” led by eight flying reindeer – leaving presents for deserving children. On January 1^st 1881, Harper’s Weekly published Thomas Nast’s most famous image of Santa, complete with a big red belly, an arm full of toys and smoking a pipe! This image of Santa became so popular, that several artists started drawing Santa in his red and white costume. Today children all across the world wait for the gifts on Christmas day with the strong image of red clothed Santa coming on sleigh in the night.
• With time the technology has extended the reach of human, providing several means of conveying Greetings. The exchange of greetings via social media, text, and electronic media has expanded, but the post remains the most popular and predominant mode of transmission. The charm of receiving the greetings with the beautiful stamps embellishing the envelopes is incomparable. It conveys to the recipient the extra effort and care that have gone into it to send the wishes.
• The Department of Posts has been issuing the Seasons’ Greetings from time to time since 1990, and carrying out the role of harbingers of glad tidings. The attempt is always to add an extra dimension to the thought expressed, reinforcing the spirit of the message and making it more eloquent.
• The colourful stamps on Season’s greetings this year have been designed to celebrate the legend of Santa Claus and to evoke the sense of pleasantness and happiness associated with it.
• Text : Based on the material available on internet.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 8, 2008

Issued for : India Post is proud to commemorate the festival of Christmas with the issue of postage stamps on the theme “Merry Christmas” and wished everyone happiness, joy and prosperity.

Credits :
Stamp : Bharti Mirchandani
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Multi color

Denomination : 500 & 2000 Paise

Stamps Printed : 1.5 Million each

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• Christmas, the annual Christian holiday, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Most members of the Roman Catholic Church and followers of Protestantism celebrate Christmas on December 25, and many celebrate on the evening of December 24 as well. In addition to being a religious holiday, Christmas is a widely observed secular festival. For most people who celebrate Christmas, the holiday season is characterized by gatherings among family and friends, feasting, and gift giving.
• The world Christmas entered the English language sometime around 1050 as the Old English phrase Christes maesse, meaning “festival of Christ”. Scholars believe the frequently used shortened from the Christmas – Xmas – may have come into use in the 13^th century. The X stands for the Greek letter chi, an abbreviation of Khristos (Christ), and also represents the cross on which, Jesus was crucified.
• Historians are unsure exactly when Christians first began celebrating the Nativity of Christ. However, most scholars believe that Christmas originated in the 4^th century as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Before the introduction of Christmas, each year beginning on December 17 Romans honoured Saturn, the ancient God of Agriculture, in a festival called Saturnalia. This festival lasted for seven days and included the winter solstice, which usually occurred around December 25 on the ancient Julian calendar. During Saturnalia the Romans feasted, postponed all business and warfare, exchanged gifts, and temporarily freed their slaves. Many Romans also celebrated the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice by participating in rituals to glorify Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light, these and other winter festivities continued through January 1, the festival of Kalends, when Romans marked the day of the new moon and the first day of the month and year.
• Although the Gospels describe Jesus’ birth in details, they are silent about the date, so historians do not know on what date he was born. The Roman Catholic Church choose December 25 as the day for the Feast of the Nativity in order to give Christian meaning to existing pagan rituals. The Church replaced festivities honoring the birth of Mithra the god of light, with festivities to commemorate the birth of Jesus, whom the Bible calls the light of the world.
• Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations – including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly Santa Claus, also referred to as Father Christmas, is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretisation between St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology. The popular image of Santa Claus was created by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), who drew a new image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast‘s Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s.
• Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. Gift-giving and several other aspects of the festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians; Christmas has become a major event for many retailers. Marketers and retailers around the world prepare themselves for Christmas and reap a rich harvest.
• The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship. The Modern Christmas tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18^th century though many argue that Martin Luther began the tradition in the 16^th century.
• The Bible provides no guidelines that explain how Christmas should be observed, nor does it suggest that it should be considered a religious holiday. Because of the lack of biblical instructions, Christmas rituals have been shaped by the religious and popular traditions of each culture that celebrates the holiday. On Christmas Eve, churches around the world hold evening services. At midnight, most Catholic and many Protestant churches hold special candlelight services. The Catholic midnight Mass was first introduced by the Roman Catholic Church in the 5^th century. Christmas Masses are sometimes solemn and sometimes buoyant, depending on the particular culture that conducts them.
• Christmas customs around the world reflect the variety of cultures that celebrate the holiday. For some people, Christmas is primarily a holy day marked by religious services. For others, gift giving, feasting, and good times figure more prominently. At its root, Christmas celebrates one of the fundamental events of Christianity, the birth of Jesus. However, the celebration of Christmas also incorporates many secular customs that have been handed down through families and borrowed from other cultures. This complex layering of scared and secular observances creates celebrations that vary from nation to nation, and from culture to culture.

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Issued by Australia

Issued on Sep 15, 1982 (35c) and Nov 1, 1982 (21c, 75c)

Design : The Christmas greeting card is generally considered to be an English invention, dating back to the 1840s. By the 1880s, Christmas cards had become an expression of popular art with both pictures and verse reflecting the sentiment and taste of the Victorian era. The earliest Christmas cards to be designed with Australian themes and printed in Australia were manufactured in Sydney in 1881, and it was on this original range that the Christmas stamp designs for 1982 were based.

Designer : Bruce Weatherhead [Freelance graphic designer Mr Bruce Weatherhead has been associated with Australian stamp design since 1975, and over the years has designed many stamps for Australia Post. In 1982, apart from the design of the Christmas issue, he is accredited with the typography of the ‘Roses in Australia‘ and ‘Historic Post Offices’ stamps. His work covers most fields of illustrative design, and his vast experience enables him to work in the areas of illustrator, graphic designer and consultant at his business in South Yarra, Melbourne.]

Type : Stamps, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 21, 35 and 75 cents 

Stamp sizes : 26 mm x 37.5 mm vertical; 37.5 mm x 26 mm horizontal

Perforation : 14½ x 14½

Paper : APWH stamp paper

Sheet content : 100 (issued)

Printing process : photolithography on a four–colour Roland Rekord Press

Printer : Leigh–Mardon Pty Limited, Melbourne

About : 

• In nineteenth century Australia, Christmas cards were mainly imported from Europe, and the scenes they depicted bore little or no relation to Australian conditions in December. The first attempt to produce a specifically Australian card was made by the printing firm John Sands, of Sydney. In 1881, Robert Sands, the founder’s son, announced a competition for suitable designs of Australian subjects, with prizes totalling 50 guineas. The 662 entries were displayed in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and judged by E. Combes, MLA, E. L. Montefiore, and E. du Faur.
  
• The aim of the competition was summarised in the Bulletin as “…that of providing cards suitable for sending home or calculated to convey to our friends an idea, not only of the beauty of our scenery and flora, but at the same time, show the advance Australia, and Sydney in particular, is making in the Fine Arts” [Bulletin 29 October 1881, p. 6 (advertisement)].
  
• The 38 cards produced as a result of the competition were released for sale in October 1881, available “from any Bookseller or Stationer in the colonies.” Typical of the resulting general acclaim was the reaction of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, which described them as “these really artistic gems” [Sydney Daily Telegraph 29 October 1881, p. 6]. The subjects of the cards were listed in an advertisement in the Sydney Daily Telegraph on Monday 31 October 1881. Most incorporated Australian flora and fauna, together with a focal point of Australiana such as a well-known scenic view.
  
• The three cards from this original John Sands range selected for the Australia Post Christmas 1982 stamp issue are, as titled in the Sydney Daily Telegraph advertisement : ‘Bushman’s Hotel, with Cobb’s coach arriving’; ‘Spray of wattle, graphic monochrome of Sydney Harbour’; and ‘Little girl offering Christmas pudding to swagsman’ (sic).
  
• On the 21c stamp, several men and horses stand outside a building with the sign ‘Bushman’s Hotel‘. To the right a carriage approaches, laden with people and luggage. The background is of bush, mainly eucalypts, and the picture is surrounded by delicate lattice-work.
  
• The main subject of the 35c stamp is a peaceful view of a stretch of water in Sydney Harbour, with a yacht and a ferry in the distance. A spray of wattle is placed behind this picture, with the legend “Health, wealth and happiness in the coming year”.
  
• In the background of the 75c stamp, a well-dressed party has arrived for a bush picnic, with a large hamper. Their carriage is silhouetted to the left. In the foreground, a little girl from the picnic group holds out a plate with a slice of Christmas pudding to a dejected-looking swagman, seated against a gum tree. A fire burns with a billy to the right and the swag lies on the ground behind the child. A border of flowers features the waratah and Sturt pea, with cockatoos and parrots. The legend bears the greeting “A merry Christmas and a happy new year”. The artist was identified in the Sydney Morning Herald as C. H. Hunt, of Sydney.
  
• The verse in the top right corner is by Miss Lizzie Kingsbury :
  “A priceless jewel from the casket of
  God’s tender love
  Is Christmas sent to draw our hearts
  from earth to Heaven above“.
  
• The ‘Little girl offering Christmas pudding to swagsman‘ card was priced at the top of the range at 1s 3d, and the others sold for 1s each, “Mounted on Toned Cards, 6d each extra.” Each card carries the John Sands hourglass trade mark, with the words “prize designs, copyright”.
  
• The cards were not only designed but also printed in Australia, at John Sands‘ Chromo-Lithographic Works, 374 George Street, Sydney. The designs were drawn on stone by artists employed by John Sands, and printed on chromo-litho machines imported from England for this specific purpose. The company placed a special advertisement in the Bulletin stressing that the cards were manufactured locally, “There being an erroneous idea prevalent – owing to their excellence – that these cards have been produced in Europe from colonial designs…” [Bulletin 29 October 1881, p. 6 (advertisement)]
  
• Australia Post reproduced the three cards from the collection of Mr Ray Chapman MBE, with the permission of John Sands Greetings. The first day cover design, printed above, was reproduced from the Australasian sketcher 23 December 1876.

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Issued by United States of America

Issued on Nov 5, 1970

Issued for : These 6-cent Christmas stamps will be first placed on sale November 5, 1970 at Washington, D.C., in non-precanceled and precanceled forms.

Design : Each pictures a toy of yesterday. These 19^th century bits of Americana are becoming prize collectors’ items and museum pieces. The four stamps, printed on the same sheet, were designed by Stevan Dohanos, of Westport, Connecticut, Chairman of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee.

The locomotive was adopted from artwork by Charles Hemming in the “Index of American Design“, a collection of the National Gallery of Art. The others are from “The Golden Age of Toys“, by Fondin and Remise. Red, yellow, blue and black are combined to produce the stamps.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Denomination : 6 cents each

Technical Details : They were printed by gravure at Guilford Gravure, Inc., Guilford, Connecticut, which was leased by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and was manned by Bureau personnel.

An additional 6-cent Christmas stamp reproduces “The Nativity“, by Lorenzo Lotto, 16^th Century Italian artist. It will also be issued November 5 in Washington, D.C.

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Issued by United States of America

Issued on Nov 5, 1970

Issued for : This 6-cent Christmas stamp will be first placed on sale November 5, 1970 at Washington, D.C., in non-precanceled and precanceled forms.

Design : The stamp reproduces “The Nativity“ by Lorenzo Lotto, 16^th Century Italian painter. It hangs in the National Gallery of Art.

It was printed by gravure at Guilford Gravure, Inc., Guilford, Connecticut, which was leased by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and was manned by Bureau personnel. Red, blue, yellow and black inks are combined to produce the stamp in which brown tones are dominant. Howard C. Mildner, of the Bureau, designed the stamp.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Denomination : 6 cents

Technical Details : The print order is 875 million, of which approximately one-half will be precanceled. This stamp is in addition to four Christmas stamps, printed on the same sheet, which reproduce antique toys. These will also be issued November 5, in Washington, D.C.

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Issued by United States of America

Issued on Nov 1, 1968

Design : The 6¢ 1968 U.S. Christmas stamp reproduces the figure of the Angel Gabriel from van Eyck’s “The Annunciation”. Designed by R. J. Jones, it was first placed on sale in Washington, D.C., on November 1, 1968.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Denomination : 6 cents

About : 

• Christmas, that joyful festival of the Christian faith commemorating the birth of Jesus, encompasses many cherished traditions. For nearly 2,000 years, people around the world have celebrated the miracle of the Christ Child in customs, symbols, literature and song.
• One of the more meaningful and lasting ways men have observed Christ’s birthday is through religious art. The styles, techniques and interpretations of the painters and sculptors may vary, but the source of their inspiration remains the same. Many works of art were created depicting the Madonna and Child as symbols of the Christian faith, along with the other events surrounding Christmas. The greatest of these, both in quantity and quality, were done by the artists of the Renaissance.
• Few religious art treasures of the Renaissance are more highly praised than the works of Jan van Eyck, the 15^th century Flemish master who pioneered the technique of oil painting. Through his art, van Eyck expressed the inner-most yearnings and ideals of mankind, which are brought to the fore in the annual Christmas celebration.
• “The Annunciation”, which pictures the Angel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary that she is to be the mother of Jesus, ranks as one of van Eyck’s finest and most famous works. It epitomizes the artist’s style, which emphasizes natural lighting, brilliant colors, precise detailing, and his extraordinary ability to create a realistic illusion of depth. The complex oil, originally commissioned as a panel for the Cathedral of St. Bavon in Ghent, Belgium, is now part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C.

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Issued by Canada

Issued on Oct 13, 1965

Issued for : 1965 is the second year in Canada‘s history that distinctive Christmas postage stamps have been issued. The first were released in 1964.

Design : The design is a symbolic and formal presentation of the traditional gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. A blend of ancient symbolism in the presents and of a modern form of art in the stylized graphics was selected to underscore the continuing ideals and celebrations of Christmas. In Canada the Yuletide Season is a joyous one, a family holiday as well as a religious festival. Just as the three wise men journeyed to Bethlehem on that first Christmas almost two thousand years ago, so today children hang up their stockings with keen anticipation and friends exchange gifts in celebration of Christmas.

The denominations of three cents and five cents are those most frequently used on Christmas cards and letters.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour :
3¢ – Green
5¢ – Blue

Denomination : 3 and 5 cents

Size : 1 3/16″ x 1″

Plate Nos. : 1 & 2

Panes of : 100

Qty. Ordered :
3¢ – 285,000,000
5¢ – 95,000,000

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