On Tuesday, May 9, Posti will issue three new postage stamps. The themes of the stamps are springtime congratulations, Finnish national landscapes and peace.
“Virpi Pekkala's cheerful fairies and beautiful flower designs set the mood for springtime festivities. The national landscapes are a new theme for rolls of stamps, and the series designed by Stiina Hovi will continue next year. The current Europe – Peace stamp presents a joint appeal for peace from the European postal administrations,” says Design Manager Tommi Kantola from Posti, who is for responsible selecting the artists and directing the artwork.
Fairies play a fanfare for spring
Spring is a time for congratulations. Fairy stamps designed by the beloved postcard artist Virpi Pekkala are the perfect fit for all greetings and party invitations. “On the spring stamps, the fairies act as the masters of ceremonies for congratulations and celebrations and play a fanfare for spring,” says Pekkala.
“Fairies are kind and gentle fairytale creatures that have captivated my imagination since I was a child. There was a story book featuring fairies that made a deep impression on me, and I must have imagined my own fairy drawings as their cousins.”
Over the years, fairies have appeared in many of Pekkala’s illustrations.
“Fairies seem to pop up in my artwork almost unintentionally. They have appeared on summer and Christmas cards, advent calendars, and most recently on a 2022 wall calendar. The fairies skate among the reeds in January, swim in a pond in July, retreat into their winter nest in November, and light candles with the elves in December.”
Spring in the Air is a 10-stamp sheet containing five different domestic no-value indicator stamps. The graphic design of the stamps is by Paula Salviander.
National landscapes reflect the soul of Finns
The rolls of stamps to be published in May will showcase beautiful Finnish national landscapes, including natural and man-made scenes.
The stamps will feature landscapes from the following locations: Koli (photo: Jani Riekkinen), banks of the Kyrönjoki river (Aarno Isomäki), Tammerkoski (Juhana Konttinen), Snappertuna-Fagervik (Antero Aaltonen), Archipelago Sea (Anne Saarinen), Pallastunturi fells (Heikki Ketola) and Tapiola (Timo Viitanen).
Graphic designer Stiina Hovi, who designed the stamps, believes that the national landscapes reflect the soul of Finns.
“Countless pairs of eyes from one generation to the next have witnessed these landscapes. The viewers have experienced the same admiration, peace of mind and perhaps even a sense of the sublime when gazing upon them. The hills, ridges and fells, as well as the wide expanses, the power of the sea – they make you feel small, but at the same time part of something bigger,” Hovi describes.
National Landscapes will be issued as a 100-stamp roll that contains seven different domestic no-value indicator stamps. The stamps include a 2D code that makes it easier to sort postal items mechanically.
Symbol of peace created at the initiative of Ukraine’s National Post
In May, European postal administrations will publish a stamp on the theme of peace. The stamp to be published was selected through a design competition organized by PostEurop. The theme of the competition, “Peace – the highest value of humanity”, was chosen at the initiative of Ukraine’s National Post.
29 entries were submittedto the competition, of which the proposal of the Luxembourg Post Office was selected as the winner.
“The color palette of the stamp, designed as a symbol of peace, unites all the nations of the world. The design reflects a peaceful society in which people respect one another’s culture. The hands and intertwined fingers convey a message of mutual respect between people,” say the winning designers Linda Bos and Runa Egilsdottir.
The Europa – Peace stamp sheet contains 10 domestic no-value indicator stamps. The Finnish stamp was designed by Susanna Rumpu and Ari Lakaniemi. Posti will publish the stamp on Europe Day on May 9.
First-day event at Helsinki Main Post Office on May 9, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The first-day event for the May stamps will be organized on Tuesday, May 9, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Helsinki Main Post Office (Elielinaukio 2 F, 00100 Helsinki).
New stamps, first day covers and other stamp products will be sold at the event, and visitors can get first-day postmarks on their items. The stamp artists will be present to sign their works from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
All stamps available for sale are featured in Posti online shop.