Next Tuesday, September 17, Itella Posti Oy will issue a 1st class stamp to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Finnish Parliament. Established in 1863, regular parliamentary sessions played a central part in the development of the Finnish nation state.
Designed by Timo Berry, the simplified and dignified stamp depicts the words of the anniversary, describing the importance of the Parliament, Lakia, työtä, rauhaa, valoa (Law, work, peace, light), the last of which refers to civilization and culture. In the background, the borders of Finland are illuminated, detaching Finland from its past. The stamp also depicts the emblem of the anniversary.
"Regularly arranged parliamentary sessions gave birth to Finnish political activities, to the rise of the national identity and, therefore, to the establishment of the state of Finland. The text is written only in Finnish, emphasizing the strongly highlighted position of the Finnish language," Timo Berry says, describing the background of the 150 Years of Parliament stamp.
On September 17 at 10:00 a.m., Itella's representatives will present the stamp to Eero Heinäluoma, Speaker of Parliament of Finland, and Seppo Tiitinen, Secretary General, at an event open to the public at the Visitors' Centre (Finnish Parliament Annex, Arkadiankatu 3, Helsinki 10).
At the event, the public can also buy stamps and first-day covers. The first-day postmark will be stamped from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Timo Berry will sign stamp products from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The first-day cover with the stamp and postmark is a wonderful souvenir of the anniversary.
All stamps available for sale are featured in Posti's online shop.
Technical specifications of the 150 Years of Parliament stamp
