Other November stamps depict crafts, chili peppers, tomatoes and herbs
Finland's stamp year 2015 will come to a close with four publications, which will be released on Friday November 6. This year's Christmas stamps show a view of the urban landscape. The importance of crafts skills is highlighted with a miniature sheet of five stamps. This time around, the roll of stamps features chili peppers, tomatoes and herbs, which have been selected as Vegetable of the Year.
Many Finns today spend their Christmas in cities, following their own family traditions. This is why this year's Christmas stamps, designed by graphic designer Klaus Welp, feature urban Christmas celebrations.
The landscape-oriented stamp Reflection depicts a child looking at the reflection given off by a mirrored Christmas ornament hanging on a Christmas tree. The portrait-oriented first-class stamp Christmas Street shows a father and child on the way to pick up a Christmas tree in the city, pulling the tree in a sled through the snowy streets.
In both stamps, Klaus Welp has included a bright star shining above the city to remind us of the fundamental meaning of Christmas.
Posti's Crafts is a miniature sheet with the aim of increasing the public appreciation of crafts. Crafts pass on traditions, give pleasure, is a popular subject at school, and provide a livelihood to many. The sheet is the result of a proposal submitted to Posti by the Finnish Crafts Organization Taito ry, the Association of Craft Teachers TOL ry and the Association of Technology Teachers TAO ry. The miniature sheet is designed by Aamu Song and Johan Olin, who together make up the artist partnership COMPANY.
The stamps depict products made from many different materials, representing both traditional and new crafting techniques and a more industrial way of working. The featured craft products are Rose socks and Grandmother's Square by Tuula Kunnas, Birch bark handbag by Auli Vasara, as well as Dancing Shoes and Porcini Stool by COMPANY. The spaces between the stamps on the sheet are filled with drawings that illustrate different crafting techniques.
This year's roll of stamps features chili peppers, tomatoes and herbs, which were selected as Vegetable of the Year between 2012 and 2014. The roll of stamps, illustrated by Ossi Hiekkala, brings the three-part series Products of the Garden to an end. The previous stamps in the series depicted fruit and berries. The graphic design of the stamps is done by Heikki Sallinen. The box of rolls of stamps contains a hundred first-class stamps.
The chili peppers depicted on the stamps include the orange Habanero, Heatwave, Joe's Long, Jamaican Bell, Jalastar and Summer Heat. The tomatoes on the stamps include beefsteak tomato, cherry tomato and organic tomato. Herbs are represented by basil, salvia and cilantro.
All stamps available for sale are featured in Posti’s online shop.
