Germany - Tom of Finland card

Today I have received this wonderful card from Germany. It shows one of many great work-art of Laaksonen in the art seri named Tom of Finland.

 Thank you so much Xiaoi!

Switzerland - Marriage for all!

I bought this one recently! A beautiful design.

About Marriage for All!

On 26 September, Swiss Voters said "YES" to the "Marriage for all" initiative. Swiss Post is commemorating this decision with a special stamp. It was issued on 1 July 2022, the day on which the new law came into force.

 According to the website of the "Marriage for all" committee, the LGBTIQ+community* in our country numbers some half a million people. The fact that everyone will be allowed to marry from this summer onwards constitutes another milestone on the road to equality. Altjhough homosexual acts were decriminalized as early as 1942, it was not until 1 January 2000 that discrimination on the basis of secual orientation was prohibited under constitutional law. The Same Sex Partnership Act was introduced in 2007, allowing the registration of same sex partnerships. And from 1 July 2022, marriage is now also possible.

 The design of the traditional or digital stamps shows balloons in the colours of the familiar rainbow flag rising into the sky. Releasing balloons is a typical custom at many weddings, with the cards they carry generally sending congratulations to the new couple far and wide. Fittingly, the cards for the design say "YES: in all four national languages. 

Source : Swiss Post

 

Japan - Year of the Rabbit 2023,

My first YoR/YoC card is from Japan. It arrived so fast. Sent on 1 Nov and I got it in my hand on 8 Nov. Took only a week to arrive. 

Japan is the first country issued Lunar new year stamp each year.

In Vietnam, instead of the Rabbit, the Cat is in this zodiac cirle. And only in Vietnam, we have Year of the Cat. I don't explain or discuss about this difference : Rabbit or Cat, just accept and like it.

 Thank you so much Fumie for sending me a wonderful card. Unfortunatly, Vietnam don't have snow in winter, eventhough the weather is very cold in that season I am sure.

Canada - LGBT flag,

 

Vietnam - Vietnamese food, seri No.3

So yummy. Today I want to show some vietnamese foods. This issue is the number 3 of the serie and I think it is the last one. The first one was issued in 2020 and shows Northen food such as Phở, Bún chả, Bún thang. The number 2 was issued in 2021 and show the foods of central Vietnam such as Bún Bò Huế, .... And now the south food: Bánh xèo, Bánh khọt, Cơm tấm, Bánh Mỳ.

I tried Bánh xèo and Bánh khọt in Cần thơ. My last summer trip was there with my love (my ex lol) . Very deliccious.

Bánh mỳ is very popular in Vietnam. You can buy it in any city, on the street with the price  very reasonable. I often eat Bánh mỳ only for my breakfast, rarely as a lunch or diner. But I know many people, especialy student, they eat Banh my not only for breakfast.

It is easy to find Bánh xèo in Hanoi with the same value in the southen . But I think the difference is mixed vegetable served with Bánh xèo. Normaly in the north, we have only some types of aromatic vegetarial such as basil, mint leaves, cilantro, sawleaf and lettuce. But in the sounth, they serve fruit leaf as well : toad tree leaves, ...

Here is stamp booklet. They released 3 booklet for the issue.

These maxicards are not officials. The card is from a set of Vietnamese cuisine cards I bough in store quite longtime but I think the drawings are interesting. Thesse aquarelles are colorful.

I drop all the pictorial tampon (first day postmark) on the back side of each card. We have 5 different postmark. Each corresponds to the province where well-known by that food. Cần thơ with Bánh xèo, Sài gòn with Cơm tấm.... 

 The first day of issue was the first day of Hanoi philately annual exhibition 10.10 so you can see the commemorative postmark I dropped on back side as well with the year number 2022.

In this exhibition, I have one philately frame with my new cultural topic. And I took some photos with my collector friends.

My exhibition frame

Germany, Tom of Finland with Pride stamps,

I have received these both beautiful cards recently. They show the art work of Touko Laaksonen - Tom of Finland. I love ToF serie as they are all so sexy and so hot. The sender used German new Pride stamp on the back side of the card. What a matching!

 Thank you so much Xiaoi for picking these cards and stamps for me.

France - Annee du tigre 2022,

Merci beaucoup sunsky!