Sinulog Festival, Cebu, Philippines

 

The Sinulog Festival in Cebu, Philippines has a long history. It is held in memory of the statue of the Santo Nino (Child Jesus) given to Rajah Humabon of Cebu by the Portuguese explorer Magellan in 1521. The statue is kept at the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino in Cebu. The religious festival takes place each year in January and is considered the biggest and most famous of the country, attracting millions of visitors. Typical for the Sinulog Festival is the Sinulog dance accompanied by drums, two steps forward and one backward with swaying body movements, simulating the current of the waters.

Besides the Grand Street Parade there are also numerous street parties and fun events hosted in the days before and after the actual festival.

Isn't it a fun fact of this postcard collecting hobby, how a single postcard makes us doing research and learning about history, culture and so many things more.

Thank you very much Rose !!!

Punakha Drubchen Festival - Bhutan

 

In the 17th century, the Bearded Lama,  Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, a Tibetan Bhuddist Lama,  defeated the invading Tibetan forces and in the process unified the warring fiefdoms for the first time in Bhutanese history. To honour this event, a grand celebration was held with theatrical plays of the victory and dances in colourful costumes.

Ever since the celebrations have become an annual event, actually two events, the Punakha Drubchen Festival, followed directly by the Punakha Tshechu, both held in March, where Bhutanese history comes alive.

Thank you Patrick for your beautiful card!

New Zealand - Maori with Ta Moko Tattoos

Beautiful postcard sent by Sarah from New Zealand, showing a Maori with typical Ta Moko tattoos, the traditional permanent Maori marking of body and face. Other than normal tattoos, Ta Moko markings are made by chisels called uhi, which leaves the skin with textured grooves. 

What makes this card even more special are the stamps on the back. The stamp on the left shows Kupe, who according to legend, discovered New Zealand / Aotearoa and brought the Polynesians to this newly discovered land. The stamp in the middle shows Maui's boat. Legend says that Maui fished up New Zealand from the ocean.

I really love it when card and stamps add up like this and make me do research about a topic.

Thank you very much Sarah !!!

The Rungus People, Malaysia

The Rungus People is an ethnic group living in Northern Sabah. They have maintained many of their ancient traditions. They have their own language and while many of the younger people now live in the city, many are still staying in the traditional longhouses, where every family has its own quarter with a central communal space for gatherings and socializing. They dress in black clothes decorated with hundreds of antique beads, that easily may amount to thousands of dollars.
Thank you Bei Hao Chin for sending this gorgeous postcard !!

Emperor Nicholas II of Russia wth Alice (Alix) of Hesse and by Rhine, Russia

Beautiful addition for my Royalty collection. The card shows the future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II with his bride Princess Alice (also known as Alix) of Hesse and by Rhine. Nicholas was the last of the Russian emperors. He ascended the throne in November 1894, his coronation took place in May 1896. He ruled his vast country until his abdication in March 1917, following the February Revolution. In July 1918 he and his whole family were murdered by the Bolsheviks.
His wife, German born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, was a granddaughter of  Queen Victoria. After converting to the Russian Orthodox belief, she received the name Alexandra Feodorovna.
In 2000 Nicholas, his wife and children were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as Saints, henceforth known as Saint Nicholas II and Saint Alexandra the Passion Bearers.
Thank you Mikhail for this fantastic postcard with a matching Royalty stamp :)

Bici Taxi, Cuba

One of many wonderful surprise cards coming from my longtime postcard pal Rod Eime. He has a way of picking the extraordinary and knows exactly what will make me smile :)
This postcard shows a typical Havana Vieja Bici Taxi. I had to google the word, as I had never heard of it before, but now I know !!!  Bici Taxis are bicycle taxis, similar to rikshas, just with a bicycle on the the front. It is meant for short distance rides. But careful, these taxis are not meant for tourists! A driver who gets caught with tourists aboard will get fined with an amount high enough that he would have to work for several days to compensate the loss. So, in case you want to ride a Bici Taxi, keep quiet until you arrive at your destination, so nobody will find out that you are not Cuban :)
Thank you very much Rod for sending this wonderful  card !!!

Tarkan, Turkey

This card was really a nice surprise, bringing back lots of fond memories of holidays spent in beautiful Turkey. Tarkan had a really big hit in the charts at the time and his song was literally everywhere. Back home, the first thing we did was buying his music :)
And it was this card that made me find out that Tarkan was born in Germany, not all that far away from my own home.
Thank you Helen for going to all this trouble to find this card for me !!!!

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the founder of the Turkish Republic and served as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. He was born in 1881 in Thessaloniki, which was then part of the Ottoman realm. UN and UNESCO honoured his memory and his tireless work for his country, by declaring the year 1981, the centennial of his birth, the "Atatürk Year of the World".
Thank you very much Helen (scopemouth) for this great postcard !!!!

Whriling Dervishes of Konya, Turkey

I don't know what I adore more here, the postcard or the awesome stamp, which is really huge and with gold glitter.
This treasure was sent by Helen (scopemouth) for a privately organized swap. Thank you so much !!!
The Mevleva Sema Ceremony, performed by the whirling dervishes, is an Intangible UNESCO World Heritage and a customary meditation practice, through which the dervishes aim to reach perfection by spinning their bodies in repetitive circles, listening to the music and focussing on God.

9th Rose Wedding Ceremony, Shanghai, China

This interesting postcard arrived here for a Postcrossing Round Robin and was sent by Jia. I had never heard of such a ceremony, so I took a look. Obviously it takes place each year on the 5th of October and attracts quite a lot of young couples to tie the knot during that ceremony. This card depicts some of the happy couples during the 9th Rose Wedding Ceremony in 2006.

Audrey Hepburn

One of Holywoods most beautiful and adored actresses: Audrey Hepburn. This great addition for my Celebrity collection came as an official Postcrossing card from the Czech Republic sent by Milena

Valentina Tereshkova, first female Cosmonaut, Russia

This card definitely is a favourite ! It arrived here for the Postcrossing April 50 RR sent by Svetlana (Svettok).
It shows the first female Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, with matching stamps. She piloted Vostok 6, which was launched into space on June 16, 1963 and flew 48 orbits in almost 3 days.

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama

Great postcard of President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, sent by Amanda Hakkarainen. Who is gonna sit in his chair on November 8th?

Maiko Girl, Japan

Gorgeous Maiko Girl for my Geisha Collection sent by Nana (Pappo) for the Postcrossing May 50 RR.

Toreros, Spain

Many years ago I read a book about a family breeding bulls for bullfighting in Spain. Ever since I had an interest in all this, and this postcard of Toreros in Andalusia reminhded me of this book. The costumes, Traje de Luzes, are handmade and horribly expensive.
Thanks to Anna Bogdanovskaya for sending this card for the Postcrossing Favourites Tag.

Czar Alexander III of Russia

I received this portrait of Czar Alexander III  as an official Postcrossing card by Irina. Alexander III was crowned in the Moscow Kremlin on May 27, 1883. During his reign Russia fought no major wars and so he was styled Alexander the Peacemaker.

Maiko Girl, Japan

Beautiful postcard of a Maiko girl surrounded by cherry blossoms. The picture was taken in Kyoto and sent by Michelle.

Village Life in Anatolia, Turkey

This beautiful postcard came from Nihan Irmak for the Postcrossing Favourites Tag. It shows a typical scene from village life in Anatolia, Turkey. I'd not hesitate to try the little cakes the women are preparing. I love Turkish food :)

Orang Asli, Malaysia

Awesome postcard coming from Yi Han, as an official Postcrossing Card from Malaysia- MY-270203. It shows a member of the Orang Asli tribe playing the nose flute. The Orang Asli are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. They live in remote forest areas and kept to themselves until the first traders from India arrived.

Maiko-Girl, Japan

This awesome card I received for a Postcrossing Round Robin. It fits perfectly well into my Geisha collection. I could never imagine walking in those fancy shoes :)