Trinidad and Tobago

Postcard showing Carnival in Trinidad, the island's most important celebration and one of the largest Carnivals in the Caribbean. Many thanks to my Uncle Pierre and Aunt Ginette for sending it to me. – Despite the fact that the Caribbean is a popular place for holidaying Canadians, it's certainly one of the biggest black holes in my collection. Any Caribbean friends and readers, feel free to help me out. ;-)

Stamps from the 1990 definitive set featuring local birds. Pictured here is the bananaquit, Coereba flaveola, a common bird found in tropical South America and the Caribbean.

Ecuador

Postcard from the city of Cotacachi in northern Ecuador. Cotacachi has one of the highest concentrations of indigenous people in the country. Every year in June local people celebrate Inti Raymi, the traditional Inca New Year's festival honouring the sun god Inti.

Thanks and gracias to my Mum for sending this card while on holiday in South America.

Two stamps, both issued in 2010. Stamp on the left is from a set of four on Ecuadorian diversity. It features the "Monument to the Middle of the World" straddling the Equator. Postcard on the right commemorates 50 years of CitiBank in Ecuador.

Bangladesh

Postcard showing a woman from the Mande minority who live in the hills and forests of eastern Bangladesh. The Mande, or Goro, people speak a Sino-Tibetan language. Many thanks to friends Jennifer and Preetom for sending this to me during their holiday in Bangladesh together! ধন্যবাদ ! 

Stamp on the left, issued in 2003, features an orangefin labeo, Labeo calbasu, a member of the carp family common to freshwater rivers and lakes in South and Southeast Asia. Stamps on the right are from 2004 to commemorate the Bangladeshi Olympic Committee.

Vatican City II

Postcard of the Vatican City's famous Swiss Guards, who have been defending the country for over 500 years. The Swiss Guard is known for its elaborate ceremonial uniforms, pictured here, which hark back to the Guards' Renaissance origins.

Stamp from a 2007 set of four depicting Pope Benedict XVI on his travels around the world, in this case, Germany, and features the famous towers of the Munich Frauenkirche.

Nigeria

Postcard of the Durbar Festival, an event celebrated in various Nigerian cities to mark the end of Muslim Eid holidays. It begins with prayers, followed by a horseback parade of local leaders and their entourage, accompanied by musicians, and ending at the leader's palace.

Many thanks to friend Oliver, who was in Nigeria for a friend's wedding, for adding this tough country to the collection.

Stamp showing the Argungu Fishing Festival, a yearly fishing tournament that takes place in northwestern Nigeria. The festival began in 1934, to mark of the end of centuries of hostility between two local rulers. Competitors are only allowed to use traditional fishing tools and many prefer to catch fish entirely by hand to demonstrate their prowess. Nigeria released another stamp on the same subject in 1973.

Turkmenistan

WOOT! My first card from Turkmenistan, showing various building from the capital, Ashgabat, including the Independence Monument on the far right, and the "Monument of Neutrality" in the centre. The three-legged arch, which became known locally as "The Tripod", was built in 1998 on the orders of Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov. It was topped by a 12-metre gold-plated statue of Niyazov which rotated to always face the sun. Niyazov's successor ordered the monument moved to the outskirts of the city in an attempt to downplay this cult of personality.

Many thanks to friend Selina who was on holiday in Turkmenistan with her family.

Stamp from a set of 24 issued this year featuring Turkmenistani architectural monuments, in this case the ruins of Uly Gyz Gala fortress near the city of Merv.

Madagascar

WOOT! After years of trying and some failed attempts, super excited to have a card from Madagascar in my collection now. A big thanks to friend, Lish, who, lucky me, I just happened to see on Facebook was en route to Madagascar, which she reports was amazing and nuts.

The card indicates that this is the Prince of Ankazoabo, a city in south-western Madagascar. I couldn't really find much info other than the French tried to abolish the Madagascan monarchy during their colonial rule, but were largely unsuccessful. Despite exiling the Queen to Algeria, most of the aristocracy continued to use their customary titles. There is a movement in Madagascar now to restore the monarchy, seen as a possible source of stability following the highly volatile dictatorships and transition governments of the post-colonial period.

Stamp on the left from a 2010 set of eight on flowers of Madagascar. Stamp on the right is a foundry built by as a part of a large industrial complex in the mid 1800s by Jean Laborde, a Frenchman who was shipwrecked in Madagascar in 1831 and remained for the rest of his life, developing the island's industry and eventually becoming the French Consul as well.

Wallis and Futuna

The last of David's cards from his South Pacific travels, with my sincere thanks to him for crossing so many hard-to-get countries off my list. You can check out his blog here. This card is from the small French territory of Wallis and Futuna and shows a traditional kava ceremony. Kava, a small shrubby plant, is used for medicinal, religious, political, cultural and social purposes throughout the Pacific. Most commonly, the roots are pounded into a beverage that is said to produce relaxation, mental clarity, and mild euphoria.

The stamp on the left was issued in 2012 and is entitled Poetry of the Ocean. The stamp on the right was issued this year and celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the first court session held in Wallis and Futuna.

Fiji II

Bula, the Fijian word for "hello". A multiview card from that country, landing in my mailbox just a few days after my first card from Fiji. Almost like when I added Uzbekistan to my collection with three cards from three different people that all arrived on the same day; the more the merrier, I say! My many thanks and vinaka to David from "Postcards: A World Travelogue" for taking some time out of the palm trees to send this to me.

Stamp on the left is from 2003 (I think) and features tagimoucia, Medinilla waterhousei, a flowering vine endemic to Fiji and the country's national flower. Stamp on the right from a 2012 set of four on renewable energy in Fiji, commemorating the United Nations 2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. It features biomass, plant material which generates energy directly by being burnt or once it is transformed into biofuel.

Canada – Yukon II

Postcard shows a man panning for Klondike gold. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–1898 was the last and most renowned of the world’s great nineteenth century gold rushes when upwards of 100,000 prospectors rushed to this inaccessible and very remote part of Canada. The rush was centred on Dawson City, which grew from a Native moose-hunting camp to a city of 40,000 people in the space of a few years. Plots of land cost millions of today's dollars, and one visitor likened the newly paved streets with their smartly dressed inhabitants to the Strand in London! Part of The Klondike site on Canada's Tentative World Heritage list.

Previously featured baby black bear stamp with a Dawson City postmark, though not the same one as on this card.

Greenland II

Happy Birthday to my blog! Wax on, Daniel-san – Postcards turns three today. It doesn't seem so long ago that I uploaded my first card showing two Greenlandic children performing the kunik, the traditional Inuit greeting. It seems only appropriate that I should have another card from Greenland for a birthday post, and with perfect timing received this one just last week. 

Card show's Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (and of Greenland), in traditional Greenlandic dress. She was crowned in 1972, but had not initially been expected to become sovereign due to Salic law preventing the crown from passing to a woman. A constitutional amendment was passed in 1953 to allow this after it became clear that her father, King Frederick, was unlikely to have any male heirs.

A woman after my own heart, Margrethe is an accomplished translator and contributed to the Danish translation of Lord of the Rings. You go, girl! 

Stamp on the left is from the 2012 definitive series, again featuring Queen Margrethe II. Stamp on the right commemorates the Queen's Ruby Jubilee of 40 years on the throne.

Paraguay

Postcard from Paraguay showing a traditional dancer wearing ñandutí, Paraguayan embroidered lace. The name means "spider web" in Guaraní, the official, indigenous language of Paraguay. My many thanks to Devin for sending me this card. Devin, a Peace Corps volunteer, explains that the the money from sales of this postcard go to fund a photography programme for Paraguayan youth. Some of their work can be seen here.

Postcard did not come with a normal stamp but rather a "Taxe perçue" postage paid stamp and what I assume to be the postmark. Perhaps the post office had ran out of stamps that day. My hunt for a stamped card sent from Paraguay continues!

Togo

Postcard of traditional Voodoo practitioner. Voodoo is an indigenous organised religion of coastal West Africa from Togo to Nigeria. Voodoo gets a bad rap from its portrayal in Western films, TV shows, and books. But Voodoo isn't a cult, black magic or devil worship. Those who practice Voodoo believe that there is a visible and an invisible world, and that these worlds are intertwined. Death is a transition to the invisible world, so our predecessors are still with us in spirit to watch over and guide us.

Stamp from definitive series featuring Bella Bellow, an internationally famous Togolese singer who recorded several albums and performed at Paris Olympia before dying in a tragic car accident at age 27.

Tanzania

Postcard showing a Maasai girl, a celebrated ethnic group living in northern Tanzania and in Kenya. They are semi-nomadic pastoralists with their traditional lifestyle centring around the cattle which constitute their primary source of food. In the past, the Maasai had fearsome reputations as warriors and cattle-rustlers, the latter stemming from the religious belief that God gave the Maasai all the cattle on earth, and that rustling cattle from other tribes was a matter of taking back what was rightfully theirs.

Stamp on the left is from a 2004 set of five on traditional boat races on the island of Zanzibar. Stamp on the right featuring an ostrich is from a 1990 set of 12 on Tanzanian birds. 

Viet Nam

Card showing market-goers wearing Viet Nam's celebrated cone hats, known locally as nón lá. They form an integral and iconic part of Viet Nam's national dress and have been around for 3,000 years, as attested by their depiction in archaeological findings. They sometimes contain decorations or poem verses stitched inside that are revealed when direct sunlight shines through the palm leaf.

Stamp on the left features gerbera daisies. Stamp on the right features royal angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, a species found in tropical areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They can grow as long as 25 cm and are sometimes kept as an aquarium fish.

Indonesia III

After my recent post about the 2012 additions to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, I can now add my fist Intangible Cultural Heritage postcard to the blog. The card shows Wayang Orang, a type of classical Javanese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the Hindu epic stories, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Performances are staged with elaborate costumes and intricate, stylised movement and are a reflection of traditional Javanese court culture.

Commemorative stamp featuring an annual bull-racing celebration held in the East Java island of Madura, called kerapan sapi.

Kyrgyzstan II

Postcard showing Osh Bazaar, a large farmers' market in the Kyrgyzstani capital of Bishkek. I'm told it's the place to go if you're looking for a fresh sheep's head, shashlik or any other type of Kyrgyz snack! Apparently, they have a lot of pomegranates too.

Thanks to Veronika for sending the card. 

Stamp from a 2008 set of four featuring traditional Kyrgyz felt hats, one of which can actually be spotted in the postcard photo! Too bad the postcard came in an envelope rather than on the card. I know some collectors prefer to receive their cards this way, but I have to admit I've never really understood why. It seems a bit contrary to the nature of a postcard, if you ask me. :-P

Ethiopia

Woohoo! Always extra-thrilled to add a new country to the collection, and doubly exciting because it's also a World Heritage site! Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town is the historic centre of Harar city in eastern Ethiopia. For centuries, Harar has been a major commercial centre, linked by trade routes through the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The walled city blends African and Islamic traditions, contributing to its unique urban character. Seen here is Feres Magala Square, or Horse Market, in a rainy season downpour.

Very special thanks to my friend Cat for this new country addition!

Stamps representing Menelik's Bushback, Tragelaphus seriptus meneliki, an endemic deer-like animal that lives in Ethiopia's highland forests. 

Papua New Guinea

New country WOOT! Card show the Huli wigmen who live in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and are famous for creating ornate headdresses crafted of feathers, ornamental items and their own shorn hair woven into elaborate wigs.

Big, heartfelt thanks to friend Ed who is in Papua New Guinea doing development work for one year. Check out his blog here.

Stamp commemorating celebrated local artist Philip Yobale.

France VI

Postcard sent to me by group of my dancer friends in Paris. The card, showing a Belle Époque Parisian clothier in 1907, is a humorous allusion to the times we would often get together to concoct the costumes for our shows. Un super-gros merci à toutes et tous les Dindes!

It would seems as though the stamp unfortunately fell off somewhere along the way. I have a feeling it was probably the Mariane definitive, so I'm not too shaken up about it. The Paris Popincourt post office was just a few minutes from my old apartment, although not my designated neighbourhood post office which was Paris Goncourt.