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Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community. It is a celebration to thank the Sun, Mother Nature and the various farm animals that help to contribute to a bountiful harvest. Celebrated over four days, Pongal also marks the beginning of the Tamil month called Thai, which is considered an auspicious month. It usually falls on the 14th or 15th of January each year. Pongal is also the name of the dish made and eaten during this festival. It is a mixture of boiled sweet rice. It is derived from the Tamil word pongu, which means “to boil over”. The first day of Pongal is called Bhogi. It is a day where cleaning and discarding of old belongings are carried out to signify a fresh start. New clothes are worn, houses are decorated in the spirit of the festivity. The second day is the main day of Pongal and is celebrated as Surya Pongal. On this day, the Sun God is honoured. Colourful decorative floor patterns called kolam are drawn at the entrance of one’s home, and each household cooks a pot of fresh rice with milk at auspicious timings. As the milk boils freely over the pot, family members shout out happily “Pongalo Pongal”! After the Pongal is offered to the Sun God, they would feast on several Pongal dishes that are prepared especially for the day. The third day of Pongal is called Maatu Pongal. This day is devoted to honour and worship the cattle (Maatu) to remember the work they do – ploughing the land. Cows are bathed and adorned with multi-coloured beads, flowers garlands, and bells. In Singapore, thanksgiving prayers would be conducted for the cattle at some dairy farms owned by Indians. The fourth day of Pongal is called Kaanum Pongal. On this day, importance is given to the community and to strengthen ties. Families gather together to have a sumptuous meal. Younger members seek the blessings of the older members of their families. It is also a day for traditional Indian folk dances such as mayilattam and kolattam. Pongal is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Tamil people in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and the Gulf countries https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2022/01/14/pongal-celebration-and-its-significance/

In Hungary, Inventors’ Day is celebrated every year on June 13 in memory of Albert Szent-Györgyi, who registered his patent for vitamin C in 1941. He is one of the 16 Hungarian inventors who have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Szent-Györgyi was born in Budapest in 1893. His maternal grandfather and uncle were Professors of Anatomy at Eötvös Loránd University, which may have influenced his choice of career. In 1911, Szent-Györgyi became a student at Semmelweis University, Hungary’s oldest medical school, and began research in his uncle’s lab. After World War I, Szent-Györgyi carried out research in Bratislava and Groningen. In 1927, he received a PhD from the University of Cambridge for isolating an organic acid which he then called “hexuronic acid”. Three years later, he accepted a position at the University of Szeged. Szent-Györgyi’s most important discovery was the isolation of ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C, which he studied from 1928 to 1932. He discovered that the bell pepper contained large amounts of this acid, and isolated ascorbic acid from paprika. Thanks to Szent-Györgyi’s research, British chemist Walter Norman Haworth was able to determine the structure of ascorbic acid and synthesize it. In 1937, both scientists were awarded a Nobel Prize for their research. Szent-Györgyi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and Haworth shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Paul Karrer. On June 13, 1941 Szent-Györgyi received a national patent for synthesized ascorbic acid. The anniversary of this event is now celebrated as Hungarian Inventors’ Day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inventors%27_Day#Hungary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Szent-Gy%C3%B6rgyi

A dog from Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiba_Inu

Aztec New Year in Mexico falls on March 12 every year. It signifies the start of the New Year according to the Aztec calendar. We often imagine time as a linear concept — a straight line running from point A to B. The Aztecs took a radically different view. Time was a force. It provided energy and change. Time was often a harbinger of miracles. The Aztecs viewed it through a lens of continual creation, destruction, and regeneration. Given the ebb and flow of life itself, we think they were spot on. Aztec New Year celebrates an ancient culture whose ideas still find resonance today. It’s a date with plenty of symbolism, traditions, and celebrations. The holiday is special to Nahua communities in Mexico — groups of indigenous people who live in Mexico and parts of El Salvador. In the original Nahuatl, the holiday is called ‘Yancuic Xihuitl.’ Nahuatl is a fascinating language with numerous dialects and has Uto-Aztecan roots. The Nahua communities today speak a mix of both Nahuatl and Spanish. From 1300 to 1521, the Aztecs rose to power and influence as the center of Mesoamerican culture. They followed the Mexica or Aztec calendar — a 365-day calendar cycle comprising two parts that ran simultaneously. The first was the year count or xiuhpohualli. The second was tonalpohualli, or ‘counting of the days’ — a 260-day ritual cycle. Yancuic Xihuitl celebrations today usually take place the night before, on March 11. Expectedly, the celebrations are spectacular. Cities like Nuapan, Huauchinango, Xicotepec, Zongolica, and Mexico City organize numerous events on this day. Celebrations commence with ceremonial dances and songs set to the beat of traditional drums. Dancers come dressed in colorful traditional finery and quetzal feather headgear. Anyone fortunate to attend can attest to how mesmerizing these performances are. People present seeds as offerings and light ‘ocote’ or pitch-pine candles that produce aromatic and extremely flammable resin. Towards the end of the ceremony, people burn a flag representing the year gone by and perfume a replacement flag. Finally, they welcome the New Year by blowing into conch shells — the same way their ancestors used to centuries ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_New_Year

Jandal Day in New Zealand, celebrated on December 2nd each year, is a lighthearted and fun observance that pays tribute to an iconic Kiwi footwear item: the jandal. The term "jandal" is a blend of "Japanese" and "sandal," reflecting the origin and design of this casual, rubber flip-flop. On Jandal Day, New Zealanders embrace the laid-back and summery spirit of their country by wearing jandals. It's a day to celebrate the comfort and simplicity of this popular footwear choice, especially during the warm summer months when jandals are commonly worn. While Jandal Day may not have deep cultural or historical significance, it embodies the Kiwi ethos of enjoying the outdoors, beaches, and relaxed living. Many people in New Zealand participate by proudly wearing their jandals, and some may even organize informal gatherings or events to celebrate this unique and beloved piece of footwear. Jandal Day is a reminder that sometimes the simplest things in life, like a pair of rubber sandals, can bring joy and a sense of unity among people, reflecting the easygoing and friendly nature of New Zealanders.

Day of remembrance for soiders died at war for both Australia & New Zealand. It would be both a NZ and AU stamp. Would have a Poppy flower design and probably a soilder incorporated into the design. Special day stamp for both countries only.

I read that yesterday was Vyshyvanka Day in Ukraine, a day to celebrate Ukrainian culture and keep traditions alive. Vyshyvanka is the name of traditional Ukrainian shirts, with very beautiful embroidered patterns on them. Similar patterns are seen in other parts of Eastern Europe as well. The stamp could be a man or woman wearing a vyshyvanka, or just the pattern by itself for example. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyshyvanka_Day

Yule (also called Jul, jól or joulu) is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht ("Mothers' Night"). Later departing from its pagan roots, Yule underwent Christianised reformulation, resulting in the term Christmastide. Some present-day Christmas customs and traditions such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing, and others may have connections to older pagan Yule traditions. Cognates to Yule are still used in the Scandinavian languages as well as in Finnish and Estonian to describe Christmas and other festivals occurring during the winter holiday season. In modern Germanic language-speaking areas and some other Northern European countries, historical cognates to English yule denote the Christmas holiday season. Examples include jul in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, jól in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, joulu in Finland, Joelfest in Friesland, Joelfeest in the Netherlands and jõulud in Estonia.

The Mărțișor is a Romanian tradition loved by everyone. It celebrates the coming of spring and people celebrate it gifting each other this little gift called “mărțișor”, which is a red and white string, that’s usually tied to a pin or a brooch. It is a really important tradition here, and I would love to be able to send and gift my penpals a stamp representing this lovely tradition, while telling them about it. https://romaniatourism.com/martisor.html https://rolandia.eu/en/blog/discover-romania/martisor-the-symbol-of-spring-and-the-revival-of-nature

World Oceans Day, celebrated on June 8, reminds everyone of the need to protect the oceans and all species of animals, plants and organisms that make up marine ecosystems, in addition to the fact that they are the lungs of our Planet and an important source of food and medicine and a critical part of the biosphere.