From Monaco last week we go this week to the French postage stamps of Andorra.
Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. The Principality was formed in 1278. The role of monarch is exercised jointly by the two co-princes, the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell, Catalan Countries. Therefore, Andorra has French and Spanish stamps, issued by France and Spain, respectively.
The Andorran costume is very similar to the Catalan costumes worn in France and Spain. For women the costume features a full, mostly flowered skirt over a white petticoat; a blouse (sometimes covered by a flowered shawl); long, black, fingerless net gloves; and black espadrilles (cloth sandals) with white stockings. The traditional costume for men is a white shirt, dark knee-length pants, white stockings, black shoes, broad red sashes tied at the waist and the barretina (the traditional Catalan cap).
The stamp above is from a series of 1963 celebrating Andorran history. It shows people dancing la Sardane (Catalan dance).
The next stamp is from 1976 and celebrates International Women's Year. It shows "La Pubilla", the patroness of tradition at Catalan city and village celebrations.
This last stamp is from 1981 and part of the yearly Europa Stamp series, which was about "Folklore and Feasts" in 1981. It shows people dancing El Contrapas, the festival dance of Andorra's capital Andorra la Vella.
You can find Andorra on this map of France:
2 comments:
Pretty costumes on these stamps - love the dancing too! Thanks for sharing
What an interesting series... getting to know countries and traditions through their stamps!
Thanks for sharing!
Post a Comment