Traditonal Dress

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt this week is - Folk Costumes

and here are the many Ukrainian styles of traditional costumes across this vast country

Costumes; - Italy - Spain - Turkey - Germany

As can be gleaned from bottom right script this is a  plate from an old book but the postcard provides no further information on the back.  All these dresses are far too pretty to be wearing while working so

Plimoth Plantation "Breads, Pies and Tarts were all cooked in the communal oven"

 
something more practical for the 17th Century settler in America.  This postcard is from the living history museum in Massachusetts today called Plimoth Patuxet as it recreates both an indigenous Patuxet homestead and a 17th Century English village.  The Plimoth is of course an alternative spelling of  Plymouth from a time when spelling was a fluid and not a settled thing. The museum opens for this year's season on March 23rd until November. Judging from the snow on the postcard this could have been one of the last bakes of the year although maybe not for I read that it is not uncommon for it to snow as late as April in Massachusetts.

Ukraine

1918: Definitive

Symbol of the Ukrainian Republic, seen on our screens today and of course on stamps.

Allegory of Ukraine

These were issued in yet another turbulent period of Ukraine's history. The collapse of the Russian monarchy and the resulting civil war with multiple governments vying for control in Ukraine.

 

Fast forward to the 21st Century and the Europa Postman Van series. Here we see a scene from 1953 with a postman and his Moskvich 400. The modern postal van is a MAZ5440 built in Minsk, Belarus. These stamps are from a booklet which included a map

 

 

Look on it and weep for a mere year later than this issue Russia had invaded Crimea and wished for more.

2015: Kyiv's Transport (Design Victor Zinchenko)

Kyiv's funicular which connects the upper historic town to the lower commercial neighborhood, ride up a steep hill in 3 minutes.

2017: Fire Transport (Design Valery Rukdenko)

I've wondered about this stamp of a fire tank but now because of the war I know about the mud season in Ukraine when the snow melts then this vehicle makes a whole lot more sense.  Both these stamps were on a Postcrossing card sent many years ago from Marina who played the mandolin.  She told me she lived in the south of Ukraine in a town I had never heard of called Melitopol but sadly we all know that name now. God bless you Marina wherever you are.

Booklet Cover

 

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Ukraine - See It On A Postcard

Traditional Costumes

So which part of Ukraine would you like to wear a traditional costume from?  As I like green I might pick the one at the top which would also mean I get to wear those neat red boots.  The evocative flower garland also makes an appearance and always brings to my mind long summer days.  Marina, the sender of the card, lives in the south of Ukraine in Melitopol so I guess she gets to wear the green jacket and red headscarf on the bottom right.

The flower that weaves its way through the country map I think is supposed to be a mallow which for Ukrainians symbolises love of home and the nation and can be often seen on decorative embroidery and folk costumes. According to legend it is considered to give protection and for that reason can be found growing and guarding the front of many Ukrainian homes.    

Postcards for the Weekend theme - Costumes - dress to impress at Connections to the World

Love

What more appropriate card for this weekend than these two loved up cats forming a heart. The card called simply 'Love' came from Yulia in the Ukraine who attached these stamps.

One of my favourite Europa stamps from 2013 featuring a Moskvich 400 complete with postman collecting mail in 1953 and a little cottage in the background. Coming up to date the other stamp of the set is a large postal van, the MAZ-5440 which are built in Minsk, Belarus.  All in all this is a perfect set of stamps for me because the other stamp shows one of my favourite trees, the Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) or Mountain Ash which can be found from sea level in gardens to high on mountain sides, striking in autumn when its branches are full of brightly coloured berries.  For its more magical aspects see here  (Stamp first issued in 2012 as  part of the Flora -Trees series) 

Kiev

 "Mariinskyi Palace (18th c) former Russian's Tzars' residence, today - the palace is for solemn receptions of the Heads of States. "

This winter scene is almost like a stage set.  So pretty, is would be wonderful to to arrive on a troika, bells jingling and the horses breath rising in the wintery sunshine. The baroque design is one of the many palaces designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. 

The site was chosen by the Empress Elizabeth and the palace was built between the years 1747-55.  Sadly it never seems to have been actually lived in for any amount of time, it was inhabited sporadically by the royal family, then housed a ministry, the national guard and a museum. Today, as it says on the card, it is used for official reception.  It is rumoured that the president of Ukraine is considering using as his official residence.

Originally the palace was set in a large park with orangery and orchards, I don't know if they are still there for the building was damaged and looted in World War II, being rebuilt in 1949.  As may be noticed my card was damaged by pesky postal machinery, I seem to be having a spate of these at the moment.

My sender, Antonina, tells me in contrast to the card it is summertime in Kiev, but her city is beautiful in any season, as can be seen on the card.

The card came with

the little inkwell and quill, an nice symbol for letter writers and Postcrossers. This is one of the 7th Definitive Issue of Ukraine whose theme I think are household objects. They seem to withdraw and add to this issue since 2008.  The set was designed by Kateryna Shtanko who has done some other pretty stamps for Ukraine post, or to give them their proper name, Ukrpostita.

Thank you Antonina for the beautiful card.