Macau presents Woodcarvings of Religious Figures - Sept. 7

On September 7th, Macau presents us with some Religious Figure Carvings in Wood. This form of art has more than 100 years of history, being one of Macau's oldest traditional industries, and combines different carving techniques from China, Japan and Taiwan, making it very unique. In 2008, this manual skill was included in the second National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
The 5 stamps include the following religious figures: Buddha, Na Tcha (a legendary figure for Chinese people, a protective god for children, and celebrated every year on May 18th), Kun Iam (one of the 8 Bodhisattvas in Buddhism), Tin Hau (a Goddess linked with the seas popular with fishermen and sailors) and, in the souvenir sheet, The Eight Immortals (based on a story about 8 ordinary people becoming immortals through self religious cultivation, dating back to before the Ming Dynasty).
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No dia 7 de Setembro, os Correios de Macau apresentam algumas Esculturas de Ídolos Sagrados feitos em Madeira. Com mais de 100 anos de história, esta forma de arte é uma das mais antigas actividades tradicionais de Macau, e única, combinando técnicas de aplicação de China, Japão e Taiwan. Em 2008, esta preciosa arte popular local foi inscrita no segundo lote da Lista do Património Cultural Intangível da China.
Nos 5 selos da emissão estão representados os seguintes ídolos sagrados: Buda, Na Tcha (uma personagem lendária chinesa, deus protector de crianças, e celebrado anualmente no dia 18 de Maio), Kun Iam (um dos oito Bodisatvas budistas), Tin Hau (uma deusa ligada aos mares, popular com pescadores e marinheiros) e, no bloco, os Oito Imortais (baseado na história de 8 mortais que se tornam imortais de vários quadrantes sociais, datado de antes da Dinastia Ming).

Macau and Aland celebrate Church Windows together August 30

In a joint issue, Macau and Aland celebrate Church Windows. The first windows were found in France, Germany and the UK in the 12th century, and their main objective was to explain the stories of the church to the illiterate followers.

For Macau, the windows of St. Lawrence Church was chosen. These were donated by church members when the church was built in the 1560s (it has been rebuilt and renovated many times since) and their names are engraved on each church window. Macau's stamp shows the moment when St. Lawrence received his appointment as Deacon from Pope St. Sixtus II.
For Aland, St. Olaf's Church was chosen. Located in Jomala, the church, one of the oldest remaining stone versions in Scandinavia, was built in the 13th century and is dedicated to Aland's patron saint Olaf. The Aland stamp depicts a window with an image of Saint Olaf, unveiled in 1968.
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Neste emissão conjunta, Macau e Alanda celebram Vitrais de Igreja. Os primeiros vitrais datam do século XII em França, Alemanha e Reino Unido, e o seu principal objectivo era narrar as histórias da igreja aos crentes menos literados.
Para Macau, os Vitrais da Igreja de São Lourenço foram escolhidos. Eles foram doados por católicos locais quando a igreja foi construída na década de 1560 (foi reconstruída e renovada várias vezes desde essa data) e em cada vitral tem inscrito o nome do respectivo doador. O selo de Macau ilustra o momento em que São Lourenço foi ordenado como diácono, pelo Papa São Sisto II.
Para Alanda, a Igreja de Santo Olavo foi a escolhida. Esta igreja, localizada em Jomala e dedicada a Santo Olavo, padroeiro de Aland, foi construída no século XIII. É também um das mais antigas igrejas em pedra na Escandinávia. No selo de Alanda está um vitral com a imagem de Santo Olavo, inaugurado em 1968.

Macau World Heritage Site - Largo de Santo António - Julho 15

Since 2005, the Historic City center in the St. Augustine Square has been part of UNESCO World Heritage list. The Square is an important public space, where the Portuguese would gather for social activities in the past, unites a numbers of nearby monuments and buidlings with significant historical, architectural and artistic value: St. Joseph's Seminary, the Dom Pedro V Theatre, the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library and St. Augustine's Church. All monuments are illustrated on the 4 single stamps.
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Desde 2005 o centro histórico de Macau faz parte da lista de Património Mundial da UNESCO. O largo é um important espaço público, onde, em tempos, os portugueses se encontravam e conviviam, une vários monumentos e edifícios de significativo valor histórico, arquitectónico e artístico: o Seminário de São José, o Teatro Dom Pedro V, a Biblioteca Sir Robert Ho Tung e a Igreja de Santo Agostinho. Todos esses monumentos estão ilustrados em 4 selos da emissão base.

Macau - 2010 - First Half

Now let's have a look at Macau during the first half of 2010.

2-Jan - Ano Lunar do Tigre / Lunar Year of the Tiger

This is the third series of the Chinese Zodiac, continuing the theme of combining the different forms of the Tiger and the distinguishing characteristics of Metal, Earth, Fire, Wood and Water.
This colorful series also includes Maximum Cards of the 5 single stamps.


1-Mar - I Ching, Pa Kua VII

The 7th edition of the series that started in 2001 is once again designed in the format of a hexagon to symbolize the special characteristic of "Pa Kua". This year the symbols of Kua included are: Dun (Escape), Xian (Intimacy), Lü (Strange land), Xiao Guo (Errors), Jian (Marriage), Jiang (Adventure), Gen (Stillness) and Qian (Fame).


8-Mar - Centenário do Dia Internacional da Mulher / Centenary of International Women's Day

Issued to commemorate the Centenary of International Women's Day, which was on March 8th. In thise block of 4 stamps, you see a group of women of different cultures together.


1-May - Expo 2010 Shanghai, China

Macau's Pavilion, "Jade Rabbit the Imperial Lantern" was erected inside the China Pavilion Zone and the replica of Pawnshop "Tak Seng On" was built in the expo's Urban Best Practices Area. The Pavilion takes the shape of a rabbit lantern standing on traditional Portuguese cobblestones, symbolizing Macau's blend of Eastern and Western cultures.
All these characteristics are reflected in this stunning stamp set comemorating Expo 2010.


21-Jun - 60º Aniversário do Banco da China, Sucursal de Macau / 60th Anniversary of Bank of China Macau Branch

The branch was established June 21st, 1950, and gradually became the largest financial institution in Macau.
In this block of 4 stamps, the design has woven together the emblem of Bank of China, the Lotus, Macao Heritage sites, modern architecture and also the true love knot, ribbon and number 60, etc.


The blend included in Macao's Expo 2010 pavilion is evident in all aspects of life in Macau, including in Philately, where we continuously see a beautiful mixture of Oriental culture with a Western/Portuguese scent.