TW-2658471 The Sailor's Compliant -

This postcard sent by Jenny of Taiwan (7 Dec 2018 Postcrossing) is a reproduction of a 337mm x 212mm ink on paper art item held currently by the Australian National Maritime Museum. 

This postcard depicts sheet music with a maritime theme showing a woman with a basket, greeting a sailor who has just arrived in a naval frigate. Ballads about sailors often centred on themes of romance and jilted love. Ships were an everyday part of society in the 19th century and for many people tales of maritime life would have been of interest and relevance to their daily life. 

The ballad is set to a the tune attributed to George Frideric Handel.

The verses of this ballad are:

Come and listen to my ditty,
All ye jolly hearts of gold;
Lend a brother Tar your pity,
Who was once so stout and bold.
But the arrows of Cupid,
Alas! have made me rue;
Sure, true love was ne'er so treated,
As am I by scornful Sue. 

When I landed first at Dover,
She appear'd a goddess bright;
From foreign parts I was just come over,
And was struck with so fair a sight.
On shore pretty Sukey walked,
Near to where our frigate lay, 
And altho' so near the landing,
I, alas! was cast away. 

When first I hail'd my pretty creature,
The deIight of land and sea,
No man ever saw a sweeter,
I'd have kept her company;
I'd have fain made her my true love,
For better, or for worse;
But alas! I could not compass her,
For to steer the marriage course. 

Once, no greater joy and pleasure
Could have come into my mind,
Then to see the bold Defiance
Sailing right before the wind,
O'er the white waves as she danced,
And her colours gaily flew:
But that was not half so charming
As the trim of lovely Sue.

On a rocky coast I've driven,
Where the stormy winds do rise,
Where the rolling mountain billows
Lift a vessel to the skies:
But from land, or from the ocean,
Little dread I ever knew,
When compared to the dangers
In the frowns of scornful Sue.

Long I wonder'd why my jewel
Had the heart to use me so,
Till I found, by often sounding,
She'd another love in tow:
So farewell, hard-hearted Sukey,
I'll my fortune seek at sea,
And try in a more friendly latitude,
Since in yours I cannot be.

LT-625989 Angel sculptures of Pasvalys, Lithuania

I received this postcard showing a bridge with angel sculptures on the bank of the River Lėvuo in the town of Pasvalys, Lithuania. The angel sculptures are in front of the old St. John the Baptist churchyard gate.

Pasvalys is a city in Panevėžys County, Lithuania, located near the bank of the Svalia River.

CN-2487111 The 24 Solar Terms - qiū fēn 秋分

I received this interesting card from Annabell (Postcrossing, October 2018). It shows one of the 24 solar terms. This particular solar term is qiū fēn 秋分 (Autumnal equinox). But I am puzzled by the words in the top right corner of the postcard which read "Insects awaken" which is actually jīng zhé 惊蛰 a different solar term. Perhaps there was a printing error?

This interesting postcard shows the food associated with the time of the year.

Now I hope to get the other 23 cards associated with the 24 solar terms (ha ha). 

*****

What are the 24 solar terms?

The 24 solar terms, based on the sun's position in the zodiac, were created by farmers in ancient China to guide the agricultural affairs and farming activities. The 24 solar terms reflect the changes in climate, natural phenomena, agricultural production, and other aspects of human life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. The 24 solar terms play important roles and have greatly influenced people's basic needs in life, and they still have an important function nowadays.

The 24 solar terms are:

Start of Spring lì chūn 立春

Rain Water yǔ shuǐ 雨水

Awakening of Insects jīng zhé 惊蛰

Vernal Equinox chūn fēn 春分

Clear and Bright qīng míng 清明

Grain Rain gǔ yǔ 谷雨

Start of Summer lì xià 立夏

Small Full (Grain) xiǎo mǎn 小满

Grain in Ear máng zhǒng 芒种

Summer Solstice xià zhì 夏至

Minor Heat xiǎo shǔ 小暑

Major Heat dà shǔ 大暑

Start of Autumn lì qiū 立秋

Limit of Heat chù shǔ 处暑

White Dew bái lù 白露

Autumnal Equinox qiū fēn 秋分

Cold Dew hán lù 寒露

Frost Descent shuāng jiàng 霜降

Start of Winter lì dōng 立冬

Minor Snow xiǎo xuě 小雪

Major Snow dà xuě 大雪

Winter Solstice dōng zhì 冬至

Minor Cold xiǎo hán 小寒

Major Cold dà hán 大寒

From the names of the 24 solar terms, we can see that the division of the solar terms has fully considered the variation of natural phenomena, such as seasons, climates and phenology.

The solar terms known as Start of Spring, Start of Summer, Start of Autumn, and Start of Winter are used to reflect the change of seasons, dividing the year into four seasons of exactly three months. While this fits an ideal pattern of dates, it does not reflect observable reality in most of China.

The solar terms of Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are divided from an astronomical aspect, reflecting the turning point of the variation of the altitude of the sun.

Minor Heat, Major Heat, Limit of Heat, Minor Cold, and Major Cold reflect the changes of temperature in different periods.

Clear and Bright, Rain Water, Grain Rain, Minor Snow, and Major Snow, White Dew, Cold Dew, and Frost Descent reflect the phenomenon of precipitation, indicating the time and intensity of rainfall, snowfall, dew, and frost.

Small Full (Grain) and Grain in Ear reflect the maturity and harvest time of crops, while Awakening of Insects reflects observed insect activity.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa (神奈川沖浪裏 Kanagawa oki nami-ura)

The Great Wave off Kanagawa (神奈川沖浪裏 Kanagawa-oki nami ura, "Under a wave off Kanagawa"), also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎). It was published sometime between 1829 and 1833  in the late Edo period as the first print in Hokusai's series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. It is Hokusai's most famous work, and one of the most recognizable works of Japanese art in the world.


The image depicts an enormous wave threatening boats off the coast of the town of Kanagawa (the present-day city of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture). While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is more likely to be a large rogue wave. As in many of the prints in the series, it depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions, and the mountain itself appears in the background.

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽三十六景 Fugaku Sanjūrokkei) is a series of landscape prints by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai (1760–1849). The series depicts Mount Fuji from different locations and in various seasons and weather conditions. Mount Fuji is a popular subject for Japanese art due to its cultural and religious significance. 

Each of the images was made through a process whereby an image drawn on paper was used to guide the carving of a wood block. This block was then covered with ink and applied to paper to create the image. The complexity of Hokusai's images includes the wide range of colors he used, which required the use of a separate block for each color appearing in the image.

The series was produced from c. 1830 to 1832, when Hokusai was in his seventies and at the height of his career, and published by Nishimura Yohachi.  Besides the original thirty-six, there was an additional 10 more images.

NL-4103753 Assorted cheese, crostini and an Opinel Knife

This delightful food postcard came from Wilma (Postcrossing, June 2018) of the Netherlands.  It shows assorted cheese, crostini and an Opinel Knife.
Since 1890, in a pocket, backpack, kitchen drawer or on the table, Opinel has been synonymous with a nomadic art of living, natural spirit, moments of sharing and complicity.  I don't own one but it sounds like something that I would love to have.

HK-568373 Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong

When it comes to evoking the mystery and charm of ancient China, few art forms can compare to Chinese opera, with its kaleidoscopic costumes, distinctive falsetto singing punctuated by gongs and intricate gestures rich with symbolism. Despite serious competition from more modern forms of entertainment, traditional Chinese performance art in the form of Cantonese opera continues to persevere in Hong Kong as a beautiful and timeless craft.

One of the major styles of Chinese opera, Cantonese opera is a highly respected and much-loved art form that blends Chinese legend, music and drama into a vibrant performance style that’s rich with symbolic meaning. Popular with audiences in southern China and parts of Southeast Asia, it was included as part of UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.  (extract from Hong Kong Tourism website)

This postcard from Hong Kong showing 崔鶯鶯 an actress in beautiful costume in the opera 西厢记.  Thanks to  Annie (Postcrossing, May 2018).  

DE-6238878 The Osborne Bull - an icon of Spain

The Osborne bull (Toro de Osborne) is a 14-meter (46 ft) high black silhouetted image of a bull in semi-profile. 

The Osborne sherry company (founded by Thomas Osborne Mann in 1772) erected large images of bulls starting in 1956 to advertise their Brandy de Jerez. The images were black (with the brand "Veterano" in red on it) advertising boards located near major roads throughout Spain. The original image was smaller and slightly different in design. The current larger image was created to comply with a law that prohibited advertising within 150 meters of a road.

In 1994 the EU passed a law that prohibited all roadside advertising of alcoholic beverages, and the bulls were therefore to be removed. By this time the signs were nationally renowned and public response resulted in the signs being retained, but completely blacked out to remove all reference to the original advertisers. The Court eventually allowed these signs to remain on the grounds that they have become a part of the landscape and have "aesthetic or cultural significance", thus turning the bulls into public domain images. (Source: Wikipedia)

There are about 90 examples of the Osborne bull. See map for distribution in the various Spanish provinces.

This postcard came from Marc of Detmold in Germany (7 June 2017) who bothered to locate this great postcard for me.

Personal Note:
We toured Spain in 2013 and from the coach, I noticed this iconic bull.  I had always wanted a postcard of this image as I was unable to photograph it.

NL-3462250 Décolletage blouses and beers of Bavaria (Bayern)

Well, I wanted to title this post as "Bosoms and beers of Bavaria" but "décolletage" is too good (and cultured) a word not to use.
Beer and ample bosoms - cheers!

This postcard came from Erwin (a Netherlands postcrosser) who sent this German postcard from Slovakia (truly international) - he is on a road trip !

NL-3427948 Santa had a mishap - his Zwarte Pieten tried to help him

This delightful postcard came from Sanda (15 June 2016) Postcrossing.  It showed poor Santa (Sinterklass) in the canal and scores of his helpers, Black Petes (Zwarte Pieten) trying to help him.

In the Dutch tradition, Santa (Sinterklass) arrived each year by boat at Meppel in the Netherlands well before his December 5 day. He then gets on his white horse and distributes presents to little children. There would be large parades with Sinterklass in Dutch cities..

Accompanying Sinterklass would be his Zwarte Pieten. Those portraying Zwarte Piet typically put on blackface make-up and colourful Renaissance attire, in addition to curly wigs, red lipstick and earrings. In recent years, the character has become the subject of controversy, especially in the Netherlands.

To me, the whole thing is a Dutch tradition and a harmless festival mainly for children so all the protests seem rather unnecessary. I wholeheartedly agree with Sanda's comments on this matter.

MY-300703 A Chinese philosophical saying

This postcard from Malaysia shows windmills.  There are no windmills in Malaysia of course. The postcard from Lai Mun (9 March 2016) comes with this philosophical saying in Chinese:
..
有些事情未必会开始，无奈的是，有开始必然有结束。
..

which essentially means "There are things which should not necessarily be started because unfortunately any beginning must have an ending."

DE-5016431 Learning languages? - it's a piece of cake!

This very interesting postcard shows the many different ways a piece of cake is called in Switzerland.  Switzerland has four national languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh). All but Romansh maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation.  But there are many different dialects spoken especially in German.

There is no such thing as a uniform Swiss German dialect as there are more than a dozen of them and native people can always tell in which part of Switzerland a person speaking a particular dialect was born and raised. Even within a region one may differentiate dialects between cantons as close to each other as Basel-Stadt (the city) and Baselland (its backcountry) or even within a canton. 

While using dialects is considered to be somewhat uncultered in other countries, German speaking Swiss people are very proud of their regional dialects. A Swiss professor or businessman will of course not use some words considered to be vulgar, but they will use dialect even in professional discussions and/or formal negotiations. Standard German is normally only used for writing (therefore it is called Schriftdeutsch [written German] in Switzerland).

If there are people present that do not understand dialect (Germans, Austrians or French/Italian speaking Swiss), standard German is used, often with a strong accent, however. While this rule is more or less respected in the presence of French and Italian speaking people, native German speaking Swiss folks expect German immigrants to learn to understand moderate versions of Swiss German dialect within three months ...

Radio and Television news are read in standard German in Switzerland while most talkshows on politics, culture or science use dialect. Sometimes you might hear a mixed version, for example an immigrant might perfectly understand dialect but answer in standard German or mix the two. 

This postcard came from Elena (2 March 2016) Postcrossing.

RU-4089105 Tsarevna with golden crown

This beautiful painting is entitled "Tsarevna with golden crown".  It is painted by Vladislav Nagornov. This Russian painter, who graduated from the Penza Art College, then from the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture was born in 1974 in Penza. He began painting at the tender age of six.
Vladislav is fond of history. He researches a lot of information before creating his characters with their costumes and decorations. Vladislav has studied the works of the great artists  – Repin, Surikov, Ivanov and many others. Vladislav showcases the beauty of Russian girls and women, as well as reminds his viewers of the great history of Russia.

This postcard came from Russia (5 December 2015) Postcrossing.

LT-474461 Traditional costume of Lithuania

Lithuanians are strongly committed to their traditions, rituals and customs. With regards to traditional costumes, the Lithuanians these days used traditional attires only during national events or folk ceremonies.

The traditional dress of Lithuania in the past was mainly made with linen weaving and till the start of the nineteenth century, handmade costumes were very common. These days traditional handmade costumes have become rare.

The traditional dress of Lithuanian women generally consists of a woven colourful garment with geometric patterns. Other articles involved are belts, ties, scarves and other accessories. The designs are really impressive. Embroidery is also a major characteristic of the traditional Lithuanian costume and the woven garment was embellished with embroidery.

The skirts of the Lithuanian women are usually worn at ankle length and these were usually made with wool or linen. Women used to wear aprons as a compulsory part of their dresses. Women also used bodices when they participate in a wedding ceremony or during a festive occasion. These garments are usually hip length and include a peplum or large lappets and had woven designs finer than those found in the apron or skirt. These bodices were fastened in front.

Unmarried girls traditionally wear a crown-shaped open topped headdress. Another item to note in the traditional dress of Lithuania is a sash that tends to be 3 to 4 inches wide and which is worn circling the waist twice and hanging down to some extent. Source: Lonely Planet

This postcard of a Lithuanian woman in traditional dress was sent by Emilija (24 November 2015) Postcrossing.

FI-2492822 Jean Sibelius, renowned Finnish composer

Jean Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957) was a Finnish violinist and   composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. Sibelius is widely recognized as his country's national composer and is often credited for supporting the rise of the Finnish national identity in the country's struggle for independence.

Sibelius’ core achievement is his set of seven symphonies which, like his other major works, continue to be performed and recorded in his home country and internationally. In addition to his symphonies, Sibelius's best-known compositions include Finlandia, the Karelia Suite, Valse triste, the Violin Concerto, the choral symphony Kullervo and The Swan of Tuonela (from the Lemminkäinen Suite). Throughout his career, the composer found inspiration in nature and Nordic mythology, especially the heroic legends of the national epic, the Kalevala.

Sibelius composed prolifically until the mid-1920s but after completing his Seventh Symphony (1924), the incidental music to The Tempest (1926), and the tone poem Tapiola (1926), he failed to produce any major works in his last thirty years. (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Leyla (15 October 2015) Postcrossing.

GB-698771 A Ladybird Book -“Julius Caesar”

Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books. The company traces its origins to 1867. The classic pocket-sized mini-hardback Ladybird book measured roughly four-and-a-half by seven inches (11.5 cm by 18 cm). Early books used a standard 56-page format, chosen because a complete book could be printed on one large standard sheet of paper. It was an economical way of producing books, enabling the books to be retailed at a low price which, for almost thirty years, remained at two shillings and sixpence (12.5p).

I am very interested in the different cultures of the world.  Besides costumes, music, dance, rituals, holidays, etc language is very much a part of any culture. The ability to educate their young via reading (and cheap books) is a great cultural achievement of any society.

This postcard came from Kate (16 October 2015) Postcrossing.

MY-282137 Malaysian cuisine

Malaysian cuisine is principally Malay, Chinese and Indian food.  There is little fusion and generally one can identify the origin of the various dishes.  This ad card uses the slogan "Butterworth your time" making a play on the "worth" in "Butterworth" the principal town of Seberang Perai in the state of Penang.

This postcard came from Philip K. (6 October 2015) Postcrossing.

CZ-711128 Slovak ceremonial costume

This postcard from Jirka (1 October 2015) Postcrossing shows male and female ceremonial costumes of Slovakia.

US-3574063 Norman Rockwell - Happy Skiers on a Train

Norman Rockwell painted this oil on canvas painting (Happy Skiers on a Train) in 1948.  It appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post of 24 January 1948.

I could not find much information on the internet about this painting except a list of the models used.  What is interesting to me is the look on the young suited man who is obviously not a skier but who is silently enduring all the noise from the happy skiers.

This great postcard came from Helen (17 September 2015) Postcrossing.

CN-1714235 Shadow puppetry in China

Shadow play or Shadow puppetry is popular in various cultures; currently there are more than 20 countries known to have shadow show troupes. Shadow play is an old tradition and it has a long history in Southeast Asia; especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. (See: http://flynnfrogg.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/wayang-kulit-of-java-indonesia.html ) It is also considered as an ancient art in other parts of Asia such as in China, India and Nepal.  This postcard from Laura (31 August 2015) Postcrossing shows shadow puppetry in China.

Shadow puppetry originated during the Han Dynasty when one of the concubines of Emperor Wu of Han died from an illness. The emperor was devastated, and he summoned his court officers to bring his beloved back to life. The officers made a shape of the concubine using donkey leather. Her joints were animated using 11 separate pieces of the leather, and adorned with painted clothes. Using an oil lamp they made her shadow move, bringing her back to life. Shadow theatre became quite popular as early as the Song Dynasty when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays. During the Ming Dynasty there were 40 to 50 shadow show troupes in the city of Beijing alone. In the 13th century, the shadow show became a regular recreation in the barracks of the Mongolian troops. It was spread by the conquering Mongols to distant countries like Persia, Arabia, and Turkey. Later, it was introduced to other Southeastern Asian countries. The earliest shadow theatre screens were made of mulberry paper. The storytellers generally used the art to tell events between various war kingdoms or stories of Buddhist sources. Today, puppets made of leather and moved on sticks are used to tell dramatic versions of traditional fairy tales and myths. In Gansu province, it is accompanied by Daoqing music, while in Jilin, accompanying Huanglong music forms some of the basis of modern opera. Source: Wikipedia

ID-149539 The Batik of Indonesia

Batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth or cloth made using this technique. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap (also spelled tjap). The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water and repeating if multiple colours are desired.

A tradition of making batik is found in Indonesia. The most well-known. Indonesian batik is made in the island of Java. On October 2009, UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Rosi (14 August 2015) Postcrossing.