November 3, 2005
OTTAWA -- Christmas remains the number one occasion for sending cards and letters by mail, and new holiday stamps issued by Canada Post are sure to make every greeting special. Canada Post has issued four new Christmas stamp designs celebrating a world-renowned art form - crèches - and everyone's favourite winter friend - the snowman.
The snowman stamp and one crèche design will be sold at the domestic rate (50¢), while stamps for mail destined to the U.S. (85¢) and international destinations ($1.45) will feature additional Nativity scenes.
"Christmas is a time when we all want to be with family and friends," said the Honourable John McCallum, Minister responsible for Canada Post. "The postal service allows us to share seasonal greetings and hope for the new year with the people we care most about, even when we can't be together. These stamps are the perfect couriers for the delivery of our holiday wishes, across our country and around the world."
Celebrating the spiritual aspect of the season, three stamps will feature crèches. The word is derived from an old French word for a manger or crib. Crèches typically depict a manger with the Christ child, Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, shepherds, animals, angels, and the guiding star. The tradition of church crèches was brought to New France by the early settlers. The custom of setting up a crèche under the Christmas tree became widespread during the 1930s. These stamps were designed by I. Charney Design Inc. and are based on the crèches of Sylvia Daoust, Keena, and Michel Forest. These crèches were chosen from the impressive permanent collection of more than 950 nativity scenes from some 100 countries at the Musée des crèches, at Saint-Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.
What could be more appropriate than a roly-poly snowman to grace the final 2005 holiday season stamp? As Mother Nature readies herself for her first covering of the fluffy white stuff, children dream of snow angels, snow forts and snowmen. The snowman is as Canadian as Santa Claus, and a winter without him is unthinkable. Soon he will be popping up on greeting cards, television, in parades and song and on a special Canadian stamp. The stamp's special printing technique - holographic stamping - makes the issue sparkle like the season itself and greetings it will help to deliver.
To capture the essence of each crèche on a postage stamp was the challenge faced by I. Charney Design Inc. After more than a year of work translating the detail, enormity and physical presence of the crèches, the stamps are a beautiful tribute to this unique art form. The stamps pay homage to the Canadian artists who created the crèches and the design team, including Montréal photographer Paul McCarthy, who captured their essence on these tiny canvases.
Hélène L'Heureux designed and illustrated the snowman stamp. Her design, L'Heureux says, "integrates the snowman into the magical landscape of Northern Lights and reflects our Canadian way of imagining the spirit of the festivities."
Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and downloadable high-resolution photos of the snowman and crèche stamps are in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day covers will be available at participating post offices, can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail-order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362 and from other countries call: (902) 863-6550.
For further information, contact:
Cindy Daoust, Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 734-4258
cindy.daoust@canadapost.ca
Additional information:
The stamps were issued on November 2, 2005.
The tradition of church crèches was brought to New France by the early settlers. In the mid-1600s, Ursuline nuns made representations of the baby Jesus in his crib from beeswax. Mohawk crèches have been made from clay that has been fired, painted, and varnished. Some even contain Canadian fauna such as bears and rabbits. The Inuit have crafted crèches from bone, soapstone, ivory and animal hide. The custom of setting up a crèche under the Christmas tree became widespread during the 1930s.
Michel Forest's crèche is the most eccentric. Inspired by popular culture, animated films, children's art, and mythic beings of other cultures, it is visually whimsical, with overtones of joy and celebration. Joseph and Mary are surrounded by guests that include ewes and lamb, ducks and a donkey. The crèche is formed of colourfully painted small clay figures. It served to create the 50-cent domestic-rate issue.
Keena's crèche is of native peoples; it was the inspiration for the 85-cent U.S. stamp. A lone wooden star ''shines'' on the Mother and her Child surrounded by nearly three dozen wise men and women, some with children, all bearing gifts. People are dressed in tribal costumes, and many animals are in attendance ¿ beaver, bear, birds, rabbits, wolves, wild-cats and an owl high on a perch. All the figures are of colour-glazed and baked red-clay.
The emotionally charged life-size figures sculpted by Sylvia Daoust, have a deep presence. They are shaped out of white plaster, painted in pastel colours with real skin tones. Daoust, the first woman to make her living as a sculptor in Quebec, passed away at the age of 102. Hers is the most traditional of the three crèches, and was adapted for the $1.45 International rate.
Lowe-Martin printed 40 million of the snowman stamp, 20 million of the domestic-rate crèche stamp and 7.5 million of the U.S.A. and international-rate stamps. The crèche stamps were printed using 7-colour lithography while the snowman stamp has 6-colour lithography plus one clear holographic stamping. All the Christmas stamps are self-adhesive. The Official First Day Cover of the crèche stamps will read Montréal, Quebec while the snowman stamp will carry a Christmas Island, Nova Scotia cancel.
