Fisherman at Marsaxlokk , Malta

Big thank you to Silvan for this amazing card and the story of the man. Turns

out his friend is the nephew of the fisherman who is now over 90 years old!

and yay for the first of the 2016 Europa CEPT Think Green Stamp to arrive :)

Sent: 1 May 2016   Received: 23 May 2016   Travelled: 22 days

Faldetta

The għonnella, pronounced "awe-nel-la" , sometimes referred to as a Faldetta, was a form of women's head dress and shawl, or hooded cloak, unique to the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo. In the dialects of the south-east of Malta it was referred to as ċulqana while in the dialect of Għargħur it was referred to as stamijna. It was generally made of cotton or silk, and usually black or some other dark colour, although from the sixteenth century onwards, noble women and women from wealthier households frequently wore white or brightly coloured għenienel. The għonnella covered the head, and framed but did not cover the face. The upper part of the għonnella was starched quite stiffly, and given a broad, rounded frame, formed by means of a board, cane, or whalebone. This gave the għonnella a mysterious but alluring, sail-like appearance. From a practical perspective, this broad bonnet captured much needed cooling breezes during the hot Maltese summer. On cooler days, the wearer could wrap the għonnella around her face more tightly, by making a slight adjustment. The lower part of the għonnella could be worn loosely draped around the wearer's bodice and hips, or more tightly wrapped in the case of inclement weather. It would typically fall to mid-calf length. While walking, the wearer would hold one or both sides of the għonnella clasped in her right hand.

Source: Wikipedia

Thank you again to Silvan for another amazing Faldetta

costumed lady, surely a rare sight in Malta now.

Sent:   Received:   Travelled:

St Julians, Malta

Saint Julian's (Maltese: San Ġiljan) is a town in the Central Region of Malta. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-oriented businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and nightclubs which are centred mainly in an area known as Paceville.
The town is named after its patron saint; Saint Julian who is widely known as Julian the Hospitaller and Julian the Poor whereby he is the patron Saint of hunters. The town's flag is identical to the Belgian flag which has to do with the fact that it is thought that St Julian was Belgian (from Ath), despite the fact that it is disputed whether he was also from France (Le Mans) or Italy (Naples). Before the reform to the Calendar of Saints, the memorial to St Julian was on 27 January. Nowadays, the is celebrated on 12 February, although in Malta an additional feast, in the spirit of the many summer feasts around the island, is celebrated on the last Sunday of August.
Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Silvan for a beautiful view of St Julians!

Sent: 18 March 2016    Received:14 April 2016   Travelled: 27 days

Cats of Malta

Thanks to Silvan, a fellow cat lover who sends this lovely cat

postcard :D

Sent: 5 February 2016    Received: 29 February 2016   

Travelled: 24 days

Spinning in Malta

A typical MAtlese scene of an old woman at her spinning wheel.

A common sight of days gone by; today one of Malta's dying traditions.

Thanks to Silvan for another wonderful Maltese tradition.

Sent: 25 November 2015   Received: 22 December 2015   Travelled: 27 days

Ghajin Tuffieha Bay, Malta

Għajn Tuffieħa forms part of the Manikata village in Malta which is part of the Mellieħa Local Council.

Close to Għajn Tuffieħa, three bays are located with popular beaches among tourists. The beach are separated by natural rock formations and therefore each have their own characteristics.

Għajn Tuffieħa Bay is a red beach a short distance south of Golden Bay. It is quieter than Golden Bay and often visited by the Maltese themselves, as well as tourist visitors. In order to reach this beach one needs to descend a hill on a staircase of 200 steps. On top of the cliffs west of Għajn Tuffieħa bay there is an old defense tower built in 1637. It is one of the seven towers built by Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, of the Knights Hospitaller.

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Silvan for this beautiful bay view of Malta! ^_^

Left: 2009 Definitive issue Late Temple Period, set of 17

Right: 2015 National feasts of Malta, comes in a set of 3

Sent: 23 Oct   Received: 11 November 2015   Travelled: 19 days

Gozo antiques dealer

Thanks to Silvan for this lovely streetview of an antique dealer!

Sent: 10 Oct    Received: 30 Oct 2015   Travelled: 20 days

Malta's Ex Voto stamp

Malta: Traditions of old. Preparing the nets for the next catch.

A wonderful people card and a new stamp!

The stamp comes from the "Ex Voto" issue which shows a maritime theme.

"Ex Voto" comes from the Latin word ,meaning "from the vow made" which is used

in the Roman Catholic Church for offerings. There are many "Ex Voto" paintings

in Malta churches and sancturies. 

Thank you Silvan for the great stamp and card!

20 Sept 2015   Received: 9 Oct 2015   Travelled: 19 days

Gozitan goat herder

Excerpt on back: Homeward bound.

A Gozitan goatherd leads her goats back home. Scenes such as these

can still be seen in the unspoilt countryside of the Maltese islands.

WOW! The amazing sky and a beautiful rare card from Malta

Thank you Silvan for sharing this card with me! Fitting for the year

of the Goat :D

Sent: 15 August 2015   Received: 11 September 2015   Travelled: 27 days

Malta carriage

Another awesome card from Malta. Thank you Silvan for this surprise!

Sent:17 August 2015    Received: 4 Sept 2015   Travelled: 18 days

Maltese farmers

Farmers stacking Hay on Cart, Xaghra

An incredible card from Malta for my People collection.

Thank you so much Silvan! I'm running out of beautiful cards to

send in return o.o

Sent: no postmark   Received: 3 August 2015

Għanafest - Malta

I was initially surprised an envelope from Malta came. Inside are these amazing photo 

promotional cards of the Għanafest from Malta. Formerly a festival that celebrates

the traditional music of Malta,the Għana ,now it includes other tradtional music acts

from around the world similar to the Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival .

Thank you Silvan for the awesome mail!

Sent: 1 July 2015   Received: 28 July 2015   Travelled: 27 days

Malta

Excerpt: Commonly found in the streets of Valletta is the Karrozin,

a traditional mode of transport consisting of a carriage pulled by a horse.

Thanks to Silvan for another lovely view of the Marsamxett area of

Valletta!

Sent: 13 June 2015   Received: 30 June 2015   Travelled: 17 days

Malta folklore

Maltese lady wearing the national headress the Faldetta

From a painting by Chev. Edw. Caruana Dingli

Born in Valetta (1876 - 1950) of a family of artists. He studied art under the celebrated 

Giuseppe Cali ( 1846 - 1930) and at the British Academy in Rome. He excelled himself

as a portrait artist as well as a painter of Maltese landscape and folklore.

Wow a beautiful painting from Malta ,big thank you to Silvan for the lovely stamps as well

Sent: 9 May 2015   Received: 26 May 2015   Travelled: 17 days

Maltese archipelago

Malta has a Subtropical–Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), with very mild winters and warm to hot summers. Rain occurs mainly in winter, with summer being generally dry. According to International Living, Malta is the country with the best climate in the world.

Thank you Silvan for another great view of Valetta!

Sent: 24 February 2015   Received: 2 April 2015   Travelled: 37 days

Aerial view of Valleta

Excerpt: A UNESCO's World Heritage site, Valleta was founded on 28 March 1566.

Its magnificent network of fortifications extend over 27km and are a perfect exmple of 

Renaissance military architecture. 

The dignified palaces and churches built by the knights of St John form an impressive 

architectonic complex that led it to being described as "a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen".

Thanks to Silvan for this amazing view of Valleta and a cruise ship stamp haha

Sent: 19 October 2014   Received 7 November 2014   Travelled: 19 days

A hard day's work in Malta day

Excerpt: Another day over - back home with the fruits of a hard day's work.

A traditional rural scene with headscarves worn as protection fromm the sun. The house is built of local limestone. Thankyou Silvan for this lovely view of people going about their business :)

Sent:20 September 2014   Received: 31 October 2014   Travelled: 41 days

Rising Sun Bar, Malta

Excerpt: This fishing village is particularly well known for its casual and relaxed 

atmosphere. One can stop for tea or coffee or a cool drink outside one of the coffee

bars and enjoy the pleasant Maltese weather.

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village located in the south-eastern part of Malta. The village’s name comes from marsa, which means "port" and xlokk, which is the local name for south east. The word is related to the name for the dry sirocco wind that blows from the Sahara, comparable to the equivalent Catalan word, "xaloc". The village is known for the Marsaxlokk Market, a large market which takes place around the whole village on Sundays and tourist market all days during the week. The inhabitants of the village are called the Xlukkajri and are historically fishermen.

One can almost feel the lazy afternoon of this lovely Sunday afternoon, where

the streets are quest, locals come out to people watch or have a siesta. Thank

you Silvan for this great card! I really enjoyed this :D

Sent: 17 October 2014   Received: 6 November 2014   Travelled: 20 days

Maltese Faldetta - National Costume

What an amazing card showing the National Costume of Malta, the Faldetta

and my favourite past time, souvenir shopping :p

In the past it was widespread but no longer worn today. When I first saw this

image I don't know why I thought it seem Sicilian, probably from the severity of the 

costume. According to legend, the women of Celano , from the Abruzzi region of Italy,

were expelled to Malta in 1224. They wore mourning garments due to their husbands being

massacred based on the instructions of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick the II.

Fascinating bit of history, I really need to find some time to delve into the history of

this region as well as the Sovereign Order of Malta, which has a postal entity in Rome.

Thank you Silvan for this unexpected surprise!

Sent: 6 September 2014   Received: 26 September 2014   Travelled: 20 days

Gozo Lace

Yay! So happy to received this beautiful card of a Gozitan lace maker!

I love love love this card as it shows a craftswoman at work. 

Traditional crafts are dying out as people now tend to spend a lot of time

with modern technology that easily   them with entertainment and news.

Before when people had no such gadgets, to occupy oneself one had to have

something to engage their minds and that is where people had time to develop their skills 

and become master craftsman.

Thank you Silvan this precious card :)

Sent: 27 August 2014   Received: 23 September 2014   Travelled: 27 days