Romfilatelia and the Romanian Post introduce into circulation on Thursday, March 12th this year the philatelic issue entitled Easter 2026.
Consisting of two postage stamps, a perforated souvenir sheet, a First Day Cover and a philatelic folder with special products in limited run printing, the images reproduced on the postage stamps illustrate an optimistic approach to Easter Holiday, in which gifts eagerly awaited, especially by children, take centre stage, alongside of a dynamic and cute bunny, the Easter Bunny.
According to an old legend widespread in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, the hare was a sacred figure. It is said that the goddess Eostre, goddess of the moon, discovered a wounded bird one winter and transformed it into a female rabbit to save it from death. In gratitude, the female rabbit, left with the ability to lay eggs, decorated these eggs and offered them as a gift to the goddesses. With the spread of Christianity in the Anglo-Saxon area, the Easter Celebration was adopted, borrowing its name from the goddess Eostre, namely Easter.
The exact origin of the Easter Bunny is not known, some historians considering it to be of German Lutheran origin. This argument is also supported by the fact that, just as Santa Claus has an official residence in Lapland, the Easter Bunny is said to have its residence in Germany, in the town of Ostereistedt – ‘Easter Egg Town’. Here, special staff respond to the thousands of letters sent by children with a standard greeting card, accompanied by cardboard pieces from which an Easter garland and two coloring postcards can be made.
The symbol of the Easter Bunny has been transformed into an industry: millions of stuffed bunnies accompany gifts eagerly awaited by young and old alike.
Graphic designer Emi Balint has incorporated an original concept into the design of the postage stamps: alongside the bunny, the red egg as a Paschal symbol is represented by the beautiful red flower of a tulip, one of the most known and beloved flower in the world. The tulip does not originate in the Netherlands, but in the mountainous regions of Central Asia, from where it ‘migrated’ westward, first reaching the Ottoman Empire and later Europe. In many cultures, the tulip symbolizes various feelings and concepts. In Turkish tradition it is considered a symbol of paradise and perfection. In the Western concept, the tulip is associated with the renewed love of spring and with rebirth.
The postage stamp with the face value of Lei 5.50 features an image of a red egg formed from tulip petals, from which the long-eared head of the Easter Bunny subtly peeks out.
The postage stamp with the face value of Lei 16 features a bunny courier carrying a red egg made from a red tulip flower.
The souvenir sheet, bearing the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 32, depicts eggs painted in various colors, conceived in the same concept: the egg is represented as a tulip flower. A mischievous bunny appears to be announcing that the gift eggs have arrived.
The First Day Cover features an image of an Easter Bunny wearing an advertising arrangement with a wish-message: PACE ON EARTH!
Overall, the issue heralds the arrival of spring in an optimistic concept, with tulips among the first gifts, rendering in an original way the images of red eggs, gifts of the Easter Holiday.
Romfilatelia thanks the representatives of the Illustrators’ Club for their collaboration, Emi Balint, the layout designer of the issue, being a member of this Club.
