One of the fun things about writing about the Cyprus 2022 stamp program after it’s wrapped up, is having an overview of all issues at once. Cyprus traditionally puts out a relatively small program, with a couple of reoccurring themes such as Christmas, EUROPA, EUROMED and Anniversaries and Events.
I keep looking for Cyprus to create a rival to their great Spanos and the Forty Dragons set from 2013. It’s a delicious tale of a human (Spanos) outsmarting the Dragon King who sends him on a series of outlandish tasks. Designer Christina Vasiliadou Mezavorian used Hambis Tsangaris’s original linocut illustrations from the story to create, what I consider one of the best Cypriot stamp sets to date.
This would have been the perfect entry to this year’s EUROPA: Stories and Myths competition. But, alas, it came years too early. The closest Cyprus Post comes this year, is the September Greek Gods and Goddesses 12 stamp set. The (unknown) artist created a nice set of line drawings with a water colour wash.
Good choice of colours to highlight each god. If you have a favourite, leave a comment.
February
Owls
2 stamps, FDC, cancel, 2 sheets of 8
- Barn owl, Tyto alba Barn Owl project – BirdLife Cyprus
- Cyprus Scops owl, Otus cyprius Cyprus Scops Owl – BirdLife Cyprus
Release date: February 18, 2022
Refugee Stamp 2022
1 stamp
offset lithography
This is an annual postal tax to support refugees.
Release date: February 18, 2022
March
Anniversaries and Events 2022
3 stamps, 3 sheets of 8, FDC, cancel
- 50 years since the creation of the Pancyprian Organization of Large Families
- World Autism Awareness Day
- 60 Years since the creation of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Release date: March 23, 2022
May
EUROPA 2022: Stories and Local Myths
2 stamps, FDC, cancel, 2 booklets of 8, 2 sheets of 8
Legend of Digenis Akritas & Secret Treasure of Regina
According to legend, Digenis Akritas, the legendary Byzantine hero, during the 7th – 10th century, in order to repel the Saracen Arabs, who were preparing to plunder the area, grabbed onto the mountain range of Kyrenia by his one hand as a result of which it took the shape and the name Pentadaktylos (meaning five fingers) and with his other hand lifted a huge rock (the Stone of Romios – Petra tou Romiou) and threw it into the sea against the Saracens who left fleeing. Europa 2022 – Stories and Myths (cypruspost.post)
Digenis Akritis: A Border Guard Transcending Borders | Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University is an excellent article explores legend.
Like many mythical women, Queen Regina’s story can be complex and contradictory. this article New sculpture in Latsi harbour depicts Queen Regina | Cyprus Mail (cyprus-mail.com) touches on this duality. This stamp looks at just one of the legends about her.
Regina, namely the Queen, is a mysterious person mentioned in several myths and legends of Cyprus.
Some of these legends are connected to the castle of Vufavendo, in which, according to tradition, Regina hid her treasures in one of its 101 rooms.
One of the legends states that every night on which the Resurrection of Christ was celebrated, a secret door would open for a short period of time through which someone could gain access to Regina’s room containing the treasures.
On one night of the Resurrection of Christ, a shepherd entered the room, but the door closed before he could collect the treasures.
The shepherd had a pomegranate with him and by eating a piece every day he was kept alive until the following year when on the night of the Resurrection the secret door opened and he gained his freedom. Europa 2022 – Stories and Myths (cypruspost.post)
Release date: May 6, 2022
July
20 years Office of the Commissioner for Electronic Communications
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, sheets of 8
Release date: July 11, 2022
Maritime Link between Cyprus – Greece
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, sheets of 8
Issued to celebrate the creation of a maritime route between Cyprus and Greece on June 19, 2022. This is a seasonal ferry service that departs from Limassol, Cyprus and takes a 30 hour journey to Piraeus, Greece. No ferry service has been available between the two countries since 2000.
Release date: July 11, 2022
Euromed 2022 – Antique cities of the Mediterranean
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, sheets of 8
Amathunta was an ancient city-kingdom dating to 1,100 BCE.
In ancient times, it was one of the most important cities-kingdoms. Its geographical location, its rich hinterland and its port, helped it prosper and develop trade relations beyond Cyprus. Two monumental stone vases had been placed during the 7th century BC on the acropolis of Amathunta, outside the temple of Aphrodite of Amathunta. One vase was transferred to the Louvre Museum in 1865, while its broken counterpart is at its place at the top of the acropolis of Amathunta. Euromed 2022 (cypruspost.post)
Release date: July 11, 2022
September
The Twelve Olympian Gods
12 stamps on a sheet, 3 FDCs, cancel
This set includes 12 major gods/goddesses from the Greek Pantheon
- ZEUS
- HERA
- APOLLO
- ATHENA
- ARIES
- ARTEMIS
- HEPHAESTUS
- APHRODITE
- HERMES
- HESTIA
- POSEIDON
- DEMETRA
Gods and goddesses of the Greek and Roman pantheon | British Museum
The Greek Gods Pantheon | Greek Gods and Goddesses | Ancient Greek Mythology
Release date: September 16, 2022
100 Years since the Catastrophe of Asia Minor
1 stamp on souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
The Asia Minor Catastrophe was a cataclysmic event of such enormous importance for modern Greek history that it shaped generation upon generation after 1922, adding yet another unforgettable —and unutterably tragic — milestone to Greece’s long history.
The destruction of Smyrna, when Greeks were forced to flee the city due to a fire set by Turkish forces, still haunts Greece a century later.
A terrifying blaze, called the Great Fire, destroyed much of the city, causing the majority of Greeks in Asia Minor to flee their homes and seek shelter primarily in Greece, but also in other countries. The Asia Minor Catastrophe | Europeana
Release date: September 16, 2022
November
FIFA World Cup 2022
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Release date: November 18, 2022
Christmas 2022 Santa Claus
4 stamps, 2 sheets of 8, 2 FDCs, 2 postcards, cancel
Release date: November 18, 2022
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Three Wise Men and the Annunciation of the Shepherds
1 stamp, postcard, sheets of 8
This icon is from the Holy Church of Saint Savvas.
Release date: November 18, 2022
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