It’s time for a fun trip around Andorra (SP) with their 2022 stamps. There’s no better way to enjoy a country (short of physically being there) than to examine the stories behind their stamps. You can touch on culture, history, landscape and so much more with these tiny bits of paper.
Andorra’s program isn’t a large one, but it sure is satisfying. This year’s program sees some familiar series return as well as some top notch postmarks. Andorra stared the year off with another Flag and Coat of Arms issue done in silver foil this time. Stamps featuring flora, fauna, EUROPA and contemporary art make a return, with some interesting subjects. But the real stars of the Andorra 2022 stamp program are their cancels. Cancel hounds will never be disappointed with the high quality Spain offers. Last year’s EUROPA – Andorra is a perfect example of the finely detailed and expressive cancels created by the designers.
Unfortunately the publicity shy Spanish Post continues their habit of not issuing details on the artists and designers. Very little is released about them (if at all), which is a shame. Andorra (and Spain) issue some spectacular stamps. Oh well, nothing to be done about it but carry on and enjoy the artwork.
Before we plunge into the stamps, there’s a quick note on First Day Covers. Andorra doesn’t always issue FDCs, and often they don’t make an appearance in promotional material immediately. When images are available, I’ll post them. But expect a couple months delay between the stamp issuing date and when I can get my hands on decent images.
Cheers
Catpaw
January
Flag and Coat of Arms
regular issue
1 stamp, cancel
offset & foil
Release date: January 1, 2022
February
Ball de L’Ossa – The Bear Dance
Series: popular culture
1 stamp, cancel
Offset
The Ball de l’Ossa dates back to the Middle Ages and recognised under the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage program.
The Dance of the Bear of Encamp is a popular performance of theater and dance around the hunt of a bear that takes place on Monday of Carnival in the parish of Encamp, Andorra … The fiestas de l’ossa d’Andorra are considered a theatrical farce, that is, a performance in the form of a one-act comedy. In this festival, a variety of typical characters of the Andorran rural life of the last century appear and the hunting of the animal is presented … Encamp Bear Dance – Wikiwand (excellent & detailed site on the dance.)
El Ball de l’Óssa — Comú d’Encamp | Principality of Andorra (comuencamp.ad)
Release date: February 11, 2022
March
Europa Cup Skiing Finals in Andorra
Series: sports
1 stamp, cancel
offset
EUROPA CUP FINALS 2022 | Grandvalira
Release date: March 14, 2022
Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo)
Series: fauna
1 stamp, cancel, souvenir sheet
Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) Eurasian Eagle-Owl – Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory (snco.org)
Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) – Information, Pictures, Sounds – The Owl Pages
This bird is a popular stamp subject. It has made an appearance on stamps ranging from Åland Islands to Ukraine.
Release date: March 25, 2022
April
Andorra L ́Andart – Miquel Mercè Barrio
Series: contemporary art
1 stamp, cancel
Offset
Miquel Mercè is an architect and photographer. You can read about this installation art here El barri del bosc – Miquel Merce Fotografia. The work explores our world during lockdown and it’s effects. Mercè discusses his art through both an architect and photographer lens. The site is in Spanish, but translates well with Google translate.
An installation that materializes the complexity experienced during confinement, with the windows as only contact with the outside; and, on the other hand, questions what architecture (and urbanism) should be like in the future in order to live in the best possible way and with total symbiosis with nature. El barrio del bosque – Miquel Merce Fotografia
Release date: April 22, 2022
May
EUROPA 2022 Stories & Myths – Virgin of Meritxell
1 stamp, cancel
Offset
The Virgin of Meritxell is the patron saint of Andorra.
The story takes place in the late 12th century. One winter morning, villagers from Meritxell were going to mass in the parish of Canillo in the north of Andorra. On their way, they observed a blooming wild rose. This was particularly strange for them, as the flower was out of season. As they gathered and looked at the growing flower, they noticed an object at its base, soon revealed to be a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The legend tells of several attempts made by these villagers to relocate the statue to a chapel or a church in the neighboring towns and villages, to no avail. Every morning, the statue was found back at the original place, at the base of the blooming wild rose. Eventually, the villagers of Meritxell took this as a sign to build a chapel for their town. OUR LADY OF MERITXELL DAY – September 8, 2022 – National Today
Weekly Article #8 – The Legend of Our Lady of Meritxell – Perennial Pyrenees
Release date: May 19, 2022
June
Estany de les Salamandres – Salamandres Lake
Series: landscapes
1 stamp
Offset
This stamp features a popular hiking area around the lake.
These are two lakes located in the surroundings of d’Entor, in the parish of Canillo, halfway to the Ibon de la Cabana Sorda if we look at our starting point in Ransol, next to the Borda Marticella. The approximate time to arrive is 4 h, passing through Lake Querol as the first point of reference. During the tour, if it is spring season we can see Pyrenean lilies and “grandalles”, the national flower of Andorra.
The name of the site could be related to the presence in the area, both of common salamanders (salamander salamander) and of a species native to the Pyrenees, the Pyrenean newt (calotryton asper), an amphibian that integrates the family of Salamandrinos. The truth is that the habitat of this endemic species is located mainly in aqueous areas with few currents and shallow depth, elements that would be in line with the characteristics of these two ibones. Stamps – Paisatges. Estany de les Salamandres. (correos.es)
Release date: June 2, 2022
July
Common Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Series: flora
1 stamp, cancel
Offset
Common Hazel (Corylus avellana) · iNaturalist
Release date: July 8, 2022
Plaça de Braus Monumental d´Andorra
Series: culture
1 stamp, cancel
Offset
Release date: July 22, 2022
September
King of Spain – Felipe VI, Official Visit
1 stamp on souvenir sheet
offset
Release date: September 7, 2022
Elidá amigó
Series: Personalities
1 stamp
offset
Amigó stood out at the time as a strong defender of women’s rights. In fact, she was one of the key people in the fight for women’s suffrage. She was also president of the Clara Rabassa Foundation for 23 years and collaborated with the Red Cross. Elidà Amigó, pioneer in the defense of women’s rights in Andorra, dies – Speaker, Andorra’s digital newspaper (altaveu.com)
Release date: September 23, 2022
October
Indian Community
Series: Andorran diversity
1 stamp, cancel
offset
65.9% of Andorra’s population was born outside the country’s borders representing 120 different nationalities. Andorra used Paula Lòpez-Berges’s watercolour, celebrating India’s 75th Anniversary since Independence for this stamp.
Artist: Paula Lòpez-Berges
Lòpez-Berges created 2 stamps for Spain to mark the 150th Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth and Indira Gandhi’s 100th Anniversary of her Birth
Release date: September 23, 2022
October
Oscar Ribas Reig (1936 – 2020)
Series: Personalities
1 stamp, cancel
offset
Andorran politician and businessman who helped form modern Andorra
Release date: October 26, 2022
November
40 Years Since the Floods of 1982
1 stamp, cancel
offset
In the fall of 1982, the Valira overflowed its banks, causing horrific flooding along the river. Some areas reported up to 150 mm of rain in 30 hours, and up to 600 mm fell in the mountains in 2 days. Damage was substantial, 7 people died and 12 were never found.
Artist: Arnau Orobitx
Release date: November 4, 2022
Christmas Lights
1 stamp, cancel
offset
Artist: Itziar Badenas
Release date: November 7, 2022
Enjoyed this look at Andorra’s stamps? Why not check out Andorra (Fr) for 2022.
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