January 24, a postage stamp dedicated to national crafts is issued as part of the joint issue of the RCC Member – Countries Communication Administrations



Wickerwork of wooden bast and birch bark is one of the oldest crafts in Russia. For a long time, peasants used wooden bast and birch bark in folk crafts, particularly to braid wicker boxes, baskets, caskets, trunks, toys, frames for paintings and first of all, straw shoes.

Straw shoes were widespread, which spawned a drastic diversity of styles and fashions depending on the material used.

Bast sandals were low footwear common in Russia in old times. They were made of wooden bast, birch bark or hemp. The soil was braided in twig, bast, rope or leather. The shoe was strapped to the leg with obors or strings made of the same bast as the shoes.

The stamp depicts the straw shoes against the background of the wooden fence and the Russian countryside, as well as the emblem of the RCC.

Additionally, FSUE PTC “Marka” has manufactured first day covers and first day postmarks for Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as an illustrated cover with the four stamps and first day covers with cancellation (Moscow) inside.

Design: I. Ulyanovskiy.
Face value: 29 RUB.
Size of stamp: 30×42 mm, size of sheet: 170×146 mm.
Form of issue: sheet with illustrated margins of 15 (5×3) stamps.
Circulation: 360,000 stamps (24,000 sheets).

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