2018-02-10 Sat

Finland released five non-denominated first-class Valentine’s Day special stamps called “Light of Friendship” on 24th January. The designs for these stamps are inspired by nature, art and fairy tales. Designer Leena Raappana-Luiro wanted to achieve a mystical, dramatic magical effect.She stood second in a design contest for Finland’s Valentine’s Day stamps of 2017. Though she didn’t win the competition last year, Finland Posti was so impressed that they asked her to design this year’s issue.

The design features a fairytale forest in which trees are made of hearts which glow against the dark background. The digitally created designs are based on inspirations from art history like the Dutch flower painting of the 17th century and old natural science illustrations.

Two stamps clearly feature heart-shaped leaves. The golden map featured on the stamps indicates that they pay the domestic rate.