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These are new stamps from the U S Postal Service to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
I acquired these stamps to give away, at the request of a fellow collector, so while these are my scans, they are no longer my stamps. They now live in the U.K. I should have ordered some for myself, but I didn’t.
Luis Fitch designed and illustrated these delightful stamps depicting four “Sugar Skulls.”
Fitch grew up in Tijuana, where he started collecting stamps before the age of 12. His family later moved to San Diego, and he had the idea of designing a U.S. Postage stamp when he was 18, asked at the local Post Office, and got a brochure about how to submit designs. He submitted, but was turned down.
Then Antonio Alcalá, the USPS Creative Director, called Fitch on his birthday in October of 2019 and they talked about doing the stamps. Alcalá had seen his artwork at a show in Chicago.
Speeding through the process that usually takes 3 to 6 years, the stamps were issued Sep. 30, 2021.
The first day ceremony was held at the El Paso Museum of Art, in El Paso, Texas.
The four stamps feature four designs of Calaveras, a girl, a boy, a man, and a woman. They are meant to represent a family, indicating the family nature of the holiday, and the primary importance of family in the Mexican culture.
The Dia de Muertos celebrations lasts two days. November 1st, which coincides with the Catholic All Saint’s Day, is a celebration of children who have passed away. November 2nd, All Soul’s Day is for the remembrance of adults.
Traditional calaveras, despite the English name “Sugar Skulls,” are produced to be seen, not eaten, and may contain many inedible ingredients and decorations. They have been produced since at least 1630, when the Spanish frowned in the continued use of real human skulls.
Calaveras can be used as general decoration, or placed on the family Ofrenda, the offering alter for their specific dead to be honored. If honoring a specific person, the name of the person is written on the forehead.
Edible sugar skulls are also produced, they are not meant for the Ofrenda.
The depiction of human skulls was used fairly frequently in indigenous art in northern Central America. Rather than being morbid, those depictions represent rebirth into the new phase of existence, this is a celebration, not a part of the sadness of mourning.
The holiday observance started in, and is primarily celebrated in Mexico, but has spread not only into the USA, but is gaining ground around the world. Among other places, Wellington, New Zealand, and Prague, in the Czech Republic have large public celebrations.
I’m not aware that they’ve been issued Scott catalog numbers yet, but they should be in the low 5600s.
I hope you enjoy these stamps as much as I did.
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