U.S. POSTAGE STAMP CELEBRATING MUSLIM
HOLIDAY TO BE ISSUED BY UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
Eid Stamp Part of Holiday Celebrations
Series
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – The U.S. Postal Service is expanding its Holiday
Celebrations Series with a new stamp highlighting the Muslim
holiday of Eid.
The
34-cent Eid stamp will be issued on Sept. 1 at the annual
Islamic Society of North America's convention at the Donald
E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 North River Road, Des
Plaines, Ill, at 11:45 a.m. The stamp will be available at
the convention and at post offices nationwide on Sept. 1.
"This
is a proud moment for the Postal Service, the Muslim community,
and Americans in general as we issue a postage stamp to honor
and commemorate two important Islamic celebrations,"
said Azeezaly S. Jaffer, Vice President, Public Affairs and
Communications for the Postal Service, who will dedicate the
stamp. "The Eid stamp will help us highlight the business,
educational and social contributions of the estimated six
to seven million Muslims in this country whose cultural heritage
has become an integral part of the fabric of this great nation."
The
Eid stamp commemorates the two most important festivals—or
eids—in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
On these days, Muslims wish each other "Eid mubarak,"
the phrase featured in Islamic calligraphy on the stamp. "Eid
mubarak" translates literally as "blessed festival,"
and can be paraphrased as "May your religious holiday
be blessed." This phrase can be applied to both Eid al-Fitr
and Eid al-Adha.
Joining
Jaffer will be Danny Jackson, Postal Service Vice President,
Great Lakes Area; Mohamed Zakariya, calligrapher and Eid stamp
designer and W. Deen Mohammed, spokesperson for the Muslim
American Society.
"W.D.M.
Ministry and the Muslim American Society members and our Muslim
families celebrate the issue of this Eid stamp by the Postal
Service," said W. Deen Mohammed. "It is beautiful.
We love it."
The
first day of the Muslim lunar month of Shawwal, Eid al-Fitr
signifies "The Feast of Breaking the Fast." This
festival marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. As
prescribed in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, fasting
during Ramadan begins from just before first light until sunset.
Eid al-Fitr is observed by offering special alms with prayers,
feasting, exchanging gifts and visiting family and friends.
Signifying
"The Feast of the Sacrifice," Eid al-Adha occurs
approximately two months and ten days after Eid al-Fitr. Eid
al-Adha comes at the end of the hajj—the annual period
of pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca—and commemorates
Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail. (This is
the Muslim account of the Judeo-Christian story of Abraham
and Isaac.) Eid al-Adha is celebrated with prayers and social
gatherings and traditionally includes the sacrifice of a lamb
(or any other animal permitted for food in Islam) as an act
of thanksgiving for Allah's mercy. The sacrificial animal
is distributed among family, friends and the poor.
In
2002, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Feb. 23 and Eid al-Fitr
will be celebrated on Dec. 6.
Previous
stamps in the Holiday Celebrations series are Hanukkah, Kwanzaa
and Cinco de Mayo. The Thanksgiving stamp will also be issued
in 2001 as part of the series.
The
Eid stamp, designed by Zakariya of Arlington, Va., features
the Arabic phrase "Eid mubarak" in gold calligraphy
on a blue background. English text on the stamps reads "EID
GREETINGS."
Employing
traditional methods and instruments to create this design,
Zakariya chose a script known in Arabic as "thuluth"
and in Turkish as "sulus." He describes it as "the
choice script for a complex composition due to its open proportions
and sense of balance." He used homemade black ink, and
his pens were crafted from seasoned reeds from the Near East
and Japanese bamboo from Hawaii. The paper was specially prepared
with a coating of starch and three coats of alum and egg-white
varnish, then burnished with an agate stone and aged for more
than a year.
Zakariya's
black-and-white design was then colorized by computer. The
colors chosen for the stamp—gold script on a blue background—are
reminiscent of great works of Islamic calligraphy. This is
Zakariya's first project for the Postal Service.
To
see the Eid stamp, and other forthcoming stamps and stationery
in the 2001 U.S. stamp program, visit the Postal Store at
www.usps.com and click on "Stamp Release Schedule."
To see previous releases, select "Index of Stamp Issues."
All
current stamps and other philatelic products, as well as a
free philatelic catalog, are available by calling toll free
1 800 STAMP-24. A selection of current stamps and gift items
are also available online at the Postal Store.
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Issue: Eid
Item Number: 562100
Denomination & Type of Issue: 34-cent commemorative
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Holiday Celebrations
Issue Date & City: September 1, 2001, Des Plaines, IL
60018
Designer/Calligrapher: Mohamed Zakariya, Arlington, VA
Art Director: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Engraver: Armotek Industries
Modeler: Avery Dennison, SPD
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Printer: Avery Dennison (AVR)
Printed at: AVR, Clinton, SC
Press Type: Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 75 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored, Type III
Gum Type: Self-adhesive
Processed at: AVR, Clinton, SC
Colors: Gray (PMS 300), Blue (PMS 424), Gold (PMS 871)
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.770 x 1.05 in./19.558 x 26.67 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.910 x 1.19 in./23.114 x 30.226 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.375 x 5.875 in./136.53 x 149.23
mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: "V" followed by three (3) single
digits
Marginal Markings: "© 2000 USPS" - Price -
Plate position diagram - Plate numbers - Barcode
Catalog Item Number(s): 562120 Block of 4 — $1.36
562130 Block of 10 — $3.40
562140 Full Pane — $6.80
562161 First Day Cover — $0.55
|
