recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Shakespeare Day

**Shakespeare Day** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit United Kingdom during this special day .

## Information

**William Shakespeare** (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. They also continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later.

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Vychodna Folklore Festival

**Vychodna Folklore Festival** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Slovakia during this special day.

## Information

**The Folklore Festival Východná** was held in 1953 for the first time. Members of the Eastern ethnographic group Kriváň succeeded at the festivities in Strážnice and decided to establish a similar tradition in Slovakia. Folklore groups from Východná, Važec, Štrba, Liptovská Teplička, Liptovské Sliače, Hladovka and Sihelné performed at the first Ethnographic Song and Dance Festival. In 1954, the amphitheater was built. In 1956, it acquired a nationwide character and a new name "Celebration in the Východná".

Now, the Folklore festival Východná is a show of the results of regular and systematic work of many institutions, organizations, associations and individuals in the field of traditional folk culture, which participate in the preservation of traditions.

The Folklore Festival Východná is the oldest and the most extensive nationwide festival with international participation in Slovakia. Every year, during the first weekend of July, the beautiful village Východná, located near High and Low Tatras, becomes the centre of the Slovak culture, where the folk traditions come to life.

During its 67-years of history, the festival became the most acclaimed festival of the traditional folk culture in Slovakia. The festival hosts about 1 400 performers, among which there are winners of the national competition of folk groups, children folk groups, groups of traditional folk music, singing groups and dance groups.

The festival hosts traditional folk craftsmen, producers and artists, as well as numerous interactive and entertainment programs — dancing, singing and musical programs, singing workshops, creative craftsmanship programs and also programs for children.

The Folklore Festival Východná is a celebration of the traditional Slovak folklore and its existence greatly contributes to the revival, preservation, creative development and public presentation of the rich values of our culture. Traditional Slovak folklore is deeply rooted in the traditions and culture of the Slovak nation, and this is the reason why it can every time bring to us joy and revive not only our history but our emotions too. Become part of this celebration right now.

Text and image from festivalvychodna.sk.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Tolkien Reading Day

**Tolkien Reading Day** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit United Kingdom during this special day .

## Information

**Tolkien Reading Day** is is a favorite among fans of the renowned author. The Tolkien Society created this observance in 2003 to encourage the readings of J.R.R. Tolkien. They chose the date of March 25th because it matches the fall of Sauron in Tolkien’s *The Lord of the Rings*.

**John Ronald Reuel Tolkien** CBE FRSL (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works *The Hobbit* and *The Lord of the Rings*. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College, both at the University of Oxford. He then moved within the same university to become the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College, and held these positions from 1945 until his retirement in 1959. Tolkien was a close friend of C. S. Lewis, a co-member of the informal literary discussion group The Inklings. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972.

After Tolkien's death, his son Christopher published a series of works based on his father's extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including *The Silmarillion*. These, together with *The Hobbit* and *The Lord of the Rings*, form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about a fantasy world called Arda and, within it, Middle-earth. Between 1951 and 1955, Tolkien applied the term *legendarium* to the larger part of these writings.

While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of *The Hobbit* and *The Lord of the Rings* led directly to a popular resurgence of the genre. This has caused him to be popularly identified as the "father" of modern fantasy literature—or, more precisely, of high fantasy.

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Happy Nowruz!

**Nowruz** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit some countries such as Iran and others during this special day. The list of countries in which it will be relesead could change each year according to Slowly's team that evaluates users feedback and new information.

## Information

**Nowruz** is the **Iranian New Year**, also known as the **Persian New Year**, which begins on the spring equinox, marking the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar calendar. It is celebrated worldwide by various ethnolinguistic groups and falls on or around March 21 of the Gregorian calendar.

Nowruz has Iranian and Zoroastrian origins; however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 3,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia. It is a secular holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, but it remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís, and some Muslim communities.
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
St. Stephen's Basilica

**St. Stephen's Basilica** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Hungary**.

## Information

"***The St. Stephen's Basilica*** (Hungarian: Szent István-bazilika) is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest, Hungary. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary.

It was the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920. Since the renaming of the primatial see, it's the co-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest. Today, it is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary. "

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Janbiya

**Janbiya** is an exclusive single stamp in SLOWLY. This can be purchased in the shop when you visit Yemen.

## Information

A **jambiya**, also spelled **janbiya**, **jambya**, **jambia** and **janbia** (Arabic: جنبية *janbiyyah*), also known as a **shibriyeh** (Arabic: شبرية *shibriyyah*) in the Levant, is a specific type of dagger with a short curved blade with a medial ridge that originated from the of Saudi Arabia. They have spread to other countries in the Middle East, to other countries in the Arab world, and to parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Men typically above the age of 14 wear it as an accessory to their clothing.

A **jambia** is a short dagger worn by men in Yemen. The handle of a jambiya tells the status of the man who wears it.

The jambia was given its name because it is worn on the side of a person – the word jambia is derived from the Arabic word *janb* (Arabic: جنب, lit. 'side'). A jambia is constituted of a handle, a blade, and a sheath in which the blade is held. It is made of a certain sort of wood, to hold the blade that is fixed to the waist from underneath with an upward curved sheath. The belt that holds the jambia is made of tanned leather, or some thick cloth. There are specialised markets and handicraft markets that decorate it with golden wires.

The jambia handle often tells of the social status of the man who wears it. Jambias were often made with ivory handles. The manufacturers most often receive this material through smugglers, due to the international ban on the substance. As ivory has only ever had ornamental merit in such an application, those that recognize the jambia as a tool and/or weapon tend to prefer a hardwood handle anyway. Many street-side charlatans will proclaim to sell ivory-handled jambias whilst actually selling poorly-made blades with white plastic handles.

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp could be purchased on the shop when you log into your account while inside the country.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Shrove Tuesday

**Shrove Tuesday** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit the participating countries during this special day .

## Information

***Shrove Tuesday*** is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten sacrifice, as well as eating pancakes and other sweets.

Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics, who "make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with." This moveable feast is determined by Easter. The expression "Shrove Tuesday" comes from the word *shrive*, meaning "absolve".
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Tombili

**Tombili** is an exclusive single stamp in SLOWLY. This can be purchased in the shop when you visit Turkey

## Information

'**Tombili** (birthplace and date unknown, died August 1, 2016 in Istanbul) was a street cat from Istanbul. She was internationally known because of a photograph that shows her reclining on the pavement. The city of Istanbul honored Tombili after her death with a statue.
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp could be purchased on the shop when you log into your account while inside the country.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Truck Art

**Truck Art** is an exclusive single stamp in SLOWLY. This can be purchased in the shop when you visit Pakistan.

## Information

**Truck art in South Asia** is a popular form of regional decoration, with trucks featuring elaborate floral patterns and calligraphy. It is especially common in Pakistan and India.

During the War in Afghanistan, Pakistani decorated trucks that ran services between Pakistan and Afghanistan came to be known as **jingle trucks** by American troops and contractors who were deployed across the latter country.

Many trucks and buses are highly customized and decorated by their owners. External truck decoration can cost thousands of dollars. The decoration often contains elements that remind the truck drivers of home, since they may be away from home for months at a time. The art is a mode of expression for the truck drivers. Decoration may include structural changes, paintings, calligraphy and ornamental-decor like mirror work on the front and back of vehicles and wooden carvings on the truck doors. Depictions of various historical scenes and poetic verses are also common. Outfitting is often completed at a coach workshop. Chains and pendants often dangle off the front bumper. In India, motifs depicting eagles, kites, cow nuzzling calf and *nazar battu*, and catchphrases like "*Horn OK Please*", "*Blow Horn*" and "*Use Dipper at Night*" are frequently seen. Religious iconography, poetry and political logos are also common.

In Pakistan, Karachi is a major city centre for truck art, though there are other hubs in Rawalpindi, Swat, Peshawar, Quetta and Lahore. Trucks from Balochistan and Peshawar are often heavily trimmed with wood, while trucks from Rawalpindi and Islamabad often feature plastic work. Camel bone ornamentation and predominance of red colours is commonly seen on trucks decorated in Sindh.

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp could be purchased on the shop when you log into your account while inside the country.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Temple of Jupiter

**Temple of Jupiter** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Lebanon**.

## Information

"***The Temple of Jupiter*** is a colossal Roman temple, the largest of the Roman world, situated at the Baalbek complex in Heliopolis Syriaca (modern Lebanon). The temple served as an oracle and was dedicated to Jupiter Heliopolitanus.

It is not known who commissioned or designed the temple, nor exactly when it was constructed. Work probably began around 16 BC and was nearly complete by about AD 60. It is situated at the western end of the Great Court of Roman Heliopolis, on a broad platform of stone raised another 7 m (23 ft) above the huge stones of the foundation, three of which are among the heaviest blocks ever used in a construction. Cultic activity had long taken place at the site; the temple presumably replaced an earlier one, possibly using the same foundation.[a]

It was the biggest temple dedicated to Jupiter in all the Roman empire. The columns were 30 meters high with a diameter of nearly 2.5 meters: the biggest in the classical world. It took three centuries to create this colossal temple complex. "

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Romanian Desserts

**Romanian Desserts** (or ***Deserturi romanesti***) is a serie of stamps in SLOWLY. This can be purchased on the Stamp Store while you visit Romania.

## Information

**Romanian cuisine** is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character.

It has been mainly influenced by Turkish and a series of European cuisines in particular from the Balkans, or Hungarian cuisine as well as culinary elements stemming from the cuisines of Central Europe.

*Text from Wikipedia.*

Romanian Desserts Serie

Text from Wikipedia and other various sources, links provided.

## Method

This stamps serie could be purchased on the Stamp Store when you log into your SLOWLY account while visiting Italy.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Dia Nacional do Forró

**Dia Nacional do Forró** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Brazil during this special day.

## Information

December 13th, the birth anniversary of 𝐋𝐮𝐢𝐳 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐚𝐠𝐚, the King of Baião, and **National Forró Day**! **Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento** (December 13, 1912 – Recife, August 2, 1989) was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, musician and poet and one of the most influential figures of Brazilian popular music in the twentieth century. He has been credited with having presented the rich universe of Northeastern musical genres to all of Brazil, having popularized the musical genre baião and has been called a "revolutionary" by Antônio Carlos Jobim. According to Caetano Veloso, he was the first significant cultural event with mass appeal in Brazil. Luiz Gonzaga received the Shell prize for Brazilian Popular Music in 1984 and was only the fourth artist to receive this prize after Pixinguinha, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Dorival Caymmi. The Luiz Gonzaga Dam was named in his honor.

Gonzaga's son, Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento Jr, known as Gonzaguinha (1945–91), was also a noted Brazilian singer and composer.

This musical rhythm was declared intangible heritage of Brazil by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan).

Text and image from wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Raksha Bandhan

**Raksha Bandhan** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit India during this special day .

## Information

**Raksha Bandhan**, is a popular, traditionally Hindu, annual rite, or ceremony, which is central to a festival of the same name celebrated in South Asia, and in other parts of the world significantly influenced by Hindu culture. On this day, sisters of all ages tie a talisman, or amulet, called the ***Rakhi***, around the wrists of their brothers, symbolically protecting them, receiving a gift in return, and traditionally investing the brothers with a share of the responsibility of their potential care.

Raksha Bandhan is observed on the last day of the Hindu lunar calendar month of Shraavana, which typically falls in August. The expression "Raksha Bandhan," Sanskrit, literally, "the bond of protection, obligation, or care," is now principally applied to this ritual. Until the mid-20th-century, the expression was more commonly applied to a similar ritual, also held on the same day, with precedence in ancient Hindu texts, in which a domestic priest ties amulets, charms, or threads on the wrists of his patrons, or changes their sacred thread, and receives gifts of money; in some places, this is still the case. In contrast, the sister-brother festival, with origins in folk culture, had names which varied with location, with some rendered as **Saluno**, **Silono**, and **Rakri**. A ritual associated with Saluno included the sisters placing shoots of barley behind the ears of their brothers.

Of special significance to married women, Raksha Bandhan is rooted in the practice of territorial or village exogamy, in which a bride marries *out* of her natal village or town, and her parents, by custom, do not visit her in her married home. In rural north India, where village exogamy is strongly prevalent, large numbers of married Hindu women travel back to their parents' homes every year for the ceremony.
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Limited stamps

<a href="Top">

## Total stamps in this Category: 151

Stamps that are **free** and available for **a limited time only**, during festive occasions or when SLOWLY launches a new feature. Religious stamps comes out in countries where the celebration of this festivity is significant or predominant.

Many of those later are added to the 'Time Machine' feature, so they can be obtained in future (for a 25 Coins, random purchase fee).
Pachamama Raymi

**Pachamama Raymi** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Peru and Ecuador during this special day.

## Information

**Pachamama Raymi** is an annual traditional festival celebrated in some parts of Ecuador and Peru. On August 1 each year, locals express their gratitude to Mother Earth.

“Pachamama Raymi” is literally translated from Quechua as “Mother Earth feast”, since “Pachamama” stands for “Mother Earth” and raymi stands for “feast” (like in Inti Raymi). Veneration of Mother Earth is an ancient Andean tradition that dates back to before the Spanish contest of the Americas. The Inca people, for example, considered Mother Earth as a goddess who made sure that people were fed and protected, and the main purpose of Pachamama Raymi was to give thanks to her.

The feast of Pachamama Raymi is celebrated in the Ecuadorian province of Zamora-Chinchipe and in the Cusco Region of Peru. On the first day of the festival, August 1, Peruvian and Ecuadorian farmers halt all the work on their fields to give the earth a chance to rest. They also take various crops, cook them and give them back to Mother Earth as an offering, putting the food in a hole in the ground as a way of feeding Pachamama, which is considered hungry this time of the year. The ceremony is performed by an Andean priest called “Pako”.

In addition, to express their gratitude to Mother Earth, Peruvians and Ecuadorians perform traditional songs and dances. Alongside traditional rituals, the celebration of Pachamama Raymi includes a textile exhibition, bullfights, and other events and activities that attract tourists from all other the world, giving them a chance to immerse themselves in traditional Andean culture.

Although many locals don’t believe in ancient gods anymore, they still celebrate Pachamama Raymi because it is an important part of their culture. During the festival, they perform the traditional ritual to thank the nature for all its gifts, which so many people take for granted, and promote harmony between man and nature.

Text and image from anydayguide.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Saxophone

**Saxophone** is an exclusive single stamp in SLOWLY. This can be purchased in the shop when you visit Belgium

## Information

The **saxophone** is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to produce a sound wave inside the instrument's body. The pitch is controlled by opening and closing holes in the body to change the effective length of the tube. The holes are closed by leather pads attached to keys operated by the player. Saxophones are made in various sizes and are almost always treated as transposing instruments. Saxophone players are called *saxophonists*.

The saxophone is used in a wide range of musical styles including classical music (such as concert bands, chamber music, solo repertoire, and occasionally orchestras), military bands, marching bands, jazz (such as big bands and jazz combos), and contemporary music. The saxophone is also used as a solo and melody instrument or as a member of a horn section in some styles of rock and roll and popular music.

The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in the early 1840s and was patented on 28 June 1846.
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp could be purchased on the shop when you log into your account while inside the country.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Tagimaucia

**Tagimaucia** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Fiji**.

## Information

"***Tagimaucia*** (tahng-ee-mow-theea), is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae which is endemic to the highland rainforest of the Fijian island of Taveuni. It is a liana bearing crimson and white flowers in 30 cm-long hanging clusters. It only grows at altitudes of over 600 m, flowering from October to December. The flower is the floral emblem of Fiji. The flower is now represented on the Fiji $50 note replacing the queen."

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
St. Bavos Cathedral

**Saint Bavo's Cathedral** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Belgium**.

## Information

"***The Saint Bavo Cathedral*** (also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral, or in Dutch Sint Baafskathedraal) is an 89-meter-tall Catholic, Gothic cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. It is the seat of the diocese of Ghent, is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent, and contains the well-known Ghent Altarpiece.

The building is built on the site of the former Chapel of St. John the Baptist, primarily of wooden construction that was consecrated in 942 by Transmarus, Bishop of Tournai and Noyon. Traces of a later Romanesque structure can be found in the cathedral's crypt. Construction of the Gothic church began around 1274. "

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Saint Kitts and Nevis

## Information

**Saint Kitts and Nevis**, officially the **Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis**, is an island country in the West Indies. Located in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population, as well as the world's smallest sovereign federation. The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as King and head of state. It is the only sovereign federation in the Caribbean.

The capital city is Basseterre, located on the larger island of Saint Kitts. Basseterre is also the main port for both passenger entry (via cruise ships) and cargo. The smaller island of Nevis lies approximately 3 km (2 mi) to the southeast of Saint Kitts, across a shallow channel called The Narrows.

*Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Shabe Yalda

**Shabe Yalda** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Iran during this special day .

## Information

**Yaldā Night** (Persian: شب یلدا‎ *shab-e yalda*) or **Chelleh Night** is an Iranian Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice festival celebrated on the "longest and darkest night of the year." According to the calendar, this corresponds to the night of December 20/21 (±1) in the Gregorian calendar, and to the night between the last day of the ninth month (*Azar*) and the first day of the tenth month (*D*ey) of the Iranian solar calendar.
The longest and darkest night of the year is a time when friends and family gather together to eat, drink and read poetry (especially Hafez) and the Shahnameh until well after midnight. Fruits and nuts are eaten and pomegranates and watermelons are particularly significant. The red color in these fruits symbolizes the crimson hues of dawn and glow of life. The poems of Divan-e Hafez, which can be found in the bookcases of most Iranian families, are read or recited on various occasions such as this festival and Nowruz. Shab-e Yalda was officially added to Iran's List of National Treasures in a special ceremony in 2008.

Food plays a central role in the present-day form of the celebrations. In most parts of Iran the extended family come together and enjoy a fine dinner. A wide variety of fruits and sweetmeats specifically prepared or kept for this night are served. Foods common to the celebration include watermelon, pomegranate, nuts, and dried fruit. These items and more are commonly placed on a *korsi*, which people sit around.

After dinner the older individuals entertain the others by telling them tales and anecdotes. Activities common to the festival include staying up past midnight, conversation, drinking, reading poems out loud, telling stories and jokes, and for some dancing. Prior to invention and prevalence of electricity, decorating and lighting the house and yard with candles was also part of the tradition, but few have continued this tradition. Another tradition is giving dried fruits and nuts to family and friends, wrapped in tulle and tied with ribbon (similar to wedding and shower "party favors"). Prior to ban of alcohol, drinking wine was also part of the celebration.
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Sierra Leone

## Information

**Sierra Leone**, officially the **Republic of Sierra Leone**, informally **Salone**, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea to the northeast. Sierra Leone has a tropical climate with a diverse environment ranging from savanna to rainforests, a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi) and a population of 7,092,113 as of the 2015 census. The capital and largest city is Freetown.

The country is divided into five administrative regions which are subdivided into sixteen districts. Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a unicameral parliament and a directly elected president serving a five-year term with a maximum of two terms.*Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
St. Martin's Day

**St. Martin's Day** is an exclusive single stamp in SLOWLY. This can be purchased in the shop when you visit some countries.

## Information

**Saint Martin's Day** or **Martinmas**, sometimes historically called **Old Halloween** or **Old Hallowmas Eve**, is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and is celebrated in the liturgical year on 11 November. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, it was an important festival in many parts of Europe, particularly Germanic-speaking regions. In these regions, it marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. and the "winter revelling season". Traditions include feasting on 'Martinmas goose' or 'Martinmas beef', drinking the first wine of the season, and mumming. In some German and Dutch-speaking towns, there are processions of children with lanterns (*Laternelaufen*), sometimes led by a horseman representing St Martin. The saint was also said to bestow gifts on children. In the Rhineland, it is also marked by lighting bonfires.

Martin of Tours (died 397) was a Roman soldier who was baptized as an adult and became a bishop in Gaul. He is best known for the tale whereby he cut his cloak in half with his sword, to give half to a beggar who was dressed in only rags in the depth of winter. That night Martin had a vision of Jesus Christ wearing the half-cloak.

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp could be purchased on the shop when you log into your account while inside the country.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Yemen

## Information

**Yemen** , officially the **Republic of Yemen** , is a country in Western Asia, on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and shares maritime borders with Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. It is the second-largest Arab sovereign state in the peninsula, occupying 555,000 square kilometres (214,000 square miles). The coastline stretches for about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles).

Yemen's constitutionally stated capital, and largest city, is the city of Sanaa, but the city has been under Houthi rebel control since February 2015 as well as Aden, which is also controlled by the Southern Transitional Council since 2018. Its executive administration resides in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Registan

**Registan** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Uzbekistan**.

## Information

"***The Registan*** was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid Empire, now in Uzbekistan. The name Rēgistan (ریگستان) means "sandy place" or "desert" in Persian.

The Registan was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis - and a place of public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Islamic architecture. The square was regarded as the hub of the Timurid Renaissance. "

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Qatar

## Information

**Qatar**, officially the **State of Qatar**, is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Serbia

## Information

**Serbia**, officially the **Republic of Serbia**, is a landlocked country in Central and Southeast Europe. It is situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkans, bordering Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Montenegro to the southwest; while claiming a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo. Serbia has a population of almost 7 million, with Belgrade as its capital and largest city. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Sebiba

**Sebiba** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Algeria during this special day.

## Information

**Sebiba** (Arabic: سبيبة, Tifinagh: ⵙⴱⵉⴱⴰ) is the term used in Algeria to designate a festival and the Tuareg people's dance performed on this occasion and accompanied by female drummers in the Sahara oasis of Djanet in the Tassili n'Ajjer region in southern Algeria. The dance originated among the descendants of black African slaves and is part of the celebrations for the *Islamic Ashura Festival*. The dance was recognized by UNESCO in 2014 for its significance to humanity's intangible cultural heritage.

Text and image from wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Reichstag building

**Reichstag building** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Germany**.

## Information

"***The Reichstag building*** (German: Reichstagsgebäude); officially: Deutscher Bundestag – Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude) is a historic edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Imperial Diet (German: Reichstag) of the German Empire.

It was opened in 1894 and housed the Diet until 1933, when it was severely damaged after being set on fire. After World War II, the building fell into disuse; the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (the Volkskammer) met in the Palast der Republik in East Berlin, while the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany (the Bundestag) met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.

The ruined building was made safe against the elements and partially refurbished in the 1960s, but no attempt at full restoration was made until after German reunification on 3 October 1990, when it underwent a reconstruction led by architect Norman Foster. After its completion in 1999, it once again became the meeting place of the German parliament: the modern Bundestag. "

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Wren Day

**Wren Day** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Ireland during this special day.

## Information

**Wren Day**, also known as **Wren's Day**, **Day of the Wren**, or **Hunt the Wren Day** (Irish: *Lá an Dreoilín*), is an Irish celebration held on 26 December, St. Stephen's Day in a number of countries across Europe. The tradition consists of "hunting" a wren (now a fake wren but previously a real one) and putting it on top of a decorated pole. Then the crowds of *mummers*, or *strawboys*, celebrate the wren (also pronounced *wran*) by dressing up in masks, straw suits, and colourful motley clothing. They form music bands and parade through towns and villages. These crowds are sometimes called the wrenboys.

The tradition is closely related to Hunt the Wren on the Isle of Man, and versions may have been practised across the Anglo-Celtic Isles.

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Naga Fireballs Festival

**Naga Fireballs Festival** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Thailand during this special day .

## Information

**Naga Fireballs Festival** is a mysterious event that takes place every year in Thailand. Locally known as ‘bung fai paya nak’, the phenomenon which is seen in the Mekong River involves hundreds and thousands of glowing fireballs that rise out from the water high into the air. The balls are reddish and have diverse sizes, from smaller sparkles up to the size of basketballs. They quickly rise up to a couple of hundred metres before disappearing.

Local people say that they have seen the fireballs throughout their lives and their parents and grandparents did as well, but in earlier times, they did not pay much attention to this phenomenon. The festival related to the observation of Naga fireballs gained popularity in the 1990s and is named Bang Fai Phaya Nark Festival. Since the 2000s, this festival has obtained international fame and is actively promoted by the authorities of Thailand.

Traditionally it is believed that the balls come from the breath of Naga, a mythical serpent that haunts the river. While no plausible explanation exists, some believe that the fireballs are actually pockets of methane bubbling up from the river that spontaneously ignite.

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Ukraine

## Information

**Ukraine** is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest country by area in Europe after Russia, which it borders to the east and north-east. Ukraine also shares borders with Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the south; and has a coastline along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It spans an area of 603,628 km2 (233,062 sq mi), with a population of 41.3 million, and is the eighth-most populous country in Europe. The nation's capital and largest city is Kyiv. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Tartan Day

**Tartan Day** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit United Kingdom during this special day .

## Information

**Tartan Day** is a North American celebration of Scottish heritage on 6 April, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. It originated in Canada in the mid-1980s. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in the 1990s. In Australia the similar *International Tartan Day* is held on 1 July, the anniversary of the repeal of the 1747 Act of Proscription that banned the wearing of tartan.

Tartan Days typically have parades of pipe bands, Highland dancing and other Scottish-themed events.

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Stonehenge

**Stonehenge** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit the **United Kingdom**.

## Information

"***Stonehenge*** is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, two miles (3 km) west of Amesbury. It consists of a ring of standing stones, each around 13 feet (4.0 m) high, seven feet (2.1 m) wide, and weighing around 25 tons. The stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred tumuli (burial mounds).

Archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the first bluestones were raised between 2400 and 2200 BC, although they may have been at the site as early as 3000 BC."

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Qixi Festival

**Qixi Festival** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit some countries such as China, Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong during this special day. The list of countries in which it will be relesead could change each year according to Slowly's team that evaluates users feedback and new information.

## Information

The **Qixi Festival** (Chinese: 七夕) is a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in mythology. The festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunisolar month on the Chinese calendar.

The festival was derived from worship of the natural astrology. It is the birthday of the seventh elder sister in the traditional significance. It is called "Qixi Festival" because of the worship of the seventh elder sister held on the seventh night of the seventh lunar month. Gradually, people celebrated for the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver girl and the cowherd, respectively. The tale of *The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl* has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han dynasty. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the *Classic of Poetry*.

Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Rosh Hashanah

**Rosh Hashanah** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Israel or some other countries (US, CA, UK, FR, PS) during this special day .

## Information

***Rosh Hashanah*** is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is **Yom Teruah** (יוֹם תְּרוּעָה, *Yōm Tərūʿā*), literally "day of shouting or blasting." It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, *Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm*; "Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summer/early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. The High Holy Days comprise both Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a cleaned-out ram's horn), as prescribed in the Torah, following the prescription of the Hebrew Bible to "raise a noise" on *Yom Teruah*. Its rabbinical customs include attending synagogue services and reciting special liturgy about teshuva, as well as enjoying festive meals. Eating symbolic foods is now a tradition, such as apples dipped in honey, hoping to evoke a sweet new year."
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country during this special day. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.
Swayambhunath

**Swayambhunath** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Nepal**.

## Information

"***The Swayambhunath*** is an ancient religious architecture atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu, Nepal. The Tibetan name for the site means 'Sublime Trees' (Wylie: Phags.pa Shing.kun), for the many varieties of trees found on the hill. However, Shing.kun may be a corruption of the local Nepal Bhasa name for the complex, Swayambhu, meaning 'self-sprung'.

For the Buddhist Newars, in whose mythological history and origin myth as well as day-to-day religious practice Swayambhunath occupies a central position, it is probably the most sacred among Buddhist pilgrimage sites. For Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism, it is second only to Boudha. "

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. Any other local stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.

You will keep it and be able to send to other penpals even after you return from your trip.