recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Día de las Ñatitas

**Día de las Ñatitas** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Bolivia during this special day .

## Information

**Día de las Ñatitas** ("Day of the Skulls") is a festival celebrated in La Paz, Bolivia, at the beginning of November after the celebrations of All Saints. In pre-Columbian times indigenous Andeans had a tradition of sharing a day with the bones of their ancestors on the third year after burial. Today families keep only the skulls for such rituals. Traditionally, the skulls of family members are kept at home to watch over the family and protect them during the year. On November 9, the family crowns the skulls with fresh flowers, sometimes also dressing them in various garments, and making offerings of cigarettes, coca leaves, alcohol, and various other items in thanks for the year's protection. The skulls are also sometimes taken to the central cemetery in La Paz for a special Mass and blessing.

Text from Wikipedia. image from nationalgeographicla

## 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.
Flamenco

**Flamenco** is a region exclusive stamp in SLOWLY. This can be purchased in the shop when you visit Spain.

## Information

**Flamenco** , in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, but also having a historical presence in Extremadura and Murcia. In a wider sense, it is a portmanteau term used to refer to a variety of both contemporary and traditional musical styles typical of southern Spain. Flamenco is closely associated to the gitanos of the Romani ethnicity who have contributed significantly to its origination and professionalization. However, its style is uniquely Andalusian and flamenco artists have historically included Spaniards of both gitano and non-gitano heritage.

The oldest record of flamenco music dates to 1774 in the book *Las Cartas Marruecas* by José Cadalso. The development of flamenco over the past two centuries is well documented: "the theatre movement of sainetes (one-act plays) and tonadillas, popular song books and song sheets, customs, studies of dances, and *toques*, perfection, newspapers, graphic documents in paintings and engravings. ... in continuous evolution together with rhythm, the poetic stanzas, and the ambiance.
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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.
Greenland

## Information

**Greenland** is the world's largest island, located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm.

Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers) for more than a millennium, beginning in 986. The majority of its residents are Inuit, whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Canada, gradually settling across the island by the 13th century. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Goddess on the Throne

**Goddess on the Throne** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Kosovo**.

## Information

***Goddess on the Throne*** (Albanian: *Hyjnesha në fron*) is a terracotta figurine found at the site of the Tjerrtorja spinning mill in Pristina, the capital city of Kosovo, in 1956. The seated terracotta figure is a well-preserved specimen of small Neolithic plastic Vinca culture (also known as Turdas culture in Kosovo). It measures 18.5 cm high and is dated to 5700–4500 BC.

The figurine represents a female deity, reflecting the cult of the great mother idol. It is preserved in the Kosovo Museum, which has adopted the idol as its logo. One of the most precious archaeological artifacts of Kosovo, it has also been adopted as the symbol of the city of Pristina.

The figurine was discovered by experts from the National Museum of Serbia in 1956. *Goddess on the Throne* was stolen in late 1998 by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Gallery for their exhibition titled *Arheološko blago Kosova i Metohije - od neolita do ranog Srednjeg veka* (*Archeological Treasure of Kosovo and Metohija - from the Neolithic Period to Middle Ages*). Following the Kosovo War the figure was kept in Belgrade. In 2002, the-then President of the Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija Nebojša Čović returned the figurine to Priština as "a sign of good will towards Kosovo Albanians". The figurine became a symbol of the culture of Kosovo Albanians.

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.
Boun That Luang

**Boun That Luang** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Laos during this special day .

## Information

**Pha Thatluang** , or Bun Thatluang, is a major Buddhist holiday and one of the most famous cultural festivals in Laos. The festival takes place near the Pha Thatluang stupa, the main religious shrine in Vientiane. The holiday lasts three days on the full moon of the last twelfth month of the lunar calendar. It usually falls in the first half of November or at the very end of October.
Monks and laypeople from all over Laos congregate to celebrate the occasion with three days of religious ceremony followed by a week of festivities, day and night. The procession of laypeople begins at Wat Si Muang in the city center and proceeds to That Luang to make offerings to the monks in order to accumulate merit for rebirth into a better life. The religious part concludes as laypeople, carrying incense and candles as offerings, circulate That Luang three times in honor of Buddha. Folk and popular music troupes and drama performances provide entertainment at the festival.
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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.
Dronningens fødselsdag

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

## Information

**Dronningens fødselsdag** is Birthday of Queen Margrethe II on 16 April. The Queen is usually celebrated in some places, and she will appear either on her balcony at Amalienborg Palace or outside of Marselisborg Palace depending on where she spends her birthday.

**Margrethe II** (Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state. As of 2023, she is also the world's only queen regnant.

Born into the House of Glücksburg, a cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg, Margrethe is the eldest child of Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. She became heir presumptive to her father in 1953, when a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne. Margrethe succeeded her father upon his death on 14 January 1972. On her accession, she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrethe I, ruler of the Scandinavian kingdoms in 1376–1412 during the Kalmar Union. In 1967, she married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, with whom she had two sons: Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.

Margrethe is known for her strong archaeological passion and has participated in several excavations, including in Italy, Egypt, Denmark and South America. She shared this interest with her grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, with whom she spent some time unearthing artefacts near Etruria in 1962.

As of 2023, Margrethe has, as sovereign, received 42 official state visits and she has undertaken 55 foreign state visits herself. She and the royal family have made several other foreign visits. Support for the monarchy in Denmark has been and remains consistently high at around 82%, as does Margrethe's personal popularity.

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.
Church of Santa Engrácia

**Church of Santa Engrácia** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Portugal**.

## Information

"***The Church of Santa Engrácia*** (Portuguese: Igreja de Santa Engrácia) is a 17th-century monument in Lisbon, Portugal.

Originally a church, in the 20th century it was converted into the National Pantheon (Panteão Nacional), in which important Portuguese personalities are buried. It is located in the Alfama neighborhood, close to another important Lisbon monument, the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. "

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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.
Carnevale

**Carnevale** was a Limited edition commemorative stamp in SLOWLY. This could be unlocked when you visit Italy during this special day.

This stamp was released in February 2020, and soon after **withdrawn** - due to the Covid pandemic. Details on this Blog post.

## Information

'The **Carnival of Venice** (Italian: *Carnevale di Venezia*) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday (*Martedì Grasso* or Mardi Gras), which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks. Venetian masks can be made of leather, porcelain or using the original *glass* technique. The original masks were rather simple in design, decoration, and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most Italian masks are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate.
The *Medico della peste*, with its long beak, is one of the most bizarre and recognizable of the Venetian masks, though it did not start out as carnival mask at all but as a method of preventing the spread of disease. The striking design originates from 17th-century French physician Charles de Lorme who adopted the mask together with other sanitary precautions while treating plague victims. The mask is often white, consisting of a hollow beak and round eyeholes covered with crystal discs, creating a bespectacled effect. Its use as a carnival mask is entirely a modern convention, and today these masks are often much more decorative. Although the mask and costume is worn almost exclusively by males, the enhancement in decoration also suggests that women are now more likely to wear the mask and costume than in previous years at the Carnival.

The plague doctors who followed De Lorme's example wore the usual black hat and long black cloak as well as the mask, white gloves and a staff (so as to be able to move patients without having to come into physical contact with them). They hoped these precautions would prevent them contracting the disease. The mask was originally beaked with a purpose in congruence with the miasmatic theory of disease practiced at that time: the hollow beak allowed for the containment of flowers and other sweet-smelling substances designed to keep away the foul odors that were thought to spread infection. Those who wear the plague doctor mask often also wear the associated clothing of the plague doctor. The popularity of the Medico della peste among carnival celebrants can be seen as a *memento mori*.

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp was 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.

Now it has been withdrawn and is no longer available - due to the Covid pandemic. Details on this Blog post.
Djibouti

## Information

**Djibouti**, officially the **Republic of Djibouti**, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Somalia in the south, Ethiopia in the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the east. Across the Gulf of Aden is Yemen. The country has a total area of 23,200 km2 (8,958 sq mi).

Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of over 921,804 inhabitants (the smallest in mainland Africa). French and Arabic are the country's two official languages, Afar and Somali are national languages. About 94% of residents adhere to Islam, which is the official religion and has been predominant in the region for more than a thousand years. The Somalis and Afar make up the two largest ethnic groups, with the former comprising the majority of the population.
*Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

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

**Drangarnir**  is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit the **Faroe Islands**.

## Information

"***Drangarnir*** is the collective name for two sea stacks between the islet Tindhólmur and the island Vágar in the Faroe Islands.

The individual names of the sea stacks are Stóri Drangur (en: Large sea stack) and Lítli Drangur (en: Small sea stack)."

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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.
Croatia

## Information

**Croatia**, officially the **Republic of Croatia** (Croatian: *Republika Hrvatska*, (listen)), is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe on the Adriatic Sea. Croatia borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy to the west and southwest. Its capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, with twenty counties. Croatia has an area of 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and a population of 4.07 million. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Equatorial Guinea

## Information

**Equatorial Guinea** (Spanish: *Guinea Ecuatorial*; French: *Guinée équatoriale*; Portuguese: *Guiné Equatorial*), also rarely known as **Equatoguinea**, officially the **Republic of Equatorial Guinea** (Spanish: *República de Guinea Ecuatorial*, French: *République de Guinée équatoriale*, Portuguese: *República da Guiné Equatorial*), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa, with an area of 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi).

Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location near both the Equator and in the African region of Guinea. As of 2021, the country had a population of 1,468,777, over 85% of whom are ethnically Fang.

*Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

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

**Carnival** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Italy, Greece, or Portugal during this special day .

## Information

***Carnival*** is a Western Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typically involves public celebrations, including events such as parades, public street parties and other entertainments, combining some elements of a circus. Elaborate costumes and masks allow people to set aside their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity. Participants often indulge in excessive consumption of alcohol, meat, and other foods that will be forgone during upcoming Lent. Traditionally, butter, milk, and other animal products were not consumed "excessively", rather, their stock was fully consumed as to reduce waste. This festival is known for being a time of great indulgence before Lent (which is a time stressing the opposite), with drinking, overeating, and various other activities of indulgence being performed. For example, Pancakes, donuts, and other desserts were prepared and eaten for a final time. During Lent, animal products are eaten less, and individuals have the ability to make a Lenten sacrifice, thus giving up a certain object or activity of desire.

Other common features of Carnival include mock battles such as food fights; expressions of social satire; mockery of authorities; costumes of the grotesque body that display exaggerated features such as large noses, bellies, mouths, phalli, or elements of animal bodies; abusive language and degrading acts; depictions of disease and gleeful death; and a general reversal of everyday rules and norms. The Italian tradition of wearing masks dates back to the Venice Carnival in the 15th century, and has been an inspiration in Greek theater and Commedia dell'arte for centuries.

The term *Carnival* is traditionally used in areas with a large Catholic presence, as well as in Greece. In historically Evangelical Lutheran countries, the celebration is known as Fastelavn, and in areas with a high concentration of Anglicans (Church of England/US Episcopal Church), Methodists, and other Protestants, pre-Lenten celebrations, along with penitential observances, occur on Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. In Slavic Eastern Orthodox nations, Maslenitsa is celebrated during the last week before Great Lent. In German-speaking Europe and the Netherlands, the Carnival season traditionally opens on 11/11 (often at 11:11 a.m.). This dates back to celebrations before the Advent season or with harvest celebrations of St. Martin's Day.
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside one of the countries 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.
Festa de São João

**Festa de São João** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Portugal during this special day.

## Information

***Festa de São João do Porto*** (English: Festival of St John of Porto) is a festival during Midsummer, on the night of 23 June (Saint John's Eve), in the city of Porto, in the north of Portugal, as thousands of people come to the city centre and more traditional neighborhoods to pay a tribute to Saint John the Baptist, in a party that mixes sacred and profane traditions.

The party starts early in the afternoon of 23 June and usually lasts until the morning of 24 June.

A tradition with roots in pagan courtship rituals is for people to hit each other either with garlic flowers or soft plastic hammers.

Traditional attractions of the night include streetç concerts, dancing parties, bonfire jumping, eating barbecued sardines, Caldo verde and meat, drinking wine and releasing illuminated flame-propelled balloons over Porto's summer sky.

At midnight, partygoers make a short break to look at the sky at Saint John's firework spectacle, which now includes multimedia shows. The party has Christian roots but is also mixed with pagan traditions, with the fireworks embodying the spirit of tribute to the sun.

The fireworks mark the end of the official festivities. It is common for citizens of Porto to keep celebrating until the first hours in the morning. They walk from Porto's riverside core - Ribeira (for instance the parish of São Nicolau) up to the seaside in Foz (parishes of Foz do Douro and Nevogilde) or in the nearby suburb of Matosinhos where they wait for the sunrise near the sea, and sometimes, take a bath in the ocean.

In June 2004, a journalist from The Guardian commented that "Porto's Festa de São João is one of Europe's liveliest street festivals, yet it is relatively unknown outside the country".

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.
Coming of Age Day

**Coming of Age Day** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit South Korea during this special day .

## Information

**Coming of age** is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. It continues through adolescence. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual or spiritual event, as practiced by many societies.

In South Korea, citizens are permitted to marry, vote, drive, drink alcohol, and smoke at age 19.

The Monday of the third week of May is "coming-of-age day". There has been a traditional coming of age ceremony since before the Goryeo dynasty, but it has mostly disappeared. In the traditional way, when boys or girls were between the ages of fifteen and twenty, boys wore gat, a Korean traditional hat made of bamboo and horsehair, and girls did their hair in chignon with binyeo, a Korean traditional ornamental hairpin. Both of them wore hanbok, which are sometimes worn at the coming of age ceremony in the present day.
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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside one of the countries 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.
Belarus

## Information

**Belarus**, officially the **Republic of Belarus**, and historically **Byelorussia**, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) and with a population of 9.3 million, Belarus is the thirteenth-largest and the twentieth-most populous country in Europe. The country is administratively divided into seven regions. Minsk is the capital and largest city. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Dresden Frauenkirche

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

## Information

"***The Dresden Frauenkirche*** (German: Dresdner Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady) is a Lutheran church in Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony. An earlier church building was Catholic until it became Protestant during the Reformation.

The old church was replaced in the 18th century by a larger Baroque Lutheran building. It is considered an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, featuring one of the largest domes in Europe. It was originally built as a sign of the will of the citizens of Dresden to remain Protestant after their ruler had converted to Catholicism. It now also serves as a symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies.

Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The remaining ruins were left for 50 years as a war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany, starting in 1994. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, and the interior in 2005. The church was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005 with festive services lasting through the Protestant observance of Reformation Day on 31 October. The surrounding Neumarkt square with its many valuable baroque buildings was also reconstructed in 2004. "

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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.
El Capitolio

**El Capitolio** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Cuba**.

## Information

"***El Capitolio*** or the National Capitol Building (Capitolio Nacional de La Habana), is a public edifice and one of the most visited sites in Havana, capital of Cuba. The building was commissioned by Cuban president Gerardo Machado and built from 1926 to 1929 under the direction of Eugenio Rayneri Piedra. It is located on the Paseo del Prado, Dragones, Industria, and San José streets in the exact center of Havana.

The Havana Capitol was built on land that was a railroad terminal and used to belong to the Villanueva Railway. The project began on April 1926, during the Gerardo Machado administration. Construction was overseen by the U.S. firm of Purdy and Henderson. Prior to the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Congress was housed in the building, the Congress was abolished and disbanded following the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and the building fell into disrepair. "

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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.
Devil’s Claw, National Flower

**Devil’s Claw, National Flower** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Botswana**.

## Information

"***The Devil’s Claw, Harpagophytum***, also called grapple plant, wood spider, and most commonly devil's claw, is a genus of plants in the sesame family, native to southern Africa. Plants of the genus owe their common name "devil's claw" to the peculiar appearance of their hooked fruit.

Devil's claw's tuberous roots are used in folk medicine to reduce pain. Preparations of the plant or its extracts, such as harpagoside, are presumed to have uses in folk medicine and phytotherapy as an anti-inflammatory herbal drug or dietary supplement.

Although there is no accepted clinical evidence of its efficacy and bioavailability, limited effects were noted for treating lower back pain and osteoarthritis."

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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.
Church of Saints Simon and Helena

**Church of Saints Simon and Helena** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Belarus**.

## Information

"***The Church of Saints Simon and Helena*** (Belarusian: Касцёл святых Сымона і Алены) (Polish: Kościół św. Szymona i św. Heleny w Mińsku), also known as the Red Church (Belarusian: Чырвоны касцёл) (Polish: Czerwony Kościół), is a Roman Catholic church on Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus.

This neo-Romanesque church was designed by Polish architects Tomasz Pajzderski and Władysław Marconi. The cornerstone was laid in 1905 and the church was completed in 1910. The bricks for its walls were sourced from Częstochowa, whilst the roof tiles came from Włocławek. Its construction was financed by Edward Woyniłłowicz (1847-1928), a prominent Belarusian-Polish landowner, businessman and civic activist. The church was named and consecrated in memory of Woyniłłowicz's two deceased children, Szymon and Helena."

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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.
Black Day

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

## Information

***Black Day*** (Korean: 블랙데이) is an unofficial holiday observed on April 14 each year. It is mostly observed in South Korea by singles.

The day is associated with Valentine's Day and White Day as a holiday on the 14th day of the month. On this day, people who did not receive gifts on the previous two days gather and eat jajangmyeon, noodles with black sauce. This day is specifically for single people.

In South Korea, Valentine's Day and White Day are both celebrated as occasions to give gifts to significant others. Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14, when women buy men gifts (usually chocolate). Uniquely, Japan and South Korea are the only countries that celebrate Valentine's Day twice. White Day is celebrated on March 14, when men reciprocate the gifts with their own, also present in the form of chocolate.

Black Day originally did not exist until after Valentines Day and White Day became popular. Black Day focuses on the people, especially singles, who did not receive any gifts on either of the holidays.

The most commonly eaten food on Black Day is jjajangmyeon, a popular black bean noodle dish in Korea. People eat jjajangmyeon on Black Day because it is a simple, yet delicious dish that one can get at a cheap price. The people who celebrate eat at Chinese-styled restaurants. Though not black, danmuji, tangsuyuk, and kimchi are popular side dishes that are enjoyed with jjajangmyeon.
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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.
Al Dhafra Festival

**Al Dhafra Festival** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit United Arab Emirates during this special day .

## Information

At the edge of the Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert, surrounded by towering, sand dunes, **Al Dhafra Festival** demonstrates community and cultural practices that have defined Bedouin life for generations.

At the heart of the festival are the *mazayna* or camel beauty contests that involve tens of thousands of camels from across the Arabian Peninsula. It focuses on purebred breeds from the Asayel (pedigree) and Majaheem (dark-skinned) lineages.

The festival is held near Madinat Zayed, the largest town in the Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi. This region is the ancestral home of the Bani Yas tribe, of which the ruling Al Nahyan family are members. Thr town carries the name of the United Arab Emirates’ first president, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates, reflecting the significance of this region to the country’s history.

Text and image from abudhabiculture.ae.

## 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.
Argentina

## Information

**Argentina**, officially the **Argentine Republic**, is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of 2,780,400 km², making it the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. It is the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world.

It shares the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, and is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south.

Argentina is a federal state subdivided into twenty-three provinces, and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires.

*Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Freedom Statue

**Freedom Statue** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Zambia**.

## Information

"***The Zambian Freedom Statue***, an artwork depicting a man breaking free from chains, represents the struggles Zambians faced while overthrowing the chains of colonialism. It’s now such a potent symbol of Zambia that it’s depicted on all denominations of the country’s currency, the Kwatcha.

The statue was erected in 1974 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Zambia’s independence. Although the country had a relatively peaceful transition, winning independence without a civil war or armed revolution, the struggle toward freedom was still long. It also, unfortunately, involved occasional violent suppression from the colonial government."

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Text and image from AtlasObscura.

## 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.
Dia do Folclore

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

## Information

The **Dia do Folclore** (Folklore Day) is celebrated internationally (including in Brazil) on 22 August. This is because on that same date, in the year 1846, the word "folklore" (in English) was invented. The author of the term was the English writer William John Thoms, who combined "folk" (people, popular) with "lore" (culture, knowledge) to define the typical cultural phenomena of the traditional popular cultures of each nation. The meaning of the word, according to its creator, was "traditional knowledge of a people".

We know that folklore, or popular culture, has aroused great interest among researchers from all over the world since the 19th century. It is fundamental for a country to know the roots of its popular traditions and analyse them, as well as those of an erudite nature. The great folklorists are in charge of recording tales, legends, anecdotes, music, dances, clothing, typical foods and everything else that defines popular culture.

Folklore Day was created, therefore, in order to ensure the preservation of the collection that forms Brazilian folklore and also to encourage studies in the area. Currently, Brazilian folklore is an important object of study in the human sciences, and its importance is often reinforced in schools, especially those that work with early childhood education.
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Text and image from BrasilEscola (in Portuguese).

## 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.
Abuja National Mosque

**Abuja National Mosque** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Nigeria**.

## Information

"***The Abuja National Mosque***, also known as the Nigerian National Mosque, is the national mosque of Nigeria. The mosque was built in 1984 and is open to the non-Muslim public, except during congregational prayers. Ustadz professor Ibrahim Maqari is the chief imam. "

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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.
Battaglia delle Arance

**Battaglia delle Arance** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Italy during this special day.

## Information

**Battaglia delle Arance**, (in English: Battle of the Oranges) is the most famous part of the Historical Carnival of Ivrea, held on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday in Ivrea, Italy. More than 5000 people gather in the streets and divide into nine teams before s fighting by throwing oranges at each other in order to recreate the war that took place in the 19th century between the locals and the Royal Napoleonic Troops.

This unique carnival with its history, from Medieval times to today, became one of the most famous carnival in Europe. This spectacular battle of oranges between organized groups, it is the largest food fight in Italy.

After the long fight and the winners’ announcement, the teams enjoy the tasty *fagiolata*, a typical carnival bean soup distributed around the town.
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Text and image from TasteAtlas and DoveComeQuandoIT.

## 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.
Arecibo Message

**Arecibo Message** is a Limited edition stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Puerto Rico and some other countries during this special day.

First issue availability: AR AT AU BA BD BG CL CN CU DE FR GB GR HR HU IE IN IS JP KR LT NZ PE PR RU SE UY VN

## Information

The **Arecibo message** is an interstellar radio message carrying basic information about humanity and Earth that was sent to the globular cluster Messier 13 in 1974. It was meant as a demonstration of human technological achievement, rather than a real attempt to enter into a conversation with extraterrestrials.

The message was broadcast into space a single time via frequency modulated radio waves at a ceremony to mark the remodeling of the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico on 16 November 1974. The message was aimed at the current location of M13, about 25,000 light years from Earth, because M13 was a large and relatively close collection of stars that was available in the sky at the time and place of the ceremony. When correctly translated into graphics, characters, and spaces, the 1,679 bits of data contained within the message form the image shown here.

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.
Guatemala

## Information

**Guatemala**, officially the **Republic of Guatemala** (Spanish: *República de Guatemala*), is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

With an estimated population of around 17.2 million, it is the most populous country in Central America and is the 11th most populous country in the Americas. Guatemala is a representative democracy; its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America. *Text and image from Wikipedia*.

## Country Stamps Gallery

*Additional Reference : Country stamps listing - SlowlyStamps.blogspot*
Christmas Foods 2021

## Christmas Dishes from 20 Different Countries

A surprise new special release for the **2021 Holidays season**, this arrived in mid December and was well received by users. The stamps are interesting, new and colourful designs. And there was even *a rare public statement* from the Slowly team via a corporate Blog post, signed by Kevin Wong himself.

> "*In the coming Christmas, in addition to the usual global festive stamp, we have also prepared 20 regional stamps introducing Christmas dishes from all over the world. Apart from the familiar dishes that many people know, such as British Christmas Pudding, Australian White Christmas and Italian Panettone, we also cover some less popular dishes, such as Venezuelan Hallaca (a type of food wrapped in banana leaves), Filipino Bibingka (a kind of cake baked with glutinous rice flour) and so on.*"
> ― SLOWLY Blog
>
>

## The 20 new Stamps and what they depict

A Blog post in mid December showed all the stamps images, as well as collecting *short descriptions of each*, and a *link to a page with details and a recipe* for each. To complement our Wiki listings, these are being added here as well.
Arizona State Capitol

**Arizona State Capitol** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit the **United States**.

## Information

"***The Arizona State Capitol*** in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, was the last home for Arizona's Territorial government, until Arizona became a state in 1912. Initially, all three branches of the new state government occupied the four floors of the statehouse. As the state expanded the branches relocated to adjacent buildings and additions.

The 1901 portion of the Capitol is now maintained as the Arizona Capitol Museum with a focus on the history and culture of Arizona. The Arizona State Library which occupied most of the 1938 addition until July 2017 re-opened in late 2018 as a part of the Arizona Capitol Museum. "

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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.
Bunk'Art

**Bunk'Art** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Albania**.

## Information

"***Bunk'Art***, located underneath Tiranë, the capital of Albania, is a five-story bunker of spidery hallways and over 100 rooms. Originally codenamed “Objekti Shtylla,” the shelter was built in the 1970s under the orders and direction of Enver Hoxha, communist leader of Albania for over four decades. What was once intended to protect Hoxha and his cabinet in the event of a nuclear attack is now a mixed-use art and culture center, but with a keen eye towards preservation and remembrance of the dark years under Hoxha’s rule.

Known as Bunk’Art, 24 rooms of the sprawling shelter have been converted into a history museum and contemporary art gallery"

Text and image from Atlas Obscura.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. If the country has more than one, any other location stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.
Dependent Territories

## Information

A **dependent territory**, **dependent area**, or **dependency** (sometimes referred as an **external territory**) is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a sovereign state, yet remains politically outside the controlling state's integral area.

A dependent territory is commonly distinguished from a country subdivision by being considered not to be a constituent part of a sovereign state. An administrative subdivision, instead, is understood to be a division of a state proper. A dependent territory, conversely, often maintains a great degree of autonomy from its controlling state. Historically, most colonies were considered to be dependent territories. Not all autonomous entities, though, are considered to be dependent territories. Most inhabited, dependent territories have their own ISO 3166 country codes.

Some political entities inhabit a special position guaranteed by an international treaty or another agreement, thereby creating a certain level of autonomy (e.g. a difference in immigration rules). Those entities are sometimes considered to be, or are at least grouped with, dependent territories, but are officially considered by their governing states to be an integral part of those states. Such an example is Åland, an autonomous region of Finland.

This page is intended to provide additional information about these territories - each of which has detailed pages on the Wikipedia site, linked from their Dependant Territories page.

Flag illustrated above is from French Polynesia. (Bora-Bora Island and lagoon aerial view shown; photo by Samuel Etienne)

Image and information from Wikipedia.
Great Sphinx of Giza

**Great Sphinx of Giza** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit **Egypt**.

## Information

"***The Great Sphinx of Giza***, commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza or just the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Facing directly from West to East, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx is generally believed to represent the pharaoh Khafre.

Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of blocks. It measures 73 m (240 ft) long from paw to tail, 20 m (66 ft) high from the base to the top of the head and 19 m (62 ft) wide at its rear haunches.

It is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and is commonly believed to have been designed, sculpted, and constructed by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the pharaoh Khafre (c. 2558–2532 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.
Fondue

**Fondue** is a region exclusive single stamp in SLOWLY. This can be purchased in the shop when you visit Switzerland.

## Information

**Fondue** is a Swiss melted cheese dish served in a communal pot (*caquelon* or fondue pot) over a portable stove (*réchaud*) heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. It was promoted as a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union (Schweizerische Käseunion) in the 1930s, and was popularized in North America in the 1960s.

Since the 1950s, the term "fondue" has been generalized to other dishes in which a food is dipped into a communal pot of liquid kept hot in a fondue pot: chocolate fondue, *fondue au chocolat*, in which pieces of fruit or pastry are dipped into a melted chocolate mixture, and *fondue bourguignonne*, in which pieces of meat are cooked in hot oil or broth.
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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.
Burj Al Arab

**Burj Al Arab** is a location stamp in SLOWLY. This can be unlocked when you visit Dubai, in the **United Arab Emirates**.

## Information

"***The Burj Al Arab***, (Arabic: برج العرب‎, Tower of the Arabs) is a five star hotel located in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a ship."

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Text and image from Wikipedia.

## Method

This stamp is unlocked by logging into your account while inside the country. If the country has more than one, any other location stamps will also be unlocked at the same time.