Soliloquy of a Postage Stamp #35: Celebrating Children/ Fouad Kronfol

At the urging of many NGO's, especially the International Union of Child Welfare (IUCW), the UN General Assembly in 1954 promulgated that a Universal Children's Day be celebrated in each country. While 20 November 1956 was designated as "The Universal Children's Day" for activities that promote welfare of children everywhere, each country was free to designate its own day for their national celebrations.

Most countries have since designated a Children's Day, or Children's Week or Month. This culminated in the UNGA designating 1979 as the "International Year of the Child". UNICEF has been closely associated with each country's celebrations, both in the programme countries or in those with National Committees. Almost all countries have issued philatelic materials to commemorate their children's welfare. This week I feature some of these stamps.

Even before the UN designated Universal Children's Day, Japan was celebrating its own National Children's Day. This stamp from 1949 shows a  smiling young child  in a cap.

Another stamp, also from Japan was issued in 1951 to celebrate their Children's Day. It shows the profile of a young child next to a seedling portraying its potential growth and development.

This Japanese stamp issued for Children's Day shows a young girl in a national dress playing "Hanetsuki", a traditional game like badminton without a net and using a rectangular wooden paddle called a "hagoita" and bright colored shuttlecock.

Also from Japan we have this stamp of a young girl, also in a traditional costume, playing with a white rabbit.

From the Republic of Korea we have this stamp issued on 5 May 1949 which commemorates the 20th.? anniversary of the national Children's Day. It shows a girl and boy contemplating a growing seedling. Interesting that the stamp has the date of 4282.5.5 at the bottom.

These two stamps from Czechoslovakia were issued on 12 April 1952. They commemorate the Conference on Children held in Vienna which launched the movement to create a universal children's day.One shows the "young pioneers" with their leader examining a book, while the other shows a tired looking mother with her child holding two other children from different ethnic origins. 

The Soviet Union has not been known to issue many stamps for UN and other international occurances. But here we have two stamps issued on 29 May 1958 to commemorate International Children's Day.One shows  a girl with her doll waving away a bomb falling towards her; while the second shows three children representing Africa, Europe (Russia) and Asia,

This set of three stamps was issued on 9 December 1959 by the Kingdom of Cambodia. The design shows the UN wreath with five children representing the continents and an inscription that reads "Friendship Among Children of the World" in French and Khmer.

This airmail stamp from Syria (when it was part of the United Arab Republic) shows a young boy's face in front of industrial and development projects and commemorates Children's Day in 1959.

This stamp is also from Syria (UAR) and commemorates Children's Day in 1960. It shows a smiling child in its centre. 

Here we have a two stamp set issued on 1 June 1963 by Cuba to celebrate their national Children's Day. They show a young boy within a circle and an inscription; "children are born to be happy" in Spanish. The letters CUBA are in vertical position with a palm tree as background.

This airmail stamp from Lebanon was issued in 1964 to celebrate the national children's day. It shows three girls playing at skipping a rope. 

From the Peoples Republic of China here is a two stamp set commemorating the 1952 Conference on Children held in Vienna, Austria. The design shows an adult hand pointing upwards with four children of different ethnic origines.

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