A Russian Scene

This sweet card from Yulia in Russia shows a lovely wintery scene. The caption translates to ‘Happy New Year and Merry Christmas’, New Year is mentioned first since in Russia this is the more celebrated of the two. Due to the difference between the new (Gregorian) calendar and the old (Julian) calendar, most Russians celebrate Christmas on epiphany, but unlike us in the west, it is celebrated in a more religious manner whereas New Year is more about big celebrations.

Funerary Gloves

This fascinating card comes from Finland and shows golden funerary gloves from the Chimu culture in Peru, which is fascinating to see! I have so much love for Peruvian archaeology so it’s a great card to receive from snowy Finland, where I already have many cards from the local cultures. Love it!

My First From Peru

This gorgeous card arrived today from Marcos in Peru. I am so over the moon to get this card as I studied ancient Peruvian cultures at uni so this is really special to me. Marcos tells me Sacsayhuaman is an Inca ‘ceremonial fortress’ (archaeology speak for ‘we don’t know it’s actual purpose yet) and that the name is Quechua for ‘the place that satisfies the falcon’ – very interesting! It is located two kilometres north of the city of Cuzco which was built in the 15th century but wasn’t completed until the sixteenth century. Amazing card. Love it!