HAPPY NEW YEAR
Country: Russia
Place: Saint Petersburg
Received: 18/12/2012
Distance: 691 km
Travelled: 14 days
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| Winter card |
The average winter temperature varies in different regions of Russia. Winter is the most severe in Yakutia with the lowest temperature about -65C (-85F).
During the Orthodox
Epiphany on January 19 the temperatures over the territory of Russia are known
to be very low during the centuries. This phenomenon is called "Epiphany
frosts". But recent winters in Russia have been unusually warm – the temperature
up to 10C is no longer rare in Moscow in a New Year’s Day.
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| Animal stamps |
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| The Moscow Kremlin |
Severe
Russian winters are often linked to military victories. Napoleon's Grande Armée
of 610,000 men invaded Russia and blamed the weather for their defeat. During
the Second World War General Eduard Wagner, the Quartermaster General of the
German Army, reported that "We are at the end of our resources in both
personnel and materiel. We are about to be confronted with the dangers of deep
winter."
In the early 20th century Christmas and New Year postcards like that were popular in Britain. Nowadays everyone sends folded cards in envelopes because there is no difference in inland postage rate between a card and an envelope. If sending abroad, postcards are still cheaper but you can't buy nice ones like this.
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