COVER N. 579 - SRI LANKA 
POSTCARD N. 180 - SRI LANKA

Postmark: Headquarters P. O. Colombo Mail 16.04.2025

Postcard Image: 18 Sanni Masks

Posted on the 16th April; Received on the 30th April 2025

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As I type Ravindra is set to fly off from Portugal, after a short visit in which we had the opportunity of meeting and spending some time together,

During one of our meet ups I could ask him about the amazing stamp issue that he used on a cover and a postcard that he recently sent me which I really found interesting. Bohomȧ  sthoothi, my friend.

Sanni Yakuma is a traditional healing ritual of Sri Lanka performed by dancers wearing the masks that are reproduced  in the stamps, each of them corresponding to a certain demon that needs to be exorcised so that the ill person can be cured. 

There are 18 demons, each corresponding to a certain type of ailment, hence the 18 stamps on the issue (although there's one demon missing in my postcard.... maybe there's also a demon for missing stamps disease....😂)

The 18 x 15 Rupee stamp issue began to circulate on 08AUG2018 al, the stamps being included in a mini-sheet, as is very usual for Sri Lanka's very interesting issues.

To send me the stamps that could not be glued onto the cover, Ravi used a postcard  illustrated with another set of the 18 demon masks featured in the stamp issue.

 

A usual, the postmark  was applied at Colombo's main Post Office.