COVER N. 673 - SRI LANKA

Postmark: Headquarters P. O. Colombo Mail 01.01.2026  

Posted on the 1st January;  Received on the 14th January 2026

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Just when I thought I had closed up all the 2025 Christmas and New year's season mail, my friend Mr. postman dropped another nice envelope fully in tune to the theme in my always expectant letterbox.

Now this couldn't have arrived at a better time, for I am stranded again at home in full rest mode, popping pills, courtesy of my leg....

Hopefully it will all turn out for the best in a week time, but it is again a week of procrastination of me finally being able to get on my feet and go to the post office to deal with long due mail that I have to answer.... anyway, that's life....

So, a huge බෝහම ස්තුති to my friend Ravi and may his wishes be also mine for you and yours, friend!

This is quite a special cover. I am sure it is not that easy to get a first day of the year regular cancel as the one on it. In fact I think that would be impossible in a lot of places since the first of January being a holiday, means that public services are closed, hence no way of asking for such a postmark at a post office counter.

This, in turn, is very illustrative of how a simple letter can be a window to the world and make you realise that the old ellipsoid rotates not around one's own navel but around its own axis so that what is an acquired fact for some of us is a surprise for others... and that is one of the beauty's of diversity, a word that is being ever more frowned upon by the sweeping mouldy winds that are picking up intensity in places that seem to have forgotten that history should teach us something....

Ravi used the beautiful  2025 Christmas issue of Sri Lanka Post , dated of 09DEC2025, its two stamps (50 and 110 rupees) being illustrated with Nativity scenes with a decidedly Hindu artistic touch patent in the joyful and brilliant colours that dominate the scenes.

The very clear  postmark, as usual applied at Colombo’s Central Post Office, clearly displays 01-01 as the date of issue.... now, do any of you have regular postmarks with this date combination in your collection? Let me know in the comments.

Happy new year!