Today I attended the First Day of Issue ceremony for the International Peace Forever stamp.
The main speakers included the stamp artist and the founder of the Peace Crane Project. The ceremony focused on the symbolism of the origami paper crane as a message of peace.
The story behind the crane goes back to a child impacted by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. While she was hospitalized, she began folding origami cranes, which are an important symbol of peace and hope in Japanese culture.
The Peace Crane Project builds on that symbolism by working with schools and teaching students how to fold origami cranes. The organization then shares the cranes with communities in distress, including communities impacted by gun violence or natural disasters.
I really liked one of the speaker’s suggestions. She said you can learn how to fold an origami crane, write a message or someone’s name on it, and include it inside a letter to someone who may need encouragement. Sharing a crane is a way of sharing peace and letting someone know you are thinking about them.
It was a wonderful ceremony and a very meaningful one.
Afterwards, I attended another Postcrossing meetup where everyone signed a commemorative postcard featuring an origami crane holding a laurel branch over flying above a beautiful ocean scene at sunrise. The imagery was impactful, and I loved how colorful the postcard was. I bought several sheets of the International Peace stamps today, so I’m looking forward to sending out lots of peaceful postcards in the future.
#InternationalPeaceStamp
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