Related to the 45th Carnival anniversary of Curaçao, Cpost International has released a series of six (6) stamps. Curaçao Carnival is one of the largest and most important cultural events in the Caribbean which brings together more than 40 ethnic groups, beginning early in January with the Tumba Festival and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. Carnival is a celebration in a class of its own. It more or less takes full possession of the whole community through competitions in Tumba Festival in which the best of the island’s musicians compete to have their creations selected as the official Carnival parade song. The winner of the competition becomes “Rei di Tumba” (King of Tumba). Competitions in beauty pageants, private and public parties and street parades during the first weeks of the year climax in an extravagant parade during the weekend, the grand parade. Carnival ends with the ritual burning of the straw “Rei Momo” representing the elements that must be cleansed and destroyed before Spring begins. The artwork on the stamps are Carnival costumes and masks of among others the teenerparade, the horse parade and the grand parade. Designer : Mr. Richmond Gijsberta