BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA - COVER FROM ZORAN CUBELA

Many thanks to Zoran Cubela for his nice cover from Bosna Hercegovina. Zoran is administrator of a philatelic blog which you can find it here :

http://www.svijet-filatelije.blogspot.com

Now about the cover.. 

There are  five stamps on the cover. Two issued in 2007 and two issued on 2008 by  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatian Administration (Mostar Post Office)

The first post stamp is coming from a five stamp set   Medjugorje 2008 issued on 1st June 2008

The second stamp is dedicated to 2007 International Cultural Heritage Day - Boljuni (issued 23 September 2007)

The third stamp (in pair) is dedicated to 10th Anniversary of the "Matica Hrvatska" Days (issued 25 March 2008)

"Matica hrvatska" Days

The branch of Matica Hrvatska in Osijek organizes every year a rich cultural program on the occasion of celebrating the Matica Hrvatska Days.

Besides the literary arts this event includes also other types of artistic expression. Each year the event is organized in co-operation with an international branch of Matica Hrvatska, this mainly includes cities from neighbouring countries and many of them are Sister Cities of the City of Osijek, like: Pécs, Subotica and Tuzla. The event usually includes literary readings, discussions and round tables, presentations of literary publications, literary discussions, poetry evenings, but also concerts and exhibitions.

The fourth stamp is dedicated to St. Valentine's day (issued 14 February 2007)

St. Valentine's day

Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a celebration observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not a public holiday in most of them.

St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several martyrdom stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14, and added to later martyrologies. A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6 and July 30, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni). In Brazil, the Dia de São Valentim is recognized on June 12.

The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). In Europe, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart", as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

Sources:

wikipedia

http://colnect.com

http://www.stampworld.com