Circus on Europe stamp

Finland, a stamp on circus

In Finland, a stamp on circus is issued on 15 April. The stamp was drawn by Nina Rintala, and its face value is e. 0.60. The stamp belongs to the Europe stamp series of the European postal administrations.

Philip Astley

The present form of circus was created by the Englishman Philip Astley, a former flagman in the cavalry and an owner of a riding school. He opened a riding arena in Lambeth in 1769, and the story tells that he financed it by selling a diamond ring he had found on the Westminster Bridge.
It is not known exactly when the riding performances organised by Ashley became shows comparable to today's circus. Little by little the number of items grew, and they became more versatile as well. In the course of time a strong man, a clown and an acrobat group, among others, joined the circus. The real stars of the shows were, however, horses and riders. The programme pattern and circus traditions created by Astley are still largely followed.

Jean Lustré

The first circus troupe visited Finland 200 years ago. Jean Lustré, a Frenchman, and his troupe arrived in Turku from Stockholm and gave their first performance at Kupittaa on 7 July 1802. The circus stayed in town about a month before returning to Stockholm. Many circus performances were seen in Finland in the following decades.

First Finnish circus

The first Finnish circus was created by two brothers, head stablemen Carl and Johannes (John) Ducander. They organised four "amateur circus performances" in the Turku manege in 1892. A few years later they established a real circus troupe. Circus "C. and J. Ducander" gave their first performance in Terijoki (now in Russia) in August 1896. The group consisted of 50 people and 30 horses.

Circus in Finland

The 200th birthday of the circus in Finland is celebrated in Turku throughout this year. For example, a circus historical exhibition will be organised at Turku Castle in co-operation with the Saint Petersburg Circus Museum and the Swedish Circus Academy. The exhibition is open from 25 April 2002 to 31 January 2003.
Date of postage stamp issue: April/May 2002

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