What day is it?

October 9 is marked in the calendar as World Post Day. It was on this autumn day in 1874 that 22 countries founded the Universal Postal Union. Even then, the world felt the urgent need to create and develop an international structure to ensure the free movement of postal items throughout the planet. Until now, postal services in the world have not lost their relevance. There are 192 countries in the Universal Postal Union, including Ukraine. The national postal operator — Ukrposhta — has more than 85,000 employees. Private postal companies and courier services also exist and are successfully developing.

How did the idea to celebrate World Post Day come about?

Humanity’s need to exchange information appeared in very ancient times. With the advent of writing, it became possible to transmit messages in writing. This was the beginning of postal communication. At first, this connection was episodic. When the first states arose, their rulers needed to be constantly informed about the state of affairs in their own country and in their neighbors, so the mail took on a more organized character. In Ancient Greece, Persia, China, Egypt and Rome, the state postal service was at a fairly high level. Written messages were sent by messengers on horseback and on foot according to the relay principle.

The oldest postal document was found by archaeologists in Egypt. It dates back to 255 BC.

The first known postal service in human history existed in Iran in 550 BC.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, postal traffic between countries was regulated by bilateral agreements. But in the 19th century, the system of agreements became so voluminous and complex that it negatively affected trade and economic development of countries. Therefore, there was a need to optimize the postal process at the international level.

World Post Day in history

• 1840

  In England, Rowland Gill introduced a system of prepaid postal services for correspondence. The same fee was charged for all letters within the country, regardless of the distance traveled by the letter. At the same time, the world’s first postage stamp appeared.
• 1863

  US Postmaster General Montgomery Blair in Paris organized a conference on the problems of postal communication. Delegates from 15 European and American countries developed a number of general principles for mutual agreements.
• 1874
  September 15

  In Bern, a postal employee, Heinrich von Stephan, submitted to the government a plan for the creation of an international postal union. Accepting his proposal, the Swiss government convened an international conference on September 15, 1874, where 22 countries were represented.

  October 9 in the same year, the Berne Treaty was signed and the General Postal Union was founded. This made it possible to bring international postal services and rules to uniform standards in the exchange of items.

• 1878

  The General Postal Union was renamed the Universal Postal Union, because the number of countries in its membership increased rapidly.
• 1947

  Ukraine joined the Universal Postal Union. The representative of our country in this organization is Ukrposhta.
• 1948

  The Universal Postal Union became a specialized agency of the United Nations.
• 1969

  At the 16th Congress in Tokyo, it was decided to celebrate the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Day annually on October 9 as an international holiday.
• 1970

  For the first time Air Force Day was celebrated as an international holiday.
• 1971

  The International Youth Letter Contest was founded, which has been held annually by the Universal Postal Union since then. Each year, the topic of the letter is determined. Contestants are children and teenagers aged 9 to 15. National competitions are organized in the countries that are members of the Air Force. The best letters are sent to an international competition, where a jury selected by the Air Force International Bureau evaluates the entries and selects the winners.
• 1984

  At the XIX Congress in Hamburg, the name of the holiday “Air Force Day” was changed to “World Post Day”.

Frequent Questions and answers on World Post Day

How to celebrate World Post Day?

World Post Day is considered a holiday by all employees of postal structures, regardless of their position. These are postmen, workers of warehouses, sorting centers, branches and transport service.

In Ukraine, the holiday is celebrated during a week called International Post Week.

At this time, philatelic exhibitions, poster exhibitions are held, and new stamps are issued. Post offices host open days, conferences and seminars, as well as cultural, sports and other entertainment events.
The best employees of the postal sector receive awards from the state for their work.

On this day, we can thank postmen who deliver letters, newspapers, parcels, and pensions on time every day, in any weather.

You can pleasantly surprise a loved one or a friend with a “living” handwritten letter. In the age of the Internet, this will be a great way to show respect for the work of the post office.

It will also not be superfluous to subscribe to an interesting magazine or newspaper. By the way, during this period there are often promotional discounts on paper media subscriptions.

Post Day postcards

👉 Section Postcards and greetings ➕ Postcards in Viber ➕ Postcards in Telegram

Why is this day important?

It is impossible not to feel sympathy for this holiday, because we use postal services almost every day.

Everyone knows how nice it is to receive parcels. It is especially pleasing when the shipment arrives on time and in good condition. Step-by-step accessibility of delivery points is also important. And how can you not be happy when all these conditions happily coincide.

And getting a fresh magazine that smells of printing ink, or an unexpected or, on the contrary, a long-awaited letter, from the mailbox is very pleasant and even somewhat romantic.

Pensioners and people with disabilities can receive some services at home thanks to postmen.

People are pleased to realize that mail makes their lives easier, shortens distances, and helps preserve the traditions of human communication.

Interesting facts about mail

When will we celebrate World Post Day?