Carols by Candlelight is a well known Christmas tradition that sees communities gathering in the evening to sing carols. This year’s Niue Christmas issue included four stamps featuring iconic Christmas carols.
Issue information
The ‘Carols by Candlelight’ event in Niue is organised by church groups, and encourages the community to get together to enjoy the Christmas spirit. The carols featured in this issue are Silent Night, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger and Deck the Halls.
Festive Collectables for your Island Collection
Included in this issue are a miniature sheet, a first day cover and a miniature sheet first day cover. These festive products are a perfect addition to any Niuean stamp collection or as Christmas stocking fillers.
Product Listing for 2015 Niue Christmas
| Image | Title | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 30c 'Silent Night' gummed stamp. Originally composed in 1818 by Austrian Franz Xaver Gruber with lyrics by Joseph Mohr, Silent Night is such an iconic carol that it was declared intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. |
$0.30 |
 |
Single Stamp |
Single $1.40 'Joy to the World' gummed stamp. Joy to the World was originally written by Isaac Watts and was based on Psalm 98 of the Bible. Although not originally written as a carol for Christmas time, it has since become one of the most popular and well known Christmas songs. |
$1.40 |
 |
Single Stamp |
Single $2.00 'Away in a Manger' gummed stamp. Originally titled Luther’s Cradle Hymn, Away in a Manger was first published in the late 19th century. The tune that most commonly accompanies the carol was written by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895. |
$2.00 |
 |
Single Stamp |
Single $4.00 'Deck the Halls' gummed stamp. The melody of Deck the Halls comes from an old Welsh winter carol, Nos Galan. The English lyrics (which are not based on the original Welsh lyrics) were written by Thomas Oliphant in 1862. |
$4.00 |
 |
Miniature Sheet | Mint, used or cancelled miniature sheet. | $7.70 |
 |
First Day Cover | First day cover with stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue. | $8.20 |
 |
Miniature Sheet First Day Cover | First day cover with miniature sheet affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue. | $8.20 |
Technical information
| Date of issue: | 25 November 2015 |
|---|---|
| Number of stamps: | Four gummed stamps |
| Denominations: | 30c, $1.40, $3.00 and $4.00 |
| Stamps and first day cover designed by: | Richard Payne, New Zealand Post Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Printer: | Southern Colour Print by offset lithography |
| Number of Colours | Four Process Colours |
| Stamp size and format: | 33mm (circular) |
| Paper Type | Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper |
| Number of stamps per sheet: | 10 |
| Perforation gauge: | 14.48 |
| Period of sale: | These stamps remained on sale until 24 November 2016. |