World Post Day is October 9 and we’re pumped for a throw back to communication methods of the past with some good old-fashioned letters. Mail carrier services have been in existence since ancient times, and even though we can communicate almost anything (literally) at the touch of a button, there’s no denying the importance of our local postal services…or the excitement of receiving a package in the mail! World Post Day marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union, and it’s from this humble wellspring that the global communications revolution started and continues to this day.
Sending a letter is one of the most iconic acts of showing someone you care. While we may not pay much attention to the processes or regulations that go into zipping our mail around the globe after we lick the stamp, it takes an international team to get birthday cards and online shopping from point A to B.
Origins of what we now know as the postal service date to Ancient Egypt circa 2500 BC, while the oldest official postal service is found in 550 BC Iran. Various civilizations utilized a courier service to pass letters, messages, news, and parcels across empires spanning thousands of miles, inspiring the modern idea of the mailman. The US’s own postal service dates back to Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general in 1775.
On October 9, 1874, the Universal Postal Union was established as a means of cooperation and regulation amongst its member states’ mail services — today it allows mail to flow freely from your mailbox to Timbuktu, and everywhere in between! In 1969, World Post Day was inaugurated at the Tokyo Universal Postal Congress.
Each year, the UPU’s 192 member countries celebrate World Post Day on October 9 to mark the importance of universal mail and the UPU’s contributions to society and the global economy. Countries hold special stamp exhibitions and launch new postal initiatives; India hosts a week-long celebration each year over the week of October 9.
As a testament to bringing people together, the UPU hosts an International Letter Writing competition for children up to age 15. Winners are selected from each country and the world champion is selected by a UPU panel. Not only does the program promote literacy, but it keeps the excitement of waiting for the mail alive and well.
