LUZZU
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:28 pm
Malta Post issued in 2011 a miniature sheet in a joint issues with the Icelandic post, the joint issues has Fishing Villages as its theme. For Malta the fishing village Mgarr, Gozo is depicted. The boat on the stamp is a LUZZU. There are two more in the margin of the stamp, while the other vessels are modern fishing vessels and 1 rowboat.
A luzzu (pronounced like lwtsw in Maltese) is a traditional fishing boat from the Maltese islands. They are brightly painted in shades of yellow, red, green and blue, and the bow is normally pointed with a pair of eyes. These eyes may be the modern survival of an ancient Phoenician custom (also practiced by the ancient Greeks); they are sometimes (and probably inaccurately) referred to as the Eye of Horus or of Osiris.
The luzzu has a double-ended hull. A variant, the kajjik, is similar in appearance, but has a square transom.
The design of the Luzzu, like that of another Maltese boat, the dghajsa, is believed to date back at least to the Phoenician times. The luzzu has survived because it tends to be a sturdy and stable boat even in bad weather. Originally, the luzzu was equipped with sails although nowadays almost all are motorised, with onboard diesel engines being the most common. Some luzzi have been converted to passenger carriers for tourists although the vast majority continue to be used as fishing vessels.
The town of Marsaxlokk is especially famous for the large numbers of luzzu and similar craft operating in its harbor.
The luzzu is one of the symbols of Malta and is featured on the reverse of the older series (1979-89) of Maltese lira coins.
Crew from 2 -7, dim. length 4.6 – 13.7m, shallow draught.
Malta 1969 10p sg?, scott?, 1973 7c5m sg496, £2 sg500b.1977 20c sg565, scott? 1979 2c sg619, 8c sg622. 1991 4c sg908, 14c sg912. 1998 16 c sg1075, 35c sg1076. 1999 6c sg1107. 2011 Euro 2.07 sg?
Source: Wikipedia, Malta Post.
A luzzu (pronounced like lwtsw in Maltese) is a traditional fishing boat from the Maltese islands. They are brightly painted in shades of yellow, red, green and blue, and the bow is normally pointed with a pair of eyes. These eyes may be the modern survival of an ancient Phoenician custom (also practiced by the ancient Greeks); they are sometimes (and probably inaccurately) referred to as the Eye of Horus or of Osiris.
The luzzu has a double-ended hull. A variant, the kajjik, is similar in appearance, but has a square transom.
The design of the Luzzu, like that of another Maltese boat, the dghajsa, is believed to date back at least to the Phoenician times. The luzzu has survived because it tends to be a sturdy and stable boat even in bad weather. Originally, the luzzu was equipped with sails although nowadays almost all are motorised, with onboard diesel engines being the most common. Some luzzi have been converted to passenger carriers for tourists although the vast majority continue to be used as fishing vessels.
The town of Marsaxlokk is especially famous for the large numbers of luzzu and similar craft operating in its harbor.
The luzzu is one of the symbols of Malta and is featured on the reverse of the older series (1979-89) of Maltese lira coins.
Crew from 2 -7, dim. length 4.6 – 13.7m, shallow draught.
Malta 1969 10p sg?, scott?, 1973 7c5m sg496, £2 sg500b.1977 20c sg565, scott? 1979 2c sg619, 8c sg622. 1991 4c sg908, 14c sg912. 1998 16 c sg1075, 35c sg1076. 1999 6c sg1107. 2011 Euro 2.07 sg?
Source: Wikipedia, Malta Post.