The sweet smell of maple taffy on a fresh bed of snow. The mouth-watering flavours of salty pea soup and tender maple-glazed ham. The strains of a fiddle and the clack of spoons playing a spirited reel. Horse-drawn sleigh rides and singing.

The vibrant sights, sounds and scents of the sugaring-off season come to life at sugar shacks across Quebec around springtime.

Traditions surrounding the temps des sucres are such an integral part of Québécois culture and identity, they have been designated part of the province’s intangible heritage.

The festive celebrations date back nearly two centuries – but maple syrup itself is far older than that.

The Indigenous Peoples of the Eastern Woodlands had been collecting the sap of the sugar maple and boiling it to create delicious syrup and sugar long before European settlements.

They shared their knowledge with early French colonists, who adopted and later adapted their methods.

Today, Quebec produces more than 90 per cent of Canada’s maple syrup. Although some commercial production is automated, many sugar shacks still use artisanal techniques that give visitors a true tap-to-table experience.

About the design

The stamps and booklet are the work of illustrator Gérard DuBois and graphic design firm Paprika.

Inspired by popular, commercial and advertising art from the 1940s and 1950s, the illustrations evoke colourful scenes of people enjoying shared meals and time outside.

They portray the sugar shack as a place of gathering, enjoyment and tradition.