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SECOND STAMP SERIES CONCLUDES. Bright pink peach blossoms
highlight the 2019 Year of the Boar stamp, the 12th and final
stamp in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Boar, also
referred to as the Pig, is one of 12 zodiac animal signs
associated with the lunar calendar. (Photo courtesy of the U.S.
Postal Service)
From The Asian Reporter, V29, #03 (February 4, 2019),
page 15.
U.S. Postal Service issues final stamp of the
Celebrating Lunar New Year series
Bright pink peach blossoms highlight the 2019 Year of the
Boar stamp, the 12th and final stamp in the Celebrating Lunar
New Year series. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) dedicated the
stamps in January during a first-day-of-issue ceremony at the
Chinese Community Center in Houston, Texas.
The Boar, also referred to as the Pig, is one of 12 zodiac
animal signs associated with the lunar calendar. The 2019 Year
of the Boar begins February 5 and ends January 24, 2020.
The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the year
for many Asian communities. In the United States and elsewhere,
the occasion is celebrated in various ways on New Year’s day and
in the days that follow. Parties, special events, and parades
featuring enormous and vibrantly painted papier-mâché dragons
are common festivities. The Lunar New Year is observed by people
of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Mongolian, and other
heritages.
Around the world, millions of people welcome a new year with
gifts, music, and celebration. Individuals born during the Year
of the Boar are said to be generous, compassionate, and
warm-hearted. Diligent and focused, these individuals often have
a great sense of responsibility and finish what they start.
Peach blossoms, like those depicted in the stamp art, are of
particular significance during this time of year. In China,
peach trees typically bloom in early February, just in time for
the new year, with the striking pink blossoms marking the
beginning of spring.
Introduced in 2008, the Celebrating Lunar New Year series is
the second to honor the Lunar New Year. The first series ran
from 1992 to 2007.
Combining original artwork by Kam Mak with two elements from
the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps — Clarence Lee’s
intricate cut-paper design of a boar and the Chinese character
for "boar" drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun — art
director Ethel Kessler created a culturally rich stamp design
that celebrates the diversity of America.
The Year of the Boar is being issued as a souvenir sheet of
12 self-adhesive Forever stamps. To learn more, or to purchase
the new Lunar New Year stamp, call 1-800-STAMP24
(1-800-782-6724) or visit <www.usps.com/stamps>.
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