Lunar New Year
January 20, 2020
U.S. Postal Service begins new
series of 12 Lunar New Year stamps
A new Year of the Rat stamp is the
first in a third series by the U.S.
Postal Service (USPS) celebrating
the Lunar New Year. The stamp was
dedicated this month during opening
ceremonies of the Monterey Park
Lunar New Year Festival, one of the
largest festivals of its kind in the
nation.
With blue as the predominant color
(said to be one of the lucky colors for
individuals born during the Year of
the Rat), the rat mask in the stamp
design incorporates elements with
symbolic meaning. Several of the
patterns were created with the style
of Asian textiles and the circle in the
center of the Rat’s head represents
the new moon on which the Lunar
New Year begins. A pop of the very
lucky color red ties the design in with
other common celebratory decora-
tions.
New Year celebrations
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 at festivities.
The Lunar New Year is observed by
people of Chinese, Korean, Viet-
namese, Tibetan, Mongolian, and
other heritages.
Around the world and across varied
cultures, there are many traditions to
ring in a new year of good luck and
prosperity. In communities across
the United States, people shop for
food and other supplies, hang
decorations, and ceremoniously clean
their homes and streets to welcome
the year with a fresh start.
Year of the Rat
The Rat, also referred to as the
Mouse in some cultural traditions, is
the first of the zodiac animal signs
associated with the lunar calendar.
Those born during the Year of the Rat
are often viewed as clever, self-aware,
and highly social. The Year of the Rat
begins January 25, 2020 and ends
February 11, 2021.
Art director Antonio Alcalá
designed the 2020 stamp with
original artwork by Camille Chew.
First series started in 1992
Late artist Clarence Lee, an
American of Chinese descent who
was born in Honolulu, designed the
first series of Lunar New Year
stamps, which began in 1992 with the
29-cent Year of the Rooster stamp.
The stamp had a paper-cut two-
dimensional look. The other 11
animals in the lunar zodiac followed,
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one each year. Also on each stamp in
the series were kanji characters
stating the name of each stamp writ-
ten by a professional calligrapher.
After the original series ended,
Asian community members urged
USPS to continue the annual
issuance of Lunar New Year
stamps.
Second series released in 2008
A second set of stamps, called the
Celebrating Lunar New Year series,
began in 2008. The stamps were
designed by Kam Mak, an artist who
grew up in New York City’s
Chinatown, along with art director
Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland.
Instead of taking the obvious route
of illustrating the animals each year,
Mak chose to depict symbolic objects
featured in Lunar New Year
celebrations. They were:
Year of the Rat (2008):
Red lantern
Year of the Ox (2009):
Lion dance
Year of the Tiger (2010):
Narcissus flowers
Year of the Rabbit (2011):
Cumquats
NEW DECADE, NEW SERIES.
A new Year of the Rat stamp (top photo) is
the first stamp in a third series by the U.S.
Postal Service celebrating the Lunar New
Year. The first stamp in the first series —
the 29-cent Year of the Rooster (bottom
photo) — was released in 1992. It was
created by the late artist Clarence Lee, an
American of Chinese descent who was born
in Honolulu, Hawai‘i.
Year of the Dragon (2012):
Dragon dance
Year of the Snake (2013):
Firecrackers
Year of the Horse (2014):
Drums
Year of the Sheep (2015):
New Year sweets
Year of the Monkey (2016):
Peony
Year of the Rooster (2017):
Red envelopes
Year of the Dog (2018):
Lucky bamboo
Year of the Pig (2019):
Peach blossoms
Each stamp also featured small
animal illustrations, in traditional
paper-cutout style, by Lee, the artist
who created the first stamp series in
1992.
The 2020 Year of the Rat stamp is
sold in panes of 20. A forever stamp, it
will always be equal in value to the
current first-class mail one-ounce
price. 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>.
Call (503) 980-5900 for details
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The staff at The Asian Reporter
wish you and your family a safe
and happy Lunar New Year!