Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year is not a holiday per se in the western world. It
usually occurs late in January to the 3rd week of February. In 2007, the
date was Feb. 18th, but just the year before, it was on Jan 29th. Its
date in Canada & the USA is calculated by the Chinese calendar,
which uses both the lunar and solar year to fix dates, with a set of
rules I do not understand. I intend only to show the stamps, not to explain the characteristics of the animal or people born to one sign. United States The
USA began their series of Chinese New Year stamps in 1993. Each one
says ôHappy New Yearö and has Chinese characters as well. All the stamps
are of a uniform design, a different solid colour background,
rectangular shape and with a rainbow of colours for the animal in the
stamp.
In the first row:- #2720 -from 1993, a rooster, 29¢ stamp. The first 9 stamps in the series are water activated (lick-n-stick).
- #2817 -from 1994, a dog, 29¢.
- #2876
-from 1995, a boar, 29¢. You may have noticed that the image has 39¢
on it. It is actually #3997 -l, from a mini sheet of 12 produced in
2006, with all the Lunar New Year stamps displayed. I found I did not
have the 29¢ version, so I have substituted a stamp of the same design
but higher value.
In the second row: - #3060 - from 1996, a rat, 32¢ value. This is the first one of the series with a date in the bottom left corner.
- #3120 - from 1997, an ox, 32¢ face.
- #3179 - from 1998, a tiger, 32¢.
In the third row: - #3272 - from 1999, a rabbit, 33¢.
- #3370 - from 2000, a dragon, 33¢.
- #3500 - from 2001, a snake, 34¢.
In the fourth row: - #3559 - from 2002, a horse, 34¢. The last 3 stamps of the set are self-adhesive, starting with this one.
- #3747 - from 2003, a ram, 37¢.
- #3832
- from 2004, a monkey, 37¢. This series of Lunar New Year stamps ends
here. They would start over again with the rooster in another sequence
of 12 years if it continued.
Below is the mini sheet
of 12, #3997 a to l, from 2006, 39¢ face value stamps. This sheet is
actually 7.25" wide by 6" high, but shrunk to fit and load faster on the
web page.
You may notice that the Lunar New Year mini sheet has the stamps
depicting the animals in the correct sequence, but not starting with the
rooster as their issues did.Canada Canada also
issued a series of Lunar New Year stamps, which is how they are listed
in Scott catalogs. Several of these stamps have a non-traditional shape,
not just rectangular. Canada started issuing this set in 1997, 4 years
later than the Americans. Each stamp says "Year of the …" and the
animal involved, but does not overtly show the year in the Western
calendar. There are year dates on these stamps, but they are in
microprint, and hidden in the design. It's fun to find them! When
the higher values were added, starting with the Year of the Rabbit, they
were issued in souvenir sheets only. And those higher values
(international rate) designs were different from the regular rate, if
only in size. The first real difference began with the Year of the
Snake, and since then, the higher rates have been quite different.
In the first row:- #1630 - from 1997, an ox, 45¢ face value. There was no other denomination with this issue.
- #1708 - from 1998, a tiger, 45¢. No higher value again.
- #1767 - from 1999, a rabbit, 46¢. The international rate of 95¢ was a slightly larger size, but the same image.
In the second row: - #1836
- from 2000, a dragon, 46¢ value. This was the first one of the Lunar
New Year series to have an embossed area; the high value 95¢ was a wider
stamp of same image.
- #1883 - from 2001, a snake, 47¢. This stamp had an arched shape; $1.05 value was a reversed arch and in brown ink.
- #1933
- from 2002, a horse, 48¢. The triangular corners were perforated and
could be removed to make an 8-sided stamp; the $1.25 horse is in a
different stance.
Now for the next group. In the first row:- #1969 - from 2003, a ram, 48¢. The shape is a distorted rectangle; the $1.25 ram is a different design.
- #2015
- from 2004, a monkey, 49¢. It is a regular rectangle, but the design
bleeds off the edge; the $1.40 monkey is different. This is the last one
issued in the same year as an American one.
- #2083 - from 2005, a rooster, 50¢. It's a square and the $1.45 is a different design.
In the second row: - #2140 - from 2006, a dog, 51¢. This stamp is a rectangle with arched top; the $1.49 has a dog & pup.
- #2201 - from 2007, a pig, 52¢. Another rectangle, and the $1.55 is a different design, but still a rectangle.
- #2257 - from 2008, a rat, 52¢. The stamp is a rectangle with bowed sides; the $1.60 rat is holding a fan.
Other countries have issued stamps for the Lunar New Year, but I will stop here for now.
Return from Lunar New Year to Holidays
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