WASHINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service issues a new commemorative stamp honoring the Year of the Horse in celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year. This new stamp is the tenth in the Postal Service's award-winning Lunar New Year commemorative stamp series. The new stamp is available in New York on Feb. 11, and at post offices nationwide the following day.
The horse is the seventh of 12 animals associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. People born in the Year of the Horse are said to enjoy being in the spotlight. Often in need of reassurance, they are hard-working, honest, independent and sociable. Also called the Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of a new season. It is a time of renewed hope for a prosperous future. The Lunar New Year is celebrated by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan and Mongolian heritage.
In the United States, many people participate in the colorful festivities that the Lunar New Year brings. The Year of the Horse begins Feb. 12, 2002 and ends Jan. 31, 2003.
"The Postal Service takes great pride in issuing the new Lunar New Year stamp," said Einar Dyhrkopp, a member of the Postal Service Board of Governors, who will dedicate the stamp. "With this stamp we celebrate the diversity of our workforce and of this great nation."
To commemorate the Year of the Horse, artist Clarence Lee created an intricate paper-cut design of a horse. The Chinese characters drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun translate into English as "Year of the Horse." The greeting "Happy New Year!" is in English.
The Year of the Horse stamp and the previous nine Lunar New Year stamps (Rooster, Dog, Boar, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon and Snake) have all been designed by Lee. He has been commissioned to design the remaining two stamps in this series, including the Year of the Sheep in 2003, and will complete the twelve-stamp series in 2004 with the Year of the Monkey. |
