HOLIDAYS Festive Lunar New Year series wraps up with a flourish

Wednesday, 20 January 2021 05:10.AM

- Special collectible issue features all 24 stamp designs from the last 12 years . -

As spectacular as the celebration itself, a special set of Lunar New Year stamps was issued today, ushering in the Year of the Ox with a retrospective collection of all 24 colourful stamp designs from the past 12 years.

Orchestrated with this special finale in mind, the second Lunar New Year series, which ran from 2009 to 2020, followed on the heels of the popular first series, which appeared from 1997 to 2008. One of China's liveliest and most anticipated festivals, Lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries around the world, including Canada, which is home to nearly two million people of Chinese descent.

Lunar New Year celebrations mark the beginning of the new year in the Chinese lunar calendar. The calendar follows the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac in which each year is represented by an animal. According to one legend, the order of the animals was determined by how they placed in a race called by the Jade Emperor. The first to cross the finish line was Rat, followed by Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and, finally, Pig.

About the Stamps

Designed by Paprika, this collectible, wrap-up issue features all 24 of the original stamp designs – one Permanent™ domestic rate stamp and one international stamp rate from each year – from the 2009 to 2020 Lunar New Year series. Sharing standardized elements, such as size, palette, perforations and special effects, the stamps feature creative portrayals of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, as imagined by the many designers who contributed to the series.

Printed by Lowe-Martin and Gravure Choquet, the issue includes a booklet of 12 Permanent domestic rate stamps based on the designs previously denominated at the international rate, a pane based on the 12 original Permanent designs, and an uncut press sheet based on the 12 original international rate souvenir sheet designs, as well as framed products.

SOURCE: Canada Post