To celebrate Lunar New Year, the United States Postal Service is releasing a 2019 “Year of the Boar” Forever stamp, the 12th and final stamp in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series.
An important holiday for many Asian communities, Lunar New year is celebrated with parades, parties and other special events enjoyed on New Year’s Day and the days that follow.
The boar, also referred to as a pig, is one of 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. The 2019 Year of the Boar begins Feb. 5 and ends Jan. 24, 2020.
The stamp’s pink blossoms symbolize the peach trees that typically bloom in China in early February, marking the beginning of spring.
Art director Ethel Kessler creates a stamp 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, postal service spokeswoman Sara Martin says.
The Year of the Boar is being issued as a souvenir sheet of 12 self-adhesive Forever stamps.
Details: usps.gov
Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary at 724-836-5401, mpickels@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaryPickels.
