• About
  • Events
  • Community Calendar
  • Advertise
  • Subscriptions
  • Foundation
  • Contact
  • Seattle Chinese Post

Northwest Asian Weekly

  • Community
    • Names in the News
    • Local
    • Business
    • Pictorials
    • Obituaries
  • Nation
  • World
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Columns
    • On the Shelf
    • At the Movies
    • A-POP!
    • Publisher Ng’s blog
    • The Layup Drill
    • Travel
    • Wayne’s Worlds
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentary
    • Publisher Ng’s blog
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Astrology
  • Classifieds
  • Community Calendar
You are here: Home / News / National News / USPS celebrates Lunar New Year with special edition monkey stamp

USPS celebrates Lunar New Year with special edition monkey stamp

February 5, 2016 By Northwest Asian Weekly

https://i1.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_06/stamp1.jpg

On Feb. 5, the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued its Year of the Monkey stamp.

The stamp art features two bright reddish-orange peonies against a purple background. Peonies symbolize wealth and honor in Chinese culture and often decorate the sides of the traditional drums played during the holiday festivities.

Art director and stamp designer Ethel Kessler incorporated elements from previous series of Lunar New Year stamps — Clarence Lee’s intricate paper-cut design of a monkey and the Chinese character for “monkey,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun — to create continuity between the series.

The monkey is one of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. According to an old legend, the animals raced across a river to determine their order in the cycle. The rat crossed by riding on the back of the ox, jumping ahead at the last minute to win the race. Next came the ox, then the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, and ram, followed by the monkey in ninth place.

People born in the year of a particular animal sign are said to share characteristics with that animal. Individuals born during the Year of the Monkey are said to be clever, wise, and honest. With their keen intellect and sociability, they can easily adapt to new situations. (end)

New versus old
Which version of the monkey stamp do you like better?
The 2004 or the 2016?

2016

https://i2.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_06/stamp2016.jpg

2004

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_06/stamp2004.jpg

 

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: National News Tagged With: 2016, Chinese, Clarence Lee, Ethel Kessler, Lau Bun, Lunar New Year, USPS, Vol 35 No 6 | February 6 - February 12

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Find us on Issuu!

Subscribe to our e-news

© 2020 NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
412 MAYNARD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104
206-223-5559 | INFO@NWASIANWEEKLY.COM
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.