HOUSTON — Bright pink peach blossoms highlight the 2019 Year of the Boar Forever stamp, the 12th and final stamp in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The U.S. Postal Service dedicated the stamps on Jan. 17 during a first-day-of-issue ceremony at the Chinese Community Center in Houston, Texas
Luke Grossmann, USPS vice president of finance …and planning, said, “The Postal Service has long celebrated our nation’s rich heritage through our stamp program. The brilliant design of this stamp helps celebrate the diversity of the American experience.”
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.
Peach blossoms, like those depicted in the stamp art, are of particular significance during this time of year. In China, peach trees typically bloom in early February, just in time for the new year, with the striking pink blossoms marking the beginning of spring.
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 — art director Ethel Kessler created a culturally rich stamp design that celebrates the diversity of America.