The Postal Service dedicated the newest stamp in its Lunar New Year series, Year of the Tiger, on Jan. 20 at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York.
“The Lunar New Year celebration fits squarely within America’s great cultural traditions,” said Ronald A. Stroman, a member of the USPS Board of Governors and one of the speakers at the ceremony.
“It is a time to prepare for a fresh start while honoring the past. … It is an occasion to welcome good luck and prosperity.”
Other speakers included Anne del Castillo, commissioner of the city’s Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, and Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, vice president for global artistic programs and director of the Asia Society Museum.
“Lunar New Year is a time when Asians and Asian Americans honor their cultural heritage and traditions, and this stamp series celebrates their … influence on U.S. history and culture,” del Castillo said.
The Lunar New Year arrives with the second new moon after the winter solstice. This year, that is Feb. 1.
Parades, feasts and gift exchanges mark the occasion, with festivities culminating two weeks later with the arrival of the full moon. A Lantern Festival serves as the finale.
The Year of the Tiger stamp, available at Post Offices and usps.com, is the third entry in the current Lunar New Year series, which was introduced in 2020.
The Postal Service’s first Lunar New Year stamp series began in 1992, and the second in 2008. With 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, each series runs for 12 years.
The artwork in the current series is based on three-dimensional masks created by artist Camille Chew, which are themselves based on traditional folk art crafts associated with the holiday. Antonio Alcalá served as art director.
