Guernsey Post is celebrating Chinese New Year with the sixth installment of its Lunar New Year stamp series. This time the Chinese New Year starts on February 5 and runs until February 19. According to the Chinese 12-year animal zodiac cycle, it will be the Year of the Pig. Each of the stamps introduced by Guernsey Post reflects the pig’s cultural association with an abundance of wealth and prosperity with the Chinese symbol for pig depicted in gold on each stamp.
Unlike the universal New Year, the Chinese honor the Chinese New Year on different dates each year. The Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival in modern China, when people honor their ancestors, their homes, heavenly deities and feast like there’s no tomorrow. Characteristics of the Pig are optimism, gentleness, kindness, and honesty. The Chinese believe that the barnyard pig’s temperament is much like humans, as pigs enjoy listening to music, and are highly intelligent. Zodiac Pigs also enjoy luxury, comfort, and good food.
This beautiful philatelic set was designed by a talented Sydney-based artist Chrissy Lau. She has worked across the entire Chinese New Year series. Guernsey Post enjoys its cooperation with Chrissy, as she understands Chinese culture and can create striking yet symbolically significant designs that presented to our attention in this issue.
