1994 29c Chinese Lunar New Year: Year of the Dog

US #2817
1994 Year of the Dog

• Second stamp issued for Chinese New Year
• Honors 11^th year of Zodiac cycle – Year of the Dog

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Chinese New Year
Value:  29¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  February 5, 1994
First Day City:  Pomona, California
Quantity Issued:  105,000,000
Printed by:  J.W. Fergusson & Sons for Stamp Venturers
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  11.2

Why the stamp was issued:  The Year of the Dog stamp was the second stamp issued to honor the Chinese New Year.

About the stamp design:  Artist Clarence Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, had designed the previous years Year of the Rooster stamp.  He based his design for the Year of the Dog stamp on the Pekingese, the royal dog of China.  He cut the design out of paper then photographed it.  The Kanji characters along the left can be interpreted “Year of the Dog.”

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place during the opening ceremonies of the eighth annual Chinese American Expo, which occurred during Fairplex in Pomona, California.
A second ceremony was held at the Chinese Information and Culture Center’s Taipei Theater in New York City.

About the Chinese New Year Series:  Beginning in 1992, a Chinese New Year stamp was issued each year, picturing a different animal in the Chinese Zodiac.  A total of 12 stamps were released over the course of 12 years.  It was the first US Lunar New Year Series and began a tradition that continues to this day.
Each of stamps honoring the Chinese New Year were created by artist Clarence Lee. Lee combines paper cut type designs with calligraphy to create stamps that look innovative, yet traditional.
Ancient legend states that Buddha felt the Chinese nation needed to be reorganized, so he called all of the animals in the land to a New Year’s meeting. Only 12 of the invited beasts came to the meeting, so Buddha decided to honor them.
Each animal was assigned a year in the order in which it arrived at the meeting – Rat, Ox, Tiger, Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Each of these animals is said to have certain inherent qualities. According to tradition, people born during an animal’s year are marked by its disposition and character.

History the stamp represents:  The dog is the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle.  One Chinese zodiac origin story tells the tale of the Jade Emperor calling each animal to compete in a great race across a wide river.  The order the animals finished would determine their place in the zodiac.  Each animal crossed the river in a unique way.  The dog was one of the best swimmers but nearly finished last as it could not resist staying to play in the river a little longer.  Today, people born in the Year of the Dog are said to be loyal, smart, and sincere, just like the animal itself.  For this reason, people born under this sign are believed to be excellent friends and are dependable for life.