US 2025 Year of the Snake

• Sixth stamp in Lunar New Year Series begun in 2020
• Celebrates the Year of the Snake
• Features same style mask design as other stamps in series
• Foil stamping added

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Lunar New Year
Value: 73¢ First-class mail rate, Forever
First Day of Issue: January 14, 2025
First Day City: Boston...  more

US 2025 Year of the Snake

• Sixth stamp in Lunar New Year Series begun in 2020
• Celebrates the Year of the Snake
• Features same style mask design as other stamps in series
• Foil stamping added

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Lunar New Year
Value: 73¢ First-class mail rate, Forever
First Day of Issue: January 14, 2025
First Day City: Boston, Massachusetts
Quantity Issued: 21,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Foil stamping, Flexographic, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Self-Adhesive

Why the stamp was issued: The stamp was issued to commemorate the snake, the sixth animal in the Chinese Zodiac. It’s the sixth stamp in the Lunar New Year series that began in 2020.

About the stamp design: According to the USPS, the designs for this Lunar New Year series are meant to remind us of the “elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed in Lunar New Year parades.” Artist Camille Chew created the Year of the Snake mask from hand-printed paper, then cut and folded it into the shape of a snake. She then painted it with acrylic and added additional paper decorations. A photograph of the completed mask was taken by Sally Andersen-Bruce and used as the stamp image.

Special design details: Foil stamping highlights details of the design and gives it an almost three-dimensional effect.

First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Boch-Center – Wang Theatre.

About the Lunar New Year Series: The USPS has issued Lunar New Year stamps for decades. The two previous series ran from 1992-2004 and 2008-2019. After the second one ended, new one began the following year. This particular Lunar New Year Series has stamps picturing paper-cut masks of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, with the stamps following the cycle of rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat/ram/sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Every stamp includes a photograph of a three-dimensional paper-cut mask created by artist Camille Chew.

History the stamp represents: In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is the sixth animal in the 12-year Lunar New Year cycle. In 2025, the Year of the Snake ran from January 29 to February 16, 2026.

The snake on the stamp is green, a color considered lucky for people born during the Year of the Snake. The blue details represent wood, and the colors are a reminder of the coming spring.

Called the "little dragon," the snake is a symbol of good fortune. Those born in the Year of the Snake are said to be wise, decisive, attractive, and charming.