1996 32c Chinese Lunar New Year,Year of the Rat

# 3060 - 1996 32c Chinese Lunar New Year - Year of the Rat

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320196
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US #3060
1996 Year of the Rat

  • Fourth stamp in the Chinese New Year series
  • Features a rat, the animal symbolizing that year

Category of Stamp:  Commemorative
Set: 
Chinese New Year
Value: 
32¢
First Day of Issue: 
February 8, 1996
First Day City: 
San Francisco, California
Quantity Issued: 
93,150,000
Printed by: 
J.W. Fergusson and Sons for Stamp Venturers
Printing Method:
Photogravure
Format: 
Panes of 20 (4 across, 5 down) from cylinders of 180 (15 across, 12 down)
Perforations: 
11.1

Reason the stamp was issued:  This stamp was issued in honor of the Lunar New Year, celebrated by thousands of Asian Americans.

About the stamp design:  Chinese-American graphic designer, Clarence Lee, designed all 12 stamps in the Chinese New Year series.  The images on each stamp show an animal in Chinese cut paper style.  The Chinese characters along the left side of the stamp were made by professional calligrapher Lau Bun.

First Day City:  San Francisco has a large Chinese population.  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Chinese Cultural Center.  The stamp designer attended the ceremony.

About the Lunar New Year Series:  Beginning in 1992, a Lunar New Year stamp was issued each year, picturing a different animal in the Chinese Zodiac.  A total of 12 stamps were issued 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. He 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:  According to the modified lunar calendar (lunar-solar), used in China and throughout the Orient, the 1996 new year’s date was 4694.  The animal representing the year was the rat.  Individuals born during the Year of the Rat are said to be: energetic, charming, meticulous, sociable, persistent, humorous, generous, honest, jolly, and even seductive. Many of these traits seem somewhat contradictory to the way most westerners think of rodents.

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US #3060
1996 Year of the Rat

  • Fourth stamp in the Chinese New Year series
  • Features a rat, the animal symbolizing that year

Category of Stamp:  Commemorative
Set: 
Chinese New Year
Value: 
32¢
First Day of Issue: 
February 8, 1996
First Day City: 
San Francisco, California
Quantity Issued: 
93,150,000
Printed by: 
J.W. Fergusson and Sons for Stamp Venturers
Printing Method:
Photogravure
Format: 
Panes of 20 (4 across, 5 down) from cylinders of 180 (15 across, 12 down)
Perforations: 
11.1

Reason the stamp was issued:  This stamp was issued in honor of the Lunar New Year, celebrated by thousands of Asian Americans.

About the stamp design:  Chinese-American graphic designer, Clarence Lee, designed all 12 stamps in the Chinese New Year series.  The images on each stamp show an animal in Chinese cut paper style.  The Chinese characters along the left side of the stamp were made by professional calligrapher Lau Bun.

First Day City:  San Francisco has a large Chinese population.  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Chinese Cultural Center.  The stamp designer attended the ceremony.

About the Lunar New Year Series:  Beginning in 1992, a Lunar New Year stamp was issued each year, picturing a different animal in the Chinese Zodiac.  A total of 12 stamps were issued 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. He 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:  According to the modified lunar calendar (lunar-solar), used in China and throughout the Orient, the 1996 new year’s date was 4694.  The animal representing the year was the rat.  Individuals born during the Year of the Rat are said to be: energetic, charming, meticulous, sociable, persistent, humorous, generous, honest, jolly, and even seductive. Many of these traits seem somewhat contradictory to the way most westerners think of rodents.