U.S. #3272
33¢ Year of the Rabbit
Chinese New Year
Issue Date: January 5, 1999
City: Los Angeles, CA
Quantity: 51,000,000
Printed By: American Packaging Corp for Sennett Security Printers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 11.2
Color: Multicolored
Xin Nain Kuai Le! Happy New Year! That is what Chinese people all over the world will be saying on February 16, 1999, the first day of the Year of the Rabbit. That day will begin year 4697 in the Chinese lunar calendar.
In preparation for the celebration, homes are given a thorough cleaning to sweep away any bad luck which may have been experienced in the departing year. As signs of prosperity and good fortune, special flowers and decorations are displayed. For example, peach blossoms are hung in hopes of bringing a long life, and the kumquat fruit represents good luck.
According to legend, those born during rabbit years are kind, sweet, calm, and compassionate. Popular people who provide good company, they are never ignored. Because individuals born during these years have a keen sense of good taste and artistic appreciation, their home is always a beautiful one. They are often tasteful dressers as well. A few rabbit years are 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, and 1927.
Rabbit people do not like to argue, and live quiet, peaceful lives. Well-known personalities born during rabbit years include Walt Whitman (1819), Marie Curie (1867), Albert Einstein (1879), and Frank Sinatra (1915).