U.S. #5744
2023 60¢ Year of the Rabbit
Issue Date: January 12, 2023
First Day City: San Francisco, CA
Type of Stamp: Commemorative
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Foil Stamping, Flexographic, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Self-Adhesive
Quantity Printed: 22,000,000
In the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is the fourth animal in the 12-year Lunar New Year cycle. In 2023, the Year of the Rabbit began on January 22.
In the Chinese myth about the zodiac animals, the rabbit was the fastest of all, but boastful and arrogant. He even made fun of how slow his neighbor, the ox, was. One day, the Jade Emperor sent out invitations to a party to determine the order of animals in the zodiac. The rabbit was sure he would arrive before all the other animals and claim the first spot. He was in the lead, however, since no one else was around, he decided to take a nap. By the time he woke up, the rat, ox, and tiger had all arrived ahead of him. It is a lesson similar to the one taught by the Western story "The Tortoise and the Hare," – too much pride can be your downfall.
Today, people born in the year of the rabbit are said to be hardworking, ambitious, and kind. They are also charismatic and have high attention to detail. It is also said those born in the year of the rabbit tend to be more artistic and creative, finding jobs in art, music, architecture, and literature. It's fun to discover the hidden meanings behind the animals of the Chinese zodiac!
Check out a neat video about this stamp by Mystic president, Don Sundman.