Postal Service employees across the nation helped welcome the Lunar New Year’s arrival in February.
The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in several East Asian countries. The holiday marks the start of the Chinese lunar calendar, which operates on a series of repeating 12-year cycles that are each associated with a different animal.
To mark the Lunar New Year’s Feb. 5 start, USPS held special dedication ceremonies in several cities this month for its Year of the Boar stamp, which was released in January.
More than 300 people attended a ceremony in Chicago, where Postmaster Wanda Prater discussed the significance of the Celebrating Lunar New Year stamp series.
“Today’s ceremony is an important one for the Postal Service because it gives us a chance to celebrate America’s diversity through stamps. I’m proud to say our stamp program demonstrates our nation’s deep regard for its rich and complex heritage,” Prater said.
Other special dedications were held during festivals at a Miami Dade College campus in Florida and Purchase College in Harrison, NY, among others.
During the Miami event, South Florida Marketing Manager Juan Nadal presented an enlargement of the Year of the Boar stamp to Chinese Cultural Foundation President Peter Liu, who pointed to the “Forever” on the image and told the audience to purchase the stamps now and “use them forever!”
