Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. Observed by Chinese communities across the globe, the festival represents a fresh start and a chance to gather as a family to spend quality time together and honour ancestors. For 2022, the celebrations will begin with the new moon on 1st February.
In Chinese tradition, ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches form a time counting system; a cycle of sixty years. The twelve animals assigned to each of the Earthly Branches are regarded as the Chinese zodiac; they stand for good fortune and happiness.2022 brings us the lunar Renyin year, which is the Year of the Tiger. In Chinese culture, tigers rule the mountains as a king of all animals, and the embodiment of courage and strength. Tigers have prestige, are honourable and respected.
Jersey Stamps’ seventh instalment in its Lunar New Year series consists of an 88p tariff stamp and a £3 miniature sheet illustrated by Chinese artist Wang Huming.
The 88p stamp depicts the Renyin tiger in gold metallic ink, with the Chinese hanzi (written character) for Tiger featured in the background, this is written in a calligraphy style called Xiaozhuan, which dates back to around 222 BC. Also seen next to the tiger is a Chinese seal denoting Renyin.
The vibrant Miniature Sheet illustrates two tiger cubs playing with their mother, the same Chinese seal is seen at the bottom right, and the Miniature Sheet features a narrative in Chinese characters explaining the rich history around the Chinese zodiac and the Year of the Tiger.
The stamps are available displayed on FDCs and within attractive Presentation packs, providing further information and historical context. We are pleased to add this issue to our series collection and look forward to seeing the series grow with each subsequent year.
