> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # For Year of the Dog, US Postal Service Delivers a Fetching Stamp - URL: https://hyperallergic.com/usps-chinese-lunar-new-year/ - Published: 2018-02-16T23:26:17.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-24T16:10:53.000Z - Description: The latest stamp designed by Kam Maki features three elegant, twisting lucky bamboo. - Author: Claire Voon - Tags: Art, Lunar New Year, Stamps, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-18 14:37 (2018) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/dog-1.jpg) 2018 Year of the Dog Lunar New Year stamp, designed by Kam Mak and issued by the United States Postal Service (all images courtesy United States Postal Service) Happy Year of the Dog! For the next few weeks, millions around the world will be celebrating Lunar New Year in all sorts of festive ways, from tossing [*lo hei* ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng?ref=hyperallergic.com)to watching dragon dances to receiving highly anticipated red [*ang pao* packets.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red%5Fenvelope?ref=hyperallergic.com) For many years, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has marked the occasion with a gesture only it can deliver: the issue of a special stamp, designed to capture the spirit of the major holiday. 2018 marks the tenth year that USPS has produced stamps for its series “Celebrating Lunar New Year,” whose imagery focuses on symbolic objects that feature in festivities. To reflect the Chinese zodiac, which moves in a 12-year cycle, the agency’s art director,Ethel Kessler, worked with the Hong Kong-born, Brooklyn-based illustrator [Kam Mak](http://www.kammak.net/?ref=hyperallergic.com) to design 12 stamps to roll out one year at a time. This year’s [dog-themed one](https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/lunar-new-year-year-of-the-dog-S%5F564804?ref=hyperallergic.com) is a gorgeous picture that centers on three elegant, twisting lucky bamboo. A red paper decorated with the Chinese character, 褔 (*fú)* indicates good fortune, while a dog, rendered as a traditional paper cutout, waves from the upper-left corner. The subtle canine was designed by the late artist [Clarence Lee](http://www.staradvertiser.com/2015/01/30/breaking-news/clarence-lee-designer-of-new-years-stamps-dies/?ref=hyperallergic.com), who created the very first Lunar New Year-themed stamp series the USPS issued. That [series of 12](https://postalmuseum.si.edu/pacificexchange/p8.html?ref=hyperallergic.com), which illustrated each of the 12 zodiac animals, was introduced in 1992. Each of Mak’s designs incorporates Lee’s visions, from the rat to the boar. The Year of the Dog stamp is the penultimate one to be released, and is, I’d argue, the most exquisite yet. Just like its predecessors, it is a fitting adornment to mark messages that wish friends and family good health, happiness, love, and lasting prosperity. Take a philatelic tour of the Celebrating Lunar New Year series below: ## 2017: Year of the Rooster ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/rooster.jpg) The 2017 Year of the Rooster Lunar New Year depicts a rooster on an ang pao, or a red packet filled with money and presented as a gift ## 2016: Year of the Monkey ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/monkey.jpg) The 2016 Year of the Monkey Lunar New Year depicts two red-orange peonies, which symbolize wealth and honor and often decorated drums played during festivities ## 2015: Year of the Ram ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/ram2.jpg) The 2015 Year of the Ram Lunar New Year depicts a “Tray of Togetherness,’ also known as a prosperity box — a compartmentalized platter with snacks ## 2014: Year of the Horse ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/ram.jpg) The 2014 Year of the Horse Lunar New Year depicts Chinese drums, traditionally struck to ring in the New Year ## 2013: Year of the Snake ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/snake-2.jpg) The 2013 Year of the Snake Lunar New Year stamp features a bundle of firecrackers ## 2012: Year of the Dragon ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/dragon.jpg) The 2012 Year of the Dragon Lunar New Year stamp features a dragon, steered by an unseen dancer with a pole ## 2011: Year of the Rabbit ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/rabbit.jpg) The 2011 Year of the Rabbit Lunar New Year stamp features mandarin oranges, given as gifts of good fortune ## 2010: Year of the Tiger ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/tiger.jpg) The 2010 Year of the Tiger Lunar New Year stamp features narcissus flowers, auspicious symbols that convey a renewed hope for the future ## 2009: Year of the Ox ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/ox.jpg) The 2009 Year of the Ox Lunar New Year stamp features a lion dance costume ## 2008: Year of the Rat ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2018/02/year-of-the-rat.jpg) The 2008 Year of the Rat Lunar New Year stamp features red lanterns