Lunar New Year Year of the Snake

 

Date of Issue : 8 January 2013

Canada Post will issue stamps and souvenir sheets on 8 January 2013 to commemorate Lunar Year of Snake.The Year of the Snake begins on February 10, 2013, and ends on January 30, 2014.

In Western culture, calling someone a snake is considered fighting words. But in the Asian countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year, the Snake is viewed as the wisest and most enigmatic of all the zodiac creatures. In fact, it's such a strong sign of intelligence and luck that an ancient Chinese saying notes that finding a snake in one's home is great fortune and ensures that the inhabitants will never go hungry.

The Year of the Snake, in this case a water snake, slithers in on February 10, 2013, and bids farewell on January 30, 2014. The sixth of 12 creatures in the zodiac, the Snake represents intelligence, materialism and gracefulness. Those born in the Year of the Snake are analytical and tend to look closely before they leap. They love luxury and know how to get what they want. Even if it means scheming and plotting, clever and cunning snakes know that the end justifies whatever means necessary. Still, the Snake requires peace; noise and stress are not well tolerated. The hard-working and ambitious Snake is successful in professional life, but tends to hop jobs, becoming easily bored if not sufficiently challenged or rewarded.

The duo stamp issue (Permanent™ domestic and International) for the Year of the Snake, the fifth in this series, is created in lavish textures befitting the luxury-loving Snake. On the domestic stamp, a red snake slithers on curving waves, symbolizing the water influence on this particular Year of the Snake. On the international stamp, a yellow and green jade snake, artfully embossed on multiple levels to provide three-dimensionality and simulate scales, coils into a stylized 8, the luckiest and most valued number by the Chinese people. Both images visually draw on the most significant character attributes of the Year of the Snake.

Booklet of 6 stamps

 

2013 CHINESE LUNAR CALENDAR  YEAR OF THE SNAKE PERSONALIZED STAMP SHEET from UNPA

On 28 January 2013, UNPA will issue a Chinese lunar calendar personalized stamp sheet celebrating the "Year of the Snake". This is the fourth year in which UNPA has issued a Chinese lunar calendar sheet. The sheet is composed of ten US$ 1.10 denominated stamps with the UN logo.