2014 – Year of Horse

 

Date of Issue : 8 January 2014

The Year of the Horse will begin on 31 January 2014, and will bring with it celebrations of the Chinese New Year in New Zealand, China and around the world. New Zealand Post will issue a set of 4 stamps and a Miniature sheet to commemorate Year of the Horse.

The horse is the seventh animal in the Chinese lunar calendar, and is renowned for its loyalty, diligence and free spirit. Those born in the Year of the Horse are thought to be energetic, intelligent and often physically strong, and they like to live in quiet, peaceful environments. In 2014, the Year of the Horse is expected to bring a blend of optimism, growth, fulfillment, prosperity and positive developments.

The 2014 Year of the Horse stamps represent the strong and successful co-existence of the Chinese and New Zealand cultures. The Chinese folk arts of calligraphy, paper-cutting and line art illustration are depicted on the stamps against a background of New Zealand as ‘the land of the long white cloud’.

70c - Pictogram
Many Chinese characters are derived from pictograms, stylised drawings of the objects they represent. Originating in ancient times, these pictograms are among the oldest characters still in use – and a few, including the Chinese horse character, still take their earliest forms.

$1.40 - Paper-cut Horse

In China, paper-cuts are mainly used as home decorations, on everything from walls, windows and doors to mirrors, lamps and lanterns. Chinese people believe that red paper-cuts on the doors of houses can bring good luck and happiness to the families who live there.

$1.90 - Equestrian

New Zealand has earned a global reputation for its horse breeding, horse racing and horse riding. This stamp design uses a line art illustration to depict the elegant sport of show jumping, linking the image of the horse with the Chinese lunar year.

$2.40 - Rotorua Museum

The Rotorua Museum of Art and History is located in a building affectionately known as the Bath House – so called because it was once a geothermal spa offering therapeutic treatments to visitors from all over the world. Opened in 1908, the Bath House was the New Zealand Government’s first major investment in the tourism industry.

Year of Horse stamp from Philippines

Phlippines Post issued a set of stamps and a souvenir sheet celebrating the Year of the Horse 2014. The stamps feature a stylized head of horse and a stylized horse.

Chinese Astrology uses one’s birthday and birth time to predict their fortune. The astrological birth chart is built by the Chinese Astrology Calendar, which is a combination counting system of Yin-Yang, Five Elements and 12 animals. The Five Elements are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. The twelve animals are Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig. Year of 2014 is Wooden Horse because Wood (tree) is connected to the color Green.

 

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: Ankit Agarwal – Pune : email : 3dankit@gmail.com