The Chinese zodiac appeared more than three thousand years ago, earlier than European astrology. The concept of this zodiac has become a serious competitor to the Western zodiac system in determining human character. Unlike astrology, which predicts depending on the position of the sun, stars, and planets, the Chinese calendar based on the moon phases, places the name of an animal in each year of a 12-year cycle. It is believed that each of the 12 animals of the zodiac has the ability to endow the person born in that year with certain qualities.
According to the zodiac signs of the Chinese lunar new year calendar, 2022 is considered to be the year of the tiger. In order to celebrate the new year, countries from all over the world have issued stamps featuring the tiger in various styles. Here are some of those stamps:
Armenia
Issued on December 23rd 2021, this stamp has a denomination of 500 AMD and includes an image of the tiger as well as a hieroglyph. This is not the first time that the country has issued stamps to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The circular design and gold foil embossing make this stamp a unique addition to any collection. The stamp is currently in circulation and can be purchased from the Armenian Post Office here.
Belarus
Issued on January 18th 2022, the design of this stamp is a realistic painting of a tiger, once again featuring the Chinese character for "tiger", as well as a text saying "Year of the Tiger" in Belarusian. This year marks the third year in a row that the country has issued stamps celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. You can find information about ordering the stamp from Belarus Post here.
China
Issued on January 5, 2022 and designed by Feng Dazhong, these are the 42nd stamps that have been issued since the first Chinese Zodiac stamp in 1980. The denomination of each stamp is 1.20 yuan. The first stamp has a painting of a tiger looking out into the distance, while the second stamp has a painting of a mother tiger and her cubs. The stamps will be available for purchase from China Post here.
Christmas Islands
Issued on January 6, 2022, the design of these stamps is based on the Japanese lucky cats, or maneki-neko, which are popular in many Asian countries, especially in small stores in order to attract customers. This design for the tiger (created by Chrissy Lau, who also designed the Guernsey stamps), combined with the gold and red colors, is used to symbolize good luck and wealth.The denominations for this issue are $1.10, $2.20 , and $3.30. The stamps, in addition to minisheets and FDCs, can be purchased from Australia Post here.
France
Issued on January 22nd 2022, these two stamps feature paintings of the tigers. The first painting is of a tiger laying down, with a red background and the second painting is a tiger gazing into the distance with a blue background. The stamp image also includes Chinese charachters in gold. The designer, a Chinese artist named Chen Jianghong, says that the two tigers symbolize strength and hope respectfully. The denominations are €1.16 for domestic post and €1.65 to be used for international letters. The two stamps will be available from La Poste here.
Guernsey
Issued on January 19, 2022, these stamps also go for a traditional look (since they were also designed by Chrissy Lau) using the traditional red and gold colors and featuring traditional elements of the Chinese New Year such as the red envelope and lantern. The values of the stamps are 50p, 70p, 73p, £1, £1.15, and £1.20. They will be available for purchase from the Guernsey post office (along with limited edition sheets, FDCs, and more) here.
Philippines
Issued on January 31st, a day before the Lunar New Year, these two stamps are welcomed by stamp collectors as they help strengthen the ties between the Chinese and Filipino people. The design of these stamps once again features realistic paintings of the tigers, with water reffering to the traditional name of the zodiac, the “Water Tiger”, found in the zodiacal calendar every 60 years. They will be available for purchase from the Philippine Postal Corporation here.
Romania
Issued on February 1st, 2022 (the Day of the Chinese New Year), these two stamps feature "Year of the Tiger" in Romanian. The design of the two postage stamps of the issue, both with the face value of Lei 10, illustrate the symbol of the zodiac sign Tiger in two hypostases harmonized with the environment in which the real animal lives (lush vegetation and water).The stamps are available from Romfilatelia's online shop here.
Singapore
Issued on January 7, 2022, this is a set of two stamps designed by Lim An-ling. The Chinese character is once again incorporated into the design of the stamp, as well as a flower on each tiger and smaller tigers on the second stamp. The denominations of the stamps are 1st Local and $1.40. The stamps can be purchased from Singapore Post here. There is an option to customize how many of each stamp you would like to purchase.
Some other countries who issued Lunar New Year stamps not mentioned above include Hungary, Macau, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Mongolia, Jersey, Estonia, Tahiti (currently unavailable) and Thailand. Even the United Nations issued year of the tiger stamps.
We hope you enjoyed these new tiger stamps! Click here to learn more about the Lunar New Year stamps released by the USPS.
Note: introduction and Romania stamp information courtesy of Romfilatelia.