MONTEREY PARK, CA – The U.S. Postal Service is proud to dedicate and unveil the Celebrating Lunar New Year: Year of the Ram Forever® stamp during its first day of sale at the opening ceremony of the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. The festival takes place on Garvey Ave., between Ramona Ave. and Alhambra Ave., in Monterey Park.

“The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year for many Asian communities around the world,” said Monterey Park Postmaster Donna Sosa, “and the U.S. Postal Service is proud of our commemorative stamp program which issues stamps highlighting the cultures of the people who came together from every corner of the world, reflecting the rich heritage of America.”

This eighth stamp in the current Celebrating Lunar New Year series will be officially issued in San Francisco one hour before the Monterey Park ceremony and goes on sale nationwide that day. As a Forever® stamp, it will always be valid postage for a one-ounce First-Class card or letter, regardless or future postage rates. It is available Feb. 7 at all Post Offices, online at usps.com/shop and by phone by calling 800-STAMP-24.

The Postal Service will have a booth at the festival with the new stamps for sale, as well as collectible cachet envelopes and related philatelic items. A Year of the Ram special pictorial postmark (below) will also be available to commemorate the day. The collectible postmark, which is applied at no charge to any First-Class postage stamp on request, will also be available for 30 days at the Monterey Park Post Office and by mail. To receive by mail, enclose card or envelope with stamp affixed into a cover envelope and mail to: Lunar New Year Postmark, Monterey Park Post Office, 245 W. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park CA 91754-9998.

Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, has worked on the stamp series with illustrator Kam Mak, an artist who grew up in New York City’s Chinatown and now lives in Brooklyn. The artwork focuses on some of the common ways the Lunar New Year holiday is celebrated. For the Year of the Ram, which begins Feb. 19, 2015, the illustration depicts a wooden candy tray known as a chuen-hop or Tray of Togetherness. The tray is filled with dried fruits, candies, and other treats to provide a sweet beginning to the New Year. The design also incorporates elements from the previous Lunar New Year stamp series introduced in 1992 to create continuity between the series: Clarence Lee’s intricate cut-paper design of a ram and the Chinese character for “ram,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun.

The U.S. Postal Service introduced the current Celebrating Lunar New Year series in 2008 with the Year of the Rat. The series will continue through 2019 with stamps for the Year of the Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.

The ram, also referred to as a sheep or a goat, is one of 12 animals associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. According to an old legend, the animals raced across a river to determine their order in the cycle. The rat crossed by riding on the back of the ox, jumping ahead at the last minute to win the race. Next came the ox, then the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake and horse, followed by the ram in eighth place.

People born in the year of a particular animal are said to share characteristics with that animal. Individuals born during the Year of the Ram are said to be shy, creative and wise.

The Monterey Park Chinese New Year Festival ― which takes place Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ― has free admission and parking, and features seven blocks of entertainment and live music, folk art, carnival rides, contests and traditional food and treats.

Many of this year’s other stamps may be viewed on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, and via Twitter @USPSstamps.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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