In 2013, the U.S. Postal Service™ will welcome the Year of the Snake with a bang by issuing the sixth of 12 stamps in the current Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Snake begins February 10, 2013, and ends January 30, 2014. The first-day-of-issue will be January 16, 2013 to provide ample time for customers to purchase the stamps and use them for invitations and greeting cards prior to the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Postmasters are encouraged to coordinate with local Asian community leaders and organizations, such as Asian chambers of commerce, along with elected officials to conduct first-day-of-issue ceremonies. If that is not convenient, “special dedication” ceremonies can take place anytime after that. (The term “second-day-of-issue dedication ceremony” is no longer used.)
This kit includes the following information:
n Lunar New Year backgrounder.
n Sample media advisory (for distribution no later than three days prior).
n Sample news release.
n Sample speech.
n Contacts for obtaining a high-resolution image of the stamp for media use.
n Government Relations contacts for assistance in contacting elected officials.
n Corporate Communications managers listing for assistance with event publicity.
Lunar New Year Background
In 2013, the U.S. Postal Service® will welcome the Year of the Snake with a bang by issuing the sixth of 12 stamps in its current Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Snake begins February 10, 2013 and ends January 30, 2014.
The snake is one of 12 animals associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. According to 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. The tiger, rabbit, and dragon came in after the ox, followed by the snake in sixth 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 Snake are said to be deeply philosophical, mysterious, and comfortable being alone.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many parts of the world, primarily by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, and Mongolian heritage. Images associated with some of these widespread customs are depicted in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series.
In the United States as elsewhere, the occasion is marked in various ways across many cultures; parades, parties and other special events are common. Firecrackers, such as those depicted on the stamp, are used to scare off evil spirits and welcome a time of renewed hope for the future. Monetary gifts are given to children and others. Lucky foods are eaten — kumquats, for example — and festive lanterns colored red for luck are common decorations at Lunar New Year celebrations.
Stamp Development Background
The U.S. Postal Service introduced this Celebrating Lunar New Year series in 2008. Year of the Snake is the sixth stamp in the series, which will continue through 2019 with stamps for the Year of the Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. A previous Lunar New Year stamp series was released between 1992 and the early 2000s. The popularity and universal appeal of the series led to the launch of this newly designed series, which explores the Lunar New Year from a fresh view.
Art director Ethel Kessler worked on the 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 Snake, which begins February 10, 2013, the illustration was originally created using oil paints on panel and depicts firecrackers of the sort commonly used to greet the New Year with a bang.
Kessler’s design also incorporates two elements from the previous Lunar New Year stamp series — artist Clarence Lee’s intricate paper-cut design of a snake and the Chinese character for a snake drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun.
Kam Mak was born in Hong Kong and grew up in New York City’s Chinatown after his family moved to the United States in 1971. Kam’s involvement with City Art Workshop, an organization designed to encourage the art interests of inner city youth, inspired his love of painting. He earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in 1984 from New York’s School of Visual Arts where he studied on a full scholarship.
Mak’s richly colored paintings have illustrated the covers of numerous magazines and books including his first offering as both author and illustrator, My Chinatown: One Year in Poems, about a little boy growing up in Chinatown.
Sample Media Advisory
Date: Contact: Name
(O) xxx-xxx-xxxx
(C) xxx-xxx-xxxx
xxxx@usps.gov
(Name of) Post Office to Launch Limited Edition
Lunar New Year Stamp to Celebrate the Year of the Snake
WHAT: The U.S. Postal Service is launching the Lunar New Year limited edition stamp to help customers start the Year of the Snake off with a bang. The (Name of) Post Office will hold its first-day-of-issue ceremony to showcase the stamp’s unique design and offer it for sale to customers as they prepare to usher in the new year.
WHEN: Time, Date
WHERE: Location
Address
(Provide web site link of location if available)
WHO: Name(s) and title(s)
BACKGROUND: The Year of the Snake begins February 10, 2013, and ends January 30, 2014. The first-day-of-issue will be January 16, 2013, to provide ample time for customers to purchase stamps and use them for invitations and greeting cards prior to the first day of the Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many parts of the world, primarily by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan and Mongolian heritage. Images associated with some of these widespread customs are depicted in the Celebrating Lunar New Year stamp series.
# # #
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, USPS.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
Follow the Postal Service at www.twitter.com/USPS and at www.facebook.com/USPS.
Sample News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE USPS Contact: Name
(O) xxx-xxx-xxxx
(C) xxx-xxx-xxxx
xxxx.xxxx @usps.gov
usps.com/news
U.S. Postal Service Launches Limited Edition Lunar New Year Stamp
(Name) Post Office Prepares for Year of the Snake by Issuing Stamp Early
(City, State) — The (Name) Post Office today launched the 2013 limited edition Lunar New Year stamp, featuring firecrackers, paper-cut designs and Chinese calligraphy, to help customers usher in the Year of the Snake.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many parts of the world, primarily by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan and Mongolian heritage. In the United States, as elsewhere, the occasion is marked with parades, parties and other special events. This year, Lunar New Year begins Sunday, February 10, 2013, giving Postal Service customers plenty of time to get the news to friends and family.
“The (Name) Post Office is proud to celebrate this special time with our friends in the Asian community,” said (Title and Name). “With this year’s limited edition stamp, we are pleased to provide our customers the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of these stamps and use them in their New Year’s greetings to friends and family.”
Joining (Name) at the first-day-of-issue ceremony were (Title and Name) and (notable elected officials or community leaders).
(Insert quote from participant(s) here).
The Postal Service introduced this Celebrating Lunar New Year series in 2008. Year of the Snake is the sixth stamp in the series, which will continue through 2019 with stamps for the Year of the Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.
Illustrator Kam Mak, an artist who was born in Hong Kong, grew up New York City’s Chinatown and now lives in Brooklyn, was commissioned by the Postal Service to design each stamp in the series.
This year’s limited edition stamp features some of the primary ways the Lunar New Year holiday is celebrated. For the Year of the Snake, which begins February 10, 2013, the illustration was originally created using oil paints on panel and depicts firecrackers of the sort commonly used to greet the New Year with a bang.
Firecrackers scare off evil spirits and welcome this time of renewed hope for the future. Monetary gifts are given to children and others. Lucky foods are eaten — kumquats, for example — and festive lanterns, colored red for luck, are common decorations at Lunar New Year celebrations.
Customers may view the Lunar New Year Forever stamps, as well as many of next year’s other stamps, on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, on Twitter @USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at www.beyondtheperf.com/2013-preview. Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for information on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.
There are three philatelic products for these stamps.
n 578684, Press Sheet with die cuts, $48.60.
n 578686, Press Sheets without die cuts, $48.60.
n 578623, Notecards (Set of 12 with stamps), $16.95.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
# # #
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, USPS.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
Follow the Postal Service at www.twitter.com/USPS and at www.facebook.com/USPS.
Learn more about the Lunar New Year and additional 2013 limited edition stamps by visiting www.facebook.com/USPSStamps.
Sample Speech
Postal Service Official’s Name and Title
United States Postal Service
“Starting the Year of the Snake Off with a Bang”
First-Day-of-Issuance
Date
City, State
Thank you, __________, for that kind introduction. And thank you all for joining us for today’s event.
I also want to thank all of our special guests for joining us in beautiful [(City/Town/Location/Type of setting.]
In particular, I’m glad that our good friend [Name of Elected Official] is here, along with [Any Other Individuals That Should Be Recognized.]
I am honored to be here representing the United States Postal Service.
Today is an exciting day for the Postal Service as we join our friends in many Asian communities as they prepare for the celebrations that accompany the Lunar New Year.
And while each community celebrates the Lunar New Year a little differently, common among their celebrations is the opportunity to share special times with friends and families and honor the time-honored traditions of food and festivity.
From firecrackers and festive red lanterns to parades and parties, the celebration of Lunar New Year creates memories that last a lifetime.
And we’ve captured that energy, excitement and emotion of the Lunar New Year in this year’s limited edition stamp.
Featuring the firecrackers that scare off evil spirits and welcome a time of renewed hope for the future, this year’s limited edition Lunar New Year stamp also incorporates two elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps. That series started way back in 1992, and it proved so popular that we’ve gone back to some of its themes for our current series. In particular, we’ve revived the intricate paper-cut design and calligraphy that were highlights of the first Lunar New Year series. For this year — Year of the Snake — the stamp features the paper-cut snake design, along with the Chinese character for “Snake,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy.
This beautiful stamp will be available today, to help you prepare your New Year’s greetings, party invitations or gifts to share with friends and families.
And remember — if you purchase these wonderful new stamps today, or at any time in the future, they will be good for First-Class Mail postage forever, no matter what the price is when you put it on the envelope.
It’s the Postal Service’s way of recognizing and celebrating Asian cultures — and we are pleased to offer this year’s stamp as part of the ongoing Lunar New Year series.
So now, on behalf of the United States Postal Service, I would like to officially dedicate the 2013 limited edition Lunar New Year stamp!
{Unveil Stamp; Pose for Pictures}
# # #
Ordering Stamp Images for Event and Media Use
Postmasters can order poster-sized enlargements of the stamp image by contacting Maggie Kasper of Dodge Chrome at maggie@dodgechrome.com or by calling 240-247-1814. For easy online ordering, visit: www.dodgechrome.com/uspsstampart. Postmasters should contact Zy Richardson, lindsay.n.richardson@usps.gov, 202-268-7841, to obtain high-resolution images of the stamps for media use.
Government Relations Outreach
Postmasters wishing to invite elected members of Congress should contact the appropriate Government Relations Representative.
Congressional State Representative Listing
202-268-XXXX
Corporate Communications Contacts
Use the following contacts to request Corporate Communications’ assistance in publicizing events:
Capital Metro
George Maffett
e-mail: george.t.maffett@usps.gov
Telephone: 301-548-1465
Eastern
Paul Smith
e-mail: paul.f.smith@usps.gov
Telephone: 215-863-5055
Great Lakes
Victor Dubina
e-mail: victor.dubina@usps.gov
Telephone: 216-443-4596
Pacific
Don Smeraldi
e-mail: don.a.smeraldi@usps.gov
Telephone: 858-674-3149
Northeast
Maureen Marion
e-mail: maureen.p.marion@usps.gov
Telephone: 860-285-7029
Southern
Earl Artis
e-mail: earl.c.artis@usps.gov
Telephone: 214-819-8704
Western
Brian Sperry (A)
e-mail: brian.s.sperry@usps.gov
Telephone: 303-313-5132
— Public Relations,
Corporate Communications, 1-10-13
