Lunar New Year 2021 Forever Stamps — Year of the Ox, Foil-Stamped Pane of 20

Issue facts

Issue Date: February 2, 2021
First Day City: Chicago, IL
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, foil stamping, flexographic, microprint
Format: Pane of 20

Second in the cycle

The ox is the second of the twelve Lunar New Year animals, though in everyday speech people are as likely to call it a cow, a bull or a water buffalo. The Year of the Ox opened on February 12, 2021.

Metal ox

Each pass through the zodiac pairs an animal with one of the five elements or phases — fire, water, wood, metal, earth. 2021 fell on metal, making it a metal ox year. The animals are also assigned hours of the day; the ox holds 1:00 to 3:00 a.m.

Where the ox sits in the sky

Classical Chinese astronomers sorted the zodiac stars into the "28 Mansions," following the moon's monthly circuit. The ox occupies one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise. Western astronomy assigns the same region to Capricornus.

Lunar New Year remains one of the most widely kept traditions on earth — meals with family and friends, decorations, and a shared wish for a fortunate year ahead.

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