Happy Lunar New Year! Canada Post celebrates Year of the Rat

Final issue in second 12-year series inspired by Chinese folk art

TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2020 /CNW/ - Canada Post has issued two stamps celebrating the Year of the Rat ? representing the first year in the Lunar New Year cycle and the final issue in a second 12-year series honouring the annual festival.

The Year of the Rat begins on January 25, 2020, and ends on February 11, 2021. A symbol of fertility and intelligence, the rat is said to confer great cunning, tact and vitality on those born under its sign.

Designed by Albert Ng (O.Ont.) and Seung Jai Paek, of Albert Ng and Associates, the stamps portray the traditional story of the rat's daughter's wedding in the style of folk art known as Chinese farmer painting. The Permanenttm domestic-rate stamp depicts the bride on route to her nuptials, while the International-rate stamp reveals the happily married couple.

The Year of the Rat stamps will be available tomorrow, January 17, in Permanent domestic- and International-rate booklets, as well as a gummed pane of 25 domestic-rate stamps framed by four Chinese blessings. Philatelic collectibles include an unsealed, International-rate Official First Day Cover suitable for use as a "money envelope" for traditional gift-giving.

Follow these links for high-resolution images and additional information in Details magazine.

SOURCE Canada Post