New Year, Wrong Stamp for USPS Commemorative Postage [OP-ED]
Photo: USPS
With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, the U.S. Postal Service released its annual commemorative stamp to honor the holiday. Yet, the new postage seriously misses the mark, is wrong on many levels.
The Lunar New Year – observed this year on February 12 – is celebrated by several Asian cultures, but it’s difficult to see that represented. Designed by Antonio Alcala and drawn by Camille Chew, the design exhudes a more pre-Columbian Aztec vibe.
Leeway in the name of artistic license is one thing, but when an issue is supposed to honor a holiday, a certain amount of research is certainly in order. For instance, blue is not an auspicious color in Chinese culture to greet the new year; it’s a color often linked to mourning. And what’s with the green wedges of cheese earrings?
This lunar new year in Chinatown will bear no resemblance to past celebrations. No dragon dancing, lion dancing, or parading. Just more pandemic limitations. That said, as the community looks forward to celebrating in a limited way, this stamp issue just misses the spot.
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