2016 First-Class Forever Stamp,Colorful Celebrations

US #5081-90
2016 Colorful Celebrations

• 10 designs meant to be used to send celebratory mail

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Value:  47¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  June 3, 2016
First Day City:  New York, New York
Quantity Issued:  100,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Microprint
Format:  Double-sided Booklets of 20
Tagging:  Phosphor tagged paper, block

Why the stamps were issued:  Intended to celebrate all manner of festive occasion.

About the stamp designs:  Includes 10 designs featuring geometric shapes, flowers, and birds.  Each stamp is either blue, orange, purple, or fuchsia and pictures a piece of papel picado (Spanish for pierced paper) artwork designed by Sally Andersen-Bruce.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the World Stamp Show in New York City.

History the stamp represents:  A uniquely Mexican art form, papel picado (perforated paper) is a common and enjoyable sight at Mexican celebrations.  Though it is now created by skilled artists, it was invented by laborer-artists 200 years ago.

In the 1800s, workers on large estates, known as haciendas, came across a thin, light-weight paper they called papel de China.  Also known as tissue paper, it proved to be an inspiring new art medium.  The workers collected sheets of the paper, layered them, and drew a design on top.  They used various chisels to carve the design through the stack of paper, creating many identical copies at once.  Each sheet is strung alongside others to make a colorful banner.

These vibrant designs soon became a staple at celebrations – birthdays, weddings, holidays, and more.  The workers taught the craft to younger generations who perfected the technique, creating increasingly intricate designs of people, skeletons, flowers, birds, and even words.  While a rainbow of colors are suitable for some occasions like Christmas and non-religious festivities, other colors are specific to the occasion.  On Independence Day, papel picado are exclusively red, white, and green.  While on Easter, they are shades of purple, during Day of the Dead festivities, papel picado are vibrant pink, orange, and purple.

From humble beginnings, papel picado has become one of the most recognizable symbols of a Mexican fiesta.  Today, they have gone beyond simple decorations to masterpieces of art.