U.S. #2876
1994 29¢ Year of the Boar
Chinese New Year
Issue Date: December 30, 1994
City: Sacramento, CA
Quantity: 80,000,000
Printed By: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 11.2 x 11.1
Color: Multicolored
There are twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese calendar is divided into twelve-year cycles, and each year in the cycle is named for one of the twelve zodiac animals.
According to legend, the order of the twelve animals was determined by Buddha himself. Concerned for the welfare of the Chinese nation, he called all the animals in the kingdom to a meeting, but only 12 beasts showed up. For their loyalty, Buddha honored each of the twelve animals, in the order of their arrival, with a year in the Chinese zodiac – beginning with the rat and ending with the boar.
It is believed that people born under a certain year are marked by the disposition of the animal after which that year was named. Therefore, people born during the twelfth year of the zodiac take on characteristics of the boar and are, among other things, loyal, sincere, good-natured, indulgent with others, and forgiving.
It is also believed that each new year takes on the nature of the animal which gave that year its name. As the last symbol in the zodiac, the boar represents all the bounty man has built up in the last twelve years. And because of his indulgent nature, the year of the boar promises to be a prosperous one for all signs.