USPS Announces Ceremony for Lunar New Year Stamp
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ --
What:
The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the Lunar New Year with the release of the
Year of the Horse stamp. The Year of the Horse begins Feb. 17, 2026, and ends
Feb. 5, 2027.
The first-day-of-issue event for the Forever stamp will be in Houston and
is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags
#LunarNewYearHorse and #LunarNewYearStamp.
Customers can preorder Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse stamps on usps.com
and they will be shipped on Feb. 3, 2026.
Who:
David Steiner, postmaster general and chief executive officer of the U.S. Postal
Service, will be the dedicating official
Gary Poon, chief executive officer, Chinese Community Center
Luis M. Chen, chef and content creator
When:
Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 11 a.m. Central
Where:
Chinese Community Center
9800 Town Park Drive
Houston, TX 77036
RSVP:
Attendees are encouraged to register at usps.com/lunarnewyearhorse.
Background:
Lunar New Year — also referred to as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival —
is one of the most widely celebrated cultural holidays in the world.
Parades, fireworks and festivals mark the holiday in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean
and other East and Southeast Asian communities across America.
In 2020, the Postal Service introduced its third — and current — Lunar New Year
stamp series. This is the seventh Forever stamp in that series, which will continue
through 2031 with stamps for the Year of the Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.
Two previous award-winning Lunar New Year series ran from 1992-2004 and from
2008-2019 and showcased the art of Clarence Lee and Kam Mak, respectively.
The Year of the Horse stamp features a colorful three-dimensional mask depicting a
frontal view of the face of a horse. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS,
designed the stamp with original art by Camille Chew. Calling to mind the
elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed
during Lunar New Year parades, Chew's designs are a contemporary take on the
long tradition of paper-cut folk-art crafts created during this auspicious time of year.
Chew constructed the mask out of hand-printed paper, then cut, scored and folded
it into shape. She then embellished the mask with acrylic paint and other paper
elements, such as flowers and tassels, and covered the back of the mask in a layer
of papier-mâché. The mask was then photographed on a white background for this
series.
Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and stamp-inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.
Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is celebrating its 250th year of service to customers amidst a network modernization plan aimed at restoring long-term financial sustainability, improving service, and maintaining the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter; Facebook; Instagram; Pinterest; Threads; and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.
National: David Coleman
202-425-1476
[email protected]
Texas: Nikki Johnson
[email protected]
usps.com/news
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service