2019-12-23 Mon

China received an honorary award in the Year of the Pig contest for stamps from other countries and Chinese administrative regions. This was the first time Macau took the top honor. Liechtenstein and New Zealand have placed second and third, respectively, for three years in a row.

The Year of the Pig began Feb. 5, 2019, and will end Jan. 24, 2020. The Chinese Shengxiao (Zodiac) Philatelic Society organized the contest, the 10th for the best Chinese zodiac stamps with the theme “happy family.” The contest included stamps celebrating the Year of the Pig from 77 countries or special administrative regions. The stamps were issued in late 2018 or early 2019.

Voting in the Year of the Pig competition was only open to the members of the Chinese Shengxiao Philatelic Society and not to other stamp collectors. The winning stamps were selected by these members and a jury of 27 experts. Voting took place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 20, 2019.

One stamp shows a pudgy pig running, symbolizing striving towards a better life. This stamp is called “Pig Brings You Blessings.” The second one, called “Five Blessings Gathering,” reflects the concept of family happiness and expresses wishes for a happy new year. Also on the left side of each stamp are three Chinese characters, “Ji Hai Nian,” which means 2019 in the Chinese calendar.

Image Courtesy: https://www.linns.com/

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