Isle of Man:Chinese Year of the Ox

The Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is one of the most widely celebrated annual festivals on the planet. 2021 marks the year of the Ox, the second animal within the twelve year cycle or the Zodiac. According to legend the Chinese zodiacs' order was chosen by the Jade Emperor through a race. Rat and Ox travelled together and struck up a deal: Ox would carry Rat while Rat would sing for him. Just as they got to the finish line Rat jumped off and came in first.

The Chinese Year of the Ox collection is a continuation of the Isle of Man Post Office's "Lunar New Year" series having released numerous stamp issues commemorating the start of the Chinese New Year, including the Year of the Pig, the Year of the Dog and the Year of the Rat.

Issue Description
In addition to the main character, two other animals feature in the set that are strongly associated with the Ox: the Rooster is the most compatible sign with the Ox while, most famously, the Rat was carried by the Ox to the finish line of the mythological Emperor's race of the zodiac signs race - only to hop off at the last moment and become the first sign in Chinese cosmology.

The Ox is the second animal represented in the twelve year Lunar cycle beginning on 12 February 2021, other Ox years being 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 and 2009.

The stamps are the first triangular stamps to be issued by any of the British Postal Administrations (Royal Mail, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man), with the shape used to beautifully emphasise the features of the Ox.

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