New Zealand:2021 Year of the Ox

To Chinese, the year of their birth is significant in shaping the trajectory of their lives. Those born in the year of the Ox are thought to be dependable, diligent and determined. Their other positive traits are being hardworking, honest and healthy.

All these traits may make you feel intimidated if you're not an Ox. Do not worry. The Chinese Zodiac is built on the principles of yin and yang, meaning that everything must find its natural balance. So people born in the year of the Ox have their flaws too. Primarily, they don't know how to communicate very well.

Issue Description
2021 is not just the year of the Ox. It's also a metal Ox year. The last time that happened it was a different world. It was 1961, the year that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to escape gravity and float in space above the Earth. In New Zealand it was the year that Waitangi Day became a national holiday. It was the year that the twist got everyone changing up their dance moves. People spent their screen time watching Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's at the cinema. In 1961 the population of people born in China and living in New Zealand was only 4,194 - that's compared to a total population of 2,461,300. It was the first year that wine could be legally sold in restaurants and the year capital punishment for murder was abolished.

Issue Details
The 2021 Year of the Ox stamps take inspiration from the Chinese Nianhua poster tradition. These posters are created specifically to commemorate the arrival of a new year. For Ying Chu, the designer of the stamps, they evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for Chinese traditions. The style of the posters has its origins in woodblock printing made popular during the Ming dynasty. Back then, various motifs were used, from portraits of immortal gods to illustrations of mythical stories and depictions of beautiful babies. By referencing the Nianhua poster, the stamps create a connection between Chinese New Zealanders and the ancient cultural practices of mainland China.

Stamps
Happiness (NZ$1.40)

Chinese New Year traditions are filled with meaning. For example, if you eat noodles you'll have a long life and if you clean your house you'll sweep away the bad luck of the previous year. These stamps are also embedded with significance. The Ox is a symbol of determination and honesty and the smiling infant represents happiness. By depicting the Ox and the infant together, a relationship between these two concepts is created.

Fortune (NZ$2.70)

We see the Ox and infants in a New Year procession. Festival parades like this typically centre on a dragon dance, which is believed to bring good fortune and prosperity. As the Ox and infants march together, they represent new beginnings and a celebration of the year ahead. Clasped in one baby's hand is a lotus flower. The flower appears in all the stamps. It's a popular Chinese icon used to signify purity and a fresh start for the coming year.

Freedom (NZ$3.50)

Here a toddler is seen raising an Ox kite. Kites have a long history in China. Generally, they are considered to represent freedom and good luck. As the kite resembles an ox, it also signifies a year when hard work is rewarded with prosperity. In one Chinese kite tradition, people send kites as high and as far away as possible, then cut them free to drift off into the sky. This symbolises letting go of the past to make way for the year ahead.

Peace (NZ$4.00)

The Ox and an infant share an apple; this act of sharing represents peace. Like the other stamps, the image is framed by a box-border. This treatment draws on the visual customs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. Both the calendar and the stamp feature bold typography, simple colour palettes and a series of boxed-in elements that are divided by thin lines. By referencing the calendar the stamps pay homage to the original purpose of the Chinese Zodiac - a way for the Jade Emperor to track time.

Miniature Sheet
The 2021 Year of the Ox Miniature Sheet consists of the four stamps from the issue incorporated into a Miniature Stamp Sheet.

First Day Covers
The first First Day Cover is a pictorial envelope with the four stamps from the issue affixed and postmarked. The second First Day Cover is a pictorial envelope with the Minisheet from the stamp issue affixed and postmarked.