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First Day Cover Text for Year of the Pig

This is the eighth Lunar New Year special stamp issue in the third series released by Hongkong Post. The first and second sets of special stamps for the Year of the Pig were issued in 1971 and 1995 respectively.

Each lunar year in China is named after an animal, running in twelve-year cycles. People born in a certain animal year are believed to share some of the animal's characteristics. Chinese folklore says that people born in the Year of the Pig are honest and straightforward. They seek harmony with the world around them. Thanks to their tolerance and sincerity, they get along well with almost everyone.

The Pig is also a symbol of wealth and prosperity in Chinese culture. The four stamps come in denominations of $1.40, $2.40, $3.00 and $5.00. The distinctive design of this issue features four pleasantly plump pigs and a piglet - a propitious omen for the coming year. To capture the gradation of light and shade and to accentuate the three-dimensional effect, five-colour printing is used on the stamps to enhance the image detail of the pigs against a background embellished with silver foliage.

The First Day Cover design presents an interesting combination of paper-cutting and computer aided drawing. The paper-cut pattern gives a note of festivity, and the spirited piglet in the front heralds the Year of the Pig.