This year, 2024, is the Year of the Wood Dragon and the Chinese New Year, which begins on February 10th, will be celebrated in dozens of countries across the World. The dragon is considered to be one of the luckiest and most powerful animals in the Chinese 12-year zodiac cycle. There are five types of Dragons, each with different characteristics: In Chinese element theory, each zodiac sign is associated with one of five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth, which means that a Wood Dragon, for example, comes once in a 60-year cycle.
We begin with a quite unique take on Chinese New Year stamps with the above minisheet from The Netherlands which incorporates a 2023 “Farewell to the Year of the Rabbit” stamp with 2024’s “Welcome to the Year of the Wood Dragon”. Then below, an attractive 10-stamp sheet from Sint Maarten, which occupies part of an island in the Lesser Antillese islands group in the Caribbean Sea and sits within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Martin Mörck, a Norwegian artist and engraver of postage stamps and banknotes, produced the artwork for this very attractive stamp sheet issued by Åland Post.
On 19 January 2024, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) celebrated the Year of the Dragon with the above special 10-stamp sheet.
Then we go back 60 years to 1964 to see two of the previous Wood Dragon stamp issues, above from Japan and below from the Japanese island chain Ryukyu.
