The Chinese New Year is upon us, this year being the Year of the Wood Snake. International designer Tiger Pan combined two traditional Chinese cultural elements for this Liechtenstein stamp sheet – the snake as a sacred animal that symbolises luck, wealth, wisdom and longevity, and the concentration game mahjong. The shape of the snake is geometric and its body is made of pieces arranged in familiar patterns.
The miniature sheet above, from Åland, in the stamp series featuring Chinese horoscope animals shows a grass snake swimming along Åland granite cliffs. The grass snake (Natrix natrix) is one of three species of snakes in Åland, the others being viper and smooth snake. The grass snake lives near streams and lakes and moves quickly and easily both on land and in water. Grass snakes are often black with a small head and yellow or white neck patches.
“Tahun Ular”, Year of the Snake in Indonesian – a mini sheet from the last zodiac cycle in 2013.
Above, attractively designed stamp booklet from China, 2013 – and below two Chinese People’s Republic mini sheets from 2001.
An imaginatively-designed 2001 issue from Kazakhstan, including the signs of the zodiac.
We stay with 2001 for above, the offering from Macau and below a very attractive stamp sheet from the Philippines.
Then a fine issue from Uganda, with four snake species featured.
And a 2001 fun stamp pair from Sweden.
The last items are from Hong Kong 1977, then still under British rule. The stamps depict Wood Snakes, also seen on the First Day Cover below.
