Christmas Island: Year of the Tiger 2022

Overview

Lunar New Year, also called the Spring Festival in China, is the most important of the traditional festivals celebrated by Asian cultures throughout the world. It is a time to complete unfinished business and settle debts to begin the New Year with a clean slate. Celebrations include congregating with relatives and friends for feasts and to exchange gifts of money wrapped in lucky red paper. Incense is burned to honour ancestors.

The Year of the Tiger begins on 1 February 2022. The third animal in the 12-year cycle, the Tiger is a born leader, brave, adventurous, competitive and confident. Birth years for Tigers include 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and 2010. In Chinese culture, Tigers are regarded as the guardians of children, and infants wear shoes and hats with tiger designs to protect against evil spirits.

The stamp designs are based on the Asian tradition of the beckoning Lucky Cat figurine. These symbols of good fortune, wealth and prosperity originated in Japan, where they are known as maneki-neko. Colourful Lucky Cat figurines, with their characteristic red ears, are a common sight at the entrance to small Asian businesses, their raised paw beckoning customers into the store. The colours of gold and red are also associated with wealth and good luck, respectively.

Technical specifications

Issue date: 6 January 2022
Issue withdrawal date: 31 December 2022
Denomination: $1.10 x 1, $2.20 x 1, $3.30 x 1
Stamp design & illustration: Chrissy Lau
Product design: Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio
Paper: gummed: Tullis Russell
Printer: RA
Printing process: Offset lithography
Stamp size (mm): 26 x 37.5
Minisheet size (mm): 170 x 80
Zodiac sheetlet size (mm): 170 x 210
Calendar sheetlet size (mm): 170 in diameter
Perforations: 13.86 x 14.6
Sheet layout: Module of 50 (Gold foil overprint, $1.10 gutter design)
FDI Postmark: Christmas Island WA 6798
FDI withdrawal date: 4 February 2022

Stamps in this issue

$1.10 Tiger with plum blossom

In this stamp design, the beckoning tiger is holding plum blossom, which is traditionally associated with hope, perseverance, beauty and purity in Chinese culture.

$2.20 Tiger with decoration, fire crackers and tiger cub

The fortune decoration featuring the Chinese word fu (good fortune/blessing) is hung during the New Year, and fire crackers form part of the celebrations. The tiger cub represents the family celebrations that are central to festivities.

$3.30 Tiger with endless knot and cumquats

The endless knot symbol features in New Year decorations as a symbol of a happy, long and fortunate life. Golden cumquats are hung outside of homes as a symbol of wealth and to attract good fortune.