Celebrate Year of the Snake 2025 with Jersey Stamps

Following on from previous years, Jersey Post’s first issue of 2025 will be Lunar New Year – Year of the Snake. The stamp and miniature sheet will be available as of Thursday 2^nd January 2025. China Post’s Chief Art Consultant, Wang Huming, continues his role as illustrator for the Lunar New Year series, bringing his unique style to this year’s illustrations. 

Lunar New Year – Year of the Snake, will be the tenth zodiac commemorated by Jersey Post. The previous nine issues, include; Year of the Dragon (2024), Year of the Rabbit (2023), Year of the Tiger (2022), Year of the Ox (2021), Year of the Rat (2020), Year of the Pig (2019), Year of the Dog (2018), Year of the Rooster (2017) and Year of the Monkey (2016).  

The artwork for the stamp, includes a golden snake representing good fortune and wisdom. Additionally, within the body of the snake, Wang Huming has illustrated four types of flowers have been depicted, including peach blossom, lotus, chrysanthemum and wintersweet, all of which signify spring, summer, autumn and winter.  

Alongside the Chinese zodiac signs, certain elements are also associated with each 12 years cycle. In 2025, the element will be wood, which is why the artist has chosen to incorporate the colours blue and green into the miniature sheet’s artwork. To represent the continued cycle and life, the snake has been portrayed in the sign of the infinity symbol.

In China, snakes do not have the negative connotations often seen within the western hemisphere. For example, a Chinese legend tells the story of a half-woman, half snake goddess who after a battle of the Gods repaired a heavenly pillar, which had been ruined, saving humanity and to this day is honoured for her act.  

Chinese New Year has evidence of existing all the way back to the Shang Dynasty, though due to limited records, the exact date is still a mystery. It wasn’t until the Han Dynasty, that the festival’s date was officially fixed as the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar. 

In 1912, the Chinese government decided to adopt the Gregorian calendar instead and made January 1st the official start of the New Year. Later in 1949 Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival and listed as a nationwide public holiday.

The stamp issue is available to order online and within Jersey's main post offices located in Rue Des Pres and Broad Street.