【圣路易时报讯】美国邮政局（U.S. Postal Service）于2026年2月3日在德克萨斯州休斯顿华人社区中心正式发布了2026年“马年”农历新年邮票（Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse），作为当前农历新年邮票系列的第七枚作品，同时也是邮政局第三个版本农历系列的一部分。
美国邮政总局局长兼首席执行官大卫·斯坦纳（David Steiner）在发布仪式上表示，这款邮票不仅体现了美国邮政局作为历史悠久公共机构的使命，还借助邮票这一小小形式，展示美国多元文化的节庆传统和社会价值。邮票将很快出现在全球数百万用户的信件和包裹上。这是美国邮政局现行农历新年邮票系列中的最新一枚，也标志着这一以中华生肖文化为灵感的系列持续走入更多美国家庭与国际视野。
农历马年将于2026年2月17日正式到来。在中国传统文化中，马象征着奔波、力量、自由与进取，也常被视为吉祥与成功的象征。“马到成功”“一马当先”等祝福语，正是这种文化寓意的生动体现。
这枚邮票延续了美国邮政局近年来农历新年邮票系列的设计风格，没有采用写实动物形象，而是以一件立体纸艺马头面具作为画面主体。设计灵感来自农历新年庆典中常见的舞龙舞狮面具、剪纸艺术与节庆装饰。画面整体以红色为主色调，辅以紫色、蓝色与金色点缀，周围装饰着象征春意与祝福的纸花与金叶，既洋溢着节日的喜庆气氛，也展现出当代设计的审美表达。
美国邮政局表示，希望通过邮票这一日常而亲切的载体，将农历新年的文化意涵传递给更广泛的公众。邮票虽小，却承载着祝福、记忆与文化交流的意义，在信件往来中悄然讲述着不同文明的故事。
本次邮票由美国邮政局艺术指导安东尼奥·阿尔卡拉（Antonio Alcalá）设计，艺术作品由艺术家卡米耶·丘（Camille Chew）创作。该系列自2020年重启以来，陆续推出了鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇等生肖主题邮票，备受集邮爱好者追捧。邮票以20枚一板的形式作为永恒邮票（Forever Stamp）发行，在美国各地邮局及 USPS 官方网站均可购买。
值得一提的是，这枚马年邮票并非直接绘制完成，而是源自真实存在的立体纸艺作品。艺术团队先以传统手工方式制作出精致的纸质马头面具，通过剪、折、塑形等工艺赋予作品层次与动感，随后再由专业摄影师在精心布置的灯光环境下进行拍摄，将三维作品转化为适合邮票印刷的二维图像。这种结合手工工艺与现代摄影的创作方式，使邮票画面呈现出独特的质感与空间感，也成为近年来美国农历新年邮票系列的重要特色。
自该系列推出以来，美国邮政局已陆续发行多个生肖主题邮票，深受集邮爱好者和亚裔社区欢迎。许多民众在春节期间使用这些邮票寄送贺卡和祝福信件，让邮票成为跨文化交流中的一份温暖象征。
2026年马年邮票将以“永远邮票”（Forever Stamp）形式发行，可在全美各地邮局及美国邮政局官方网站购买。随着新年的脚步临近，这枚小小的邮票，也将随着信件和包裹，走进千家万户，传递对新一年的祝福与希望。
USPS Unveils Latest Lunar New Year Stamp
2026 is the Year of the Horse
(Feb. 3, 2026) HOUSTON — Today, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse stamp at the Chinese Community Center in Houston. The Year of the Horse begins Feb. 17, 2026, and ends Feb. 5, 2027.
“The Postal Service is one of the nation’s oldest public institutions and for 250 years it has carried out a simple yet powerful mission, to connect the American people via the U.S. Mail. This Lunar New Year stamp dedication shows our continued storied tradition of using stamps to spotlight the diverse events, ideals, and people that make our nation great,” said Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner, who also served as dedicating official for the stamp. “Starting today, this lovely illustration will be carried on letters and packages to millions of households and businesses throughout America and across the globe. As you use them, we hope that the ‘Year of the Horse’ brings each of you good health, great joy and boundless prosperity.”
Joining Steiner for the ceremony were Gary Poon, CEO of the Chinese Community Center; Kenneth Li, board chair of Houston’s Southwest Management District; and opera artist Lian Chen Walker.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Association Board of Directors President Luis M. Chen was the master of ceremonies.
In 2020, the Postal Service introduced its third — and current — Lunar New Year stamp series. The Year of the Horse is the seventh stamp in that series, which will continue through 2031 with stamps for the Year of the Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.
Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with original art by Camille Chew. Two previous Lunar New Year series ran from 1992 to 2004 and from 2008 to 2019 and showcased the art of Clarence Lee and Kam Mak, respectively.
“I love the current series!” Alcalá said. “Whenever I speak about the stamp program to students or other professional designers, this Lunar New Year series always gets positive feedback. One woman even got a tattoo of the Year of the Rat artwork on her leg — truly a ‘Forever’ stamp!”
The latest release features a colorful three-dimensional mask depicting the face of a horse. Calling to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon and lion dances often performed during Lunar New Year parades, artist Chew’s designs are a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk-art crafts created during this auspicious time of year.
Chew constructed the horse mask out of hand-printed paper, then cut, scored and folded it into shape. She then embellished the mask with acrylic paint and other paper elements, such as flowers and tassels, and covered the back in a layer of papier-mâché. The mask was photographed on a white background for this series.
“Overall,” Alcalá said, “the positive responses to the more contemporary look are numerous and encouraging.”
People born in the Year of the Horse are said to be energetic, free-spirited, confident and hardworking, as horses are symbols of speed, strength and endurance. These attributes resonate with many who seek success, stability and good fortune in the new year.
In the United States, the Year of the Horse is particularly popular because of its associations with independence and freedom — qualities that align with the American ethos. Many Asian Americans and non-Asians alike view the Year of the Horse as a time to embrace energy and drive, set new goals, and tackle challenges head-on.
The Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse stamp is being issued in panes of 20 and as a Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1‑ounce price. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags #LunarNewYearHorse and #LunarNewYearStamp.
The Postal Service printed 20 million stamps that are now on sale at Post Offices and on usps.com.
Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and stamp-inspired products can be found at stampsforever.com.
# # #
The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is celebrating its 250th year of service to customers amidst a network modernization plan aimed at restoring long-term financial sustainability, improving service, and maintaining the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
*******************
圣路易时报独立经营，专注优质新闻，不收订阅费用，持续输出不易！欢迎点赞、评论、转发支持，感谢您的鼓励，赞助请扫描:
