On January 8, 2009, in New York, NY, the USPS introduced the 2nd stamp in the CELEBRATING LUNAR NEW YEAR series with the "Year of the Ox" commemorative stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Mayland. Art Director Ethel Kessler and artist Kam Mak, decided to focus on some of the common ways the Lunar New Year Holiday is celebrated. To commemorate the Year of the Ox, which begins January 26, 2009, they chose a lion head of a type often worn at parades and other festivities. Kessler's design also incorporates elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps, using Clarence Lee's intricate paper-cut design of an ox and the Chinese character drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun for "Ox"
- Celebrating Lunar New Year series
- Chinese Lunar New Year