$ 0 0 Liechtenstein post issued a postage stamp of Chinese Signs of the Zodiac seeking to draw special attention to the friendly relations between the Principality of Liechtenstein and the People’s Republic of China. This stamp and the special postmark is displayed on this maximum card given to me by my friend Merja.The focus this year is on the sign of the Zodiac for the coming Chinese year: the “Year of the Horse”. 2014 is Year of the Horse and it began on January 31, 2014.Since the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949 China has officially used the Gregorian calendar adopted from the West (counting the years from the birth of Christ). This replaced the Chinese calendar which had been in place for 2000 years, but which nowadays remains in use only for calculating traditional holidays such as the “Dragon Boat Festival”, the “Moon Festival” and the “Double Nine Festival”.For followers of Chinese astrology it is also the calculation basis for identifying “favourable” days on which to hold feasts and celebrations. The traditional Chinese year always begins at the second new moon after the winter solstice, i.e. between21st January and 21st February.Moreover, in a fixed annual cycle each year is assigned one of the twelve signs of the zodiac with its associated character traits. The Year of the Horse begins on 31st January 2014 and lasts until 18th February 2015. People born in the Year of the Horse are generally very popular. They may be considered restless, but always radiate geniality.Horse people are active and energetic. They have plenty of sex-appeal and know how to dress. Horses love to be in the crowd, maybe that is why they can usually be seen in such occasions like concerts, theaters, meetings, sporting occasions, and of course, parties.The horse is very quick-witted and is right in there with you before you have had the chance to finish what you are saying: he’s on to the thought in your mind even before you’ve expressed it.In general, the Horse is gifted. But in truth they are really more cunning than intelligent – and they know that. That is probably why, most of the horse people lack confidence.They plan their lives on a long-term basis, are clever and have a lot of artistic talent. Since the horse also represents financial security, a relatively peaceful year is to be expected.The stamp appears as a silhouette produced by laser technology, an innovation being that the entire 4-stamp sheet has been cut out in the shape of a horse.