UN refuses to change 'Chinese Lunar Calendar' to more inclusive term on stamp sheet

[ltlee1]

"This decision comes after the special-event stamp sheet issued by the
United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in January faced scrutiny in
Korea for using the term “Chinese New Year” instead of “Lunar New Year,”
a more inclusive name that acknowledges the various Asian countries,
including Korea, that observe the holiday.

"After our discussion and preliminary research, we think we should keep
the title ‘Chinese Lunar Calendar,'” an official at UNPA told The Korea
Times earlier this week, in response to an email inquiry about whether
there were plans to change the term in the future.

“This is because there are many different types of lunar calendars used
around the world and they are very different from those used in China,
Korea, Vietnam and overseas Chinese communities like the Islamic Hijri
calendar, Javanese calendar and Thai calendar. These lunar calendars do
not recognize the zodiac animals like the ones used by the Chinese,
Korean and Vietnam,” the official explained.

The official also noted, "Even the Korean and Vietnamese calendars,
which are derived or influenced by the calendars, do not recognize or
use the same zodiac animals as the Chinese."

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2025/02/113_391362.html

[A. Filip]

Post by ltlee1
"This decision comes after the special-event stamp sheet issued by the
United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in January faced scrutiny in
Korea for using the term “Chinese New Year” instead of “Lunar New Year,”
a more inclusive name that acknowledges the various Asian countries,
including Korea, that observe the holiday.

[…]

Post by ltlee1
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2025/02/113_391362.html

Is UN-PA position binning even for other sub-UN organizations?
I doubt+ so. Do they plan to *repeat* such wording on next year stamps?

Have you inspected "wording" at UNPA web site?
"Chinese Lunar Calendar" appears ONLY on the stamp itself.
https://www.un.org/en/delegate/un-stamps-celebrate-year-snake

IMHO on long run it may pay "not oppose too much" some middle ground
name - Chinese but not quite Chinese. The position may "drift" easily
without _officially_ expressed position.

What is *YOUR* position?

[ltlee1]

Have no idea on why the UN wanted to issue Chinese New Year stamp.
Concerning "Lunar Calendars", they are kind of different. Just like
different Asian countries are different.

If one is interested in Chinese calendar, the following is from
Wikipedia:

"The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a
lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social
and agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the
Gregorian calendar for official purposes, the traditional calendar
remains culturally significant. It determines the timing of Chinese New
Year with traditions like the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac still
widely observed. "

More important, as a cultural feature, the Chinese calendar is closely
related to the development of astronomy in China. It changed with
improvement in astronomy. The Qing version, developed by Ming officials,
had assimilated Western astronomical knowledge obtained from the Jesuits
as a refinement.