Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, known popularly as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival (simplified Chinese: 春节; traditional Chinese: 春節; pinyin: Chūn Jié). For a number of years, my adopted home of Thailand issued Zodiac stamps usually on January 1 and then a Chinese New Year set (often depicting various deities) a few weeks later. Last year, there was no Chinese New Year stamp and that has been repeated this year as well. Many nations have released Year of the Dog stamps, most with a distinctive Chinese slant, and a few have released issues more focused on the Spring Festival itself. If you are a dog lover, there are some very attractive topical stamps issued so far in 2018. To read more about the background of Chinese New Year, please have a look at my article on A Stamp A Day.
BHUTAN: Year of the Dog, released January 20, 2018

CANADA: Chinese New Year, released January 15, 2018
![2018-01-15 [Canada] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-15-canada-chinese-new-year-souvenir-sheet-international-rate.jpg)
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: Year of the Dog, released January 5, 2018
![2018-01-15 [Canada] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-05-china-chinese-new-year-2.jpg)
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: Spring Festival, released January 10, 2018
![2018-01-15 [Canada] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-10-china-spring-festival.jpg)
CHRISTMAS ISLAND: Year of the Dog, released January 8, 2018
![2018-01-08 [Christmas Island] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-08-christmas-island-chinese-new-year-miniature-sheet.jpg)
FRANCE: Happy New Year, released February 2, 2018
![2018-01-08 [Christmas Island] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-02-02-chinese-new-year-sheet-france.jpg)
FRENCH POLYNESIA: Year of the Dog, released February 16, 2018
![2018-02-16 Chinese New Year [French Polynesia]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-02-16-chinese-new-year-french-polynesia.jpg)
GIBRALTAR: Year of the Dog, released January 30, 2018

GUERNSEY: Year of the Dog, released February 3, 2018
![2018-01-30 [Gibraltar] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-02-03-guernsey-chinese-new-year-miniature-sheet.jpg)
HONG KONG S.A.R., CHINA: Year of the Dog, released January 27, 2018
![2018-01-30 [Gibraltar] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-27-hong-kong-chinese-new-year-mini-sheet-2-printed-on-silk.jpg)
INDONESIA: Chinese New Year, released February 1, 2018
![2018-02-01 Chinese New Year [Indonesia]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-02-01-chinese-new-year-year-of-the-dog.jpg)
ISLE OF MAN: Year of the Dog, released February 8, 2018
![2018-02-01 Chinese New Year [Indonesia]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-02-08-isle-of-man-chinese-new-year-2.jpg)
JERSEY: Year of the Dog, released January 5, 2018

KAZAKHSTAN: Chinese New Year, released January 1, 2018
![2018-01-01 [Kazakhstan] Chinese New Year miniature sheet](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-01-kazakhstan-chinese-new-year-miniature-sheet.jpg)
KYRGYZSTAN: Chinese New Year, released January 30, 2018

MACAU, CHINA: Year of the Dog, released January 5, 2018

MALAYSIA: Working Dogs, released January 13, 2018

MONGOLIA: Year of the Dog, released January 5, 2018
![2018-01-05 [Mongolia] Chinese New Year](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-05-mongolia-chinese-new-year.jpg)
THE NETHERLANDS: Year of the Dog, released January 29, 2018

NEW CALEDONIA: Year of the Dog, released February 16, 2016
![2018-02-16 Chinese New Year [New Caledonia]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-02-16-chinese-new-year-new-caledonia.jpg)
NEW ZEALAND: Year of the Dog, released January 10, 2018

SINGAPORE: Year of the Dog (personalized stamps), released January 5, 2018
![2018-01-05 [Singapore] Chinese New Year [peronalized stamps]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-05-singapore-chinese-new-year-peronalized-stamps.jpg)
SLOVENIA: Year of the Dog, released January 26, 2018
![2018-01-26 Chinese New Year [Slovenia]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-26-chinese-new-year-slovenia.jpg)
TAJIKISTAN: Year of the Dog, released January 26, 2018
![2018-01-26 Chinese New Year [Slovenia]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-26-tajikistan-chinese-new-year.jpg)
![2018-01-01 Year of the Dog [TH-1141]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-01-year-of-the-dog-th-1141.jpg)
UNITED NATIONS: Chinese New Year personalized sheet, released February 2, 2018
![2018-01-01 Year of the Dog [TH-1141]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-02-02-chinese-new-year-personalized-sheet-united-nations.jpg)
UNITED STATES: Zodiac Year of the Dog, released January 11, 2018
![2018-01-11 [United States] Year of the Dog [Honolulu, HI]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2018-01-11-united-states-year-of-the-dog-honolulu-hi.jpg)
WALLIS & FUTUNA ISLANDS: Year of the Dog, released February 16, 2018
![2016-02-16 Chinese New Year [Wallis & Futuna]](https://philatelicpursuits.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/2016-02-16-chinese-new-year-wallis-futuna.jpg)