Everything you want to know about the Year of the Rat!

Are you familiar with the Chinese New Year? The Chinese New Year does not start on January 1st, like the new year in the Western world. In this blog, we explain why that is and why each year is associated with an animal. We also tell you more about this year’s animal: the Rat.

The Chinese Calendar

The Chinese calendar works a bit differently than the Western calendar. The Western calendar consists of 12 months, each with 30 or 31 days, with February as an exception. The Chinese calendar follows the cycle of the moon. As a result, the year starts and ends on a different day each year.

Each year is represented by an animal from the Chinese zodiac, a constellation. There are 12 different animals, so every 12 years an animal corresponds to a year. 2020 is the year of the Rat.

Chinese New Year and the Chinese Zodiac

In China, celebrating the new year is also a big festival. There is a festive atmosphere and various celebrations to usher in the year. This year we celebrate the year of the Rat, which began on January 25th.

The rat is the first animal in the Chinese zodiac. According to legend, the order of the Chinese zodiac comes from the Jade Emperor, the supreme god of Taoism. He decided that the order of arrival of the different animals at his feast would determine the order in the zodiac. The Rat convinced the Ox to give him a ride. When they arrived together at the finish line, the Rat jumped off the Ox and landed ahead of him over the finish line. The Rat won first place and the Ox came second in the zodiac.

These 12 animals appear in the Chinese zodiac:

• Rat
• Ox
• Tiger
• Rabbit
• Dragon
• Snake
• Horse
• Goat/Sheep
• Monkey
• Rooster
• Dog
• Pig

The Year of the Rat

The year of the Rat is from January 25, 2020, to February 11, 2021. The Rat is sometimes seen as the least cute animal, but because of its first place in the zodiac, it is also seen as an ingenious leader. Rats are smart and quick thinkers. Successful but content with a quiet and peaceful life. People born in the year of the Rat are optimistic, full of energy, and quickly liked. They are stubborn but sensitive to the emotions of others. Although people born in the year of the Rat have a friendly personality, they can be perceived as blunt and rude due to poor communication skills.

Besides the 12 animals, the Chinese calendar also takes into account 5 elements:

• Wood
• Fire
• Earth
• Metal
• Water

This year of the Rat is symbolized by metal: sensitive with strong self-awareness, persuasive, and always a compliment to brighten your day.

If you were born in one of these years, you were also born in the year of the Rat:

• 1924
• 1936
• 1948
• 1960
• 1972
• 1984
• 1996
• 2008

Did you know that John F. Kennedy, William Shakespeare, Diego Maradona, Eminem, and Katy Perry were also born in the year of the Rat?

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