Why The Year Of The Rat Is Your Time For A New Beginning. The Chinese zodiac sign of the rat represents wealth and abundance, primarily due to rats' amazing ability to multiply their offspring. January 25 was the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat.
Associated with the hour before and after midnight, the rat typically represents new beginnings. They are powerful symbols of fertility, wealth and plenty, so people born in the Year of the Rat are considered to be optimistic, easy-going and kind, if a bit too direct.
2020 is the Year of the Rat, inaugurating a new 12-year cycle in the Chinese zodiac, beginning on Saturday, January 25—the Lunar New Year.
Korean Lunar New Year, or ?? (Seollal) is the Korean version of Chinese New Year. South Koreans* celebrate Lunar New Year for three days: the actual day of Lunar New Year, which falls on the day of the second new moon after winter solstice, the day before and the day after.
The two largest non-Chinese countries that celebrate Lunar New Year are Vietnam and Korea.
Korean Lunar New Year, or ?? (Seollal) is the Korean version of Chinese New Year. It is celebrated at the same time as Chinese New Year (except for a rare case every several years where they fall a day apart) and, as the name indicates, is dependent on the lunar calendar.
In Japan, lunar new year is referred to as ??? or old new year rather than Chinese in nature. So even when lunar new year was celebrated in Japan, it is not implicitly Chinese in anyway. Even though it is celebrated on the same day as ??? it is NOT the same thing.
Not only do the New Year celebrations not match up this year, they never will: Chinese custom dictates that the winter solstice falls in the 11th month, so the lunar new year begins on the second new moon after that, falling between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. But the calendar mismatch goes deeper than that.
Years of the rat are cyclically differentiated by correlation to the Heavenly Stems cycle, resulting in a repeating cycle of five years of the rat (over a sixty-year period), each rat year also being associated with one of the Chinese wu xing, also known as the "five elements", or "phases": the "Five Phases" being Fire
Chinese New Year Taboos and Superstitions: 16 Things You Should Not Do
- Avoid taking medicine.
- Don't sweep or take out garbage.
- Don't eat porridge and meat for breakfast.
- Don't wash clothes and hair.
- Needlework should not be done.
- A married daughter is not allowed to visit the house of her parents.
Clean post-New Year
If you've had a big New Year's Eve party, make sure you clean up and throw out the trash BEFORE midnight. Otherwise you're going to have to wait till the second day of the new lunar year. Cleaning of any kind on the first day is strictly forbidden. Don't even wash the dishes.Nian is afraid of the color red and fireworks, so these both abound during Chinese New Year celebrations. Observers might also visit a family shrine or set one up in their home; display couplets and decor; attend a Lion Dance; eat symbolic, lucky foods; and give or receive red envelopes of “lucky money.”
In Mandarin, “Happy Chinese New Year” is “xin nian kuai le” (pronounced shin nee-an kwai le), which is a formal greeting typically used for strangers and means “New Year happiness.” A shortened version is “xin nian hao” (pronounced shin nee-an how) is more often used for friends and family.
Losar (Tibetan: ???????, Wylie: lo-gsar; "new year") is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. The holiday is celebrated on various dates depending on location (Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan) tradition. In 2020, the new year commenced on the 24th of February and celebrations ran until the 26th of the same month.
From head to toe, all clothes and accessories worn on New Year's Day should be brand-new. Some families still wear traditional Chinese clothing like qipao, but many families now wear regular, Western-style clothing like dresses, skirts, pants, and shirts on Chinese New Year's Day. Many opt to wear lucky red underwear.
Don't borrow money during Chinese New Year.
The main Chinese New Year activities include 1) putting up decorations, 2) eating reunion dinner with family on New Year's Eve, 3) firecrackers and fireworks, and 4) giving red envelopes and other gifts.
Many people also choose not to attend joyous occasions such as a new birth celebration while they are in mourning. Staying away from customary celebrations of the Chinese New Year within a year of experiencing a death in the family is usually observed too.
The Chinese tradition of celebrating the New Year began more than 4,000 years ago, and has evolved into a holiday that includes a combination of rituals from Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. Also known as Spring Festival, it is celebrated by Chinese communities throughout the world at the end of winter.
Chinese New Year decorations are usually taken down after the first 15 days of the Year. Good wishes. Some decorations include “fai chun” (words of wellness); and I simply leave them there.
2020: The year of the Metal Rat
The Rat is the Chinese zodiac sign known for being inquisitive, shrewd, and resourceful. The Rat is also the first in the rotation of the 12 zodiac signs, meaning that a Rat year is a year of renewal.Make the gift generous, between $50 and $100, and expect to receive a red envelope in return, symbolizing your parents' blessings for you. The days following New Year's Day are a procession of visits to the homes of family and friends to wish them good luck in the year ahead.
The Chinese New Year, the Lunar New Year, and the Spring Festival are all related to one another, but they are not the same thing.” The Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese lunar calendar, as explained on History.com. Basically, the Chinese New Year marks the start of a new lunar year.
Filipino-Chinese communities in the Philippines celebrate Chinese New Year every year in hope of attracting prosperity, closer family ties and peace. People also participate in parades and dragon dances that are organized in China Towns in different cities in the Philippines.
In 2020, the date for the Chinese New Wear in Thailand is on Saturday, 25th January. The day of the Chinese new year varies each year depending on the Chinese Lunar calendar. It generally falls in the month of January or February. In 2020, the date for the new year is 5th February.
Traditionally, the house is swept, cleaned, and decorated for optimal feng shui. The deep cleaning that is done before Chinese New Year is usually the most thorough of the entire year, so clean out those old drawers, throw out dead plants, and tidy up all that clutter to make room for better things to come.
Generally, parents and grandparents receive $100-$300, children receive $20, friends and relatives receive $10-$30 and employees are given a red envelope on the last working day before New Year of $20-$200 as a small holiday bonus.
Chinese New Year Calendar (1930 - 2030)
| Years | New Year Dates | Animal Signs |
|---|
| 2020 | Jan. 25, 2020 (Saturday) | Rat |
| 2021 | Feb. 12, 2021 (Friday) | Ox |
| 2022 | Feb. 1, 2022 (Tuesday) | Tiger |
| 2023 | Jan. 22, 2023 (Sunday) | Rabbit |
Bottom line: The Lunar New Year corresponds with the new moon, which falls on January 24, 2020 at 21:42 UTC; translate to your time. New moon is January 25 in Asia (January 24 in the west). Each Lunar New Year is associated with one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2020, it's the Year of the Rat.
