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2020 Year of the Rat 2020 Year of the Rat predictions 2020 Chinese Lantern Festival Traditional Chinese New Year foods

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy New Year!

The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac.

Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February.

On the Western calendar, the start of Chinese New Year this year falls on Saturday, January 25, 2020 — The Year of the Rat.

If you were born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, and 2020, you were born under the sign of the rat.

(To find out what sign you were born under, see the Chinese zodiac.)

What it means to be born in the Year of the Rat

People born in the Year of the Rat are one of the most industrious and hardest working in the zodiac.

Forever busy in pursuit of an ambitious personal goal, at times they may become difficult to work with since they are born perfectionists. Rats must ensure that every "i" is dotted before completing an assigned task. As a result, they are often successful financially, and are good providers for their family and those they cherish most dearly.

Loyal and loving, Rat people inspire loyalty in others who are close to them. They are essentially honest individuals and loath to betray a confidence. However, their quick wit and restlessness can sometimes lead to chattiness. And they can often be relied upon at large social gatherings for a good story or a juicy bit of gossip!

Famous people and historic figures born under the Sign of the Rat include Catherine I, Prince Charles, Sasha Baron Cohen, Eminem, Peter the Great, Mata Hari, Scarlett Johansson, Wolfgang Mozart, Plato, William Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, and George Washington

Celebrating Chinese New Year - it's a family affair

In Chinese culture, the new year is a time to begin again. It's little wonder why Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring festival with hope for better times ahead. Families are outfitted in new clothes, front doors are freshly painted, homes are scrubbed sparkling clean, and banners are hung to declare a very Happy New Year to all!

Of course, food -- and lots of it -- is the centerpiece of any Chinese New Year celebration, and entire books could be written on various Chinese New Year food traditions that have originated over the centuries. As an example, carp is a main dish because the fish represents strength and endurance. For desert, oranges and tangerines are often featured since their Chinese names sound like "gold" and "wealth".

The colors of the new year are red and gold, signs of good luck and prosperity. During family get-togethers, gifts are exchanged and red envelopes are filled with "lucky" money for children.

Like Christmas lights that help to dispel the dark days of winter, the traditional Chinese lantern festival also plays a prominent part within the new year tradition. Strewn through neighborhood streets and marketplaces. these bright symbols of hope mark the return of better days as winter finally retreats -- and spring moves forward!

Chinese New Year as public spectacle

And what would the celebration be without dancing dragons and fireworks to bring luck througout the year?

A dragon weaves through the streets of Paris during a Chinese New Year celebration.
The longer the dragon, the better chance for good luck throughout the year.

One of the most auspicious signs in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is a traditional symbol of good luck and prosperity among the Chinese. During the New Year, the beast is sure to make an appearance doing its snake-like dance via a team of street dancers -- who manipulate a long flexible dragon figure using poles positioned along its length. The longer the dragon, the more luck it will bring! Some dragons may stretch a 100 feet or more in length.

During the grand spectacle, firecrackers usually go off with a loud bang in order to ward off any chance of evil spirits getting in the way of all the fun!

Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year fun facts

• While days leading up to the holiday are spent in a mad dash to clean every part of the house, it's considered bad luck on New Year's Day to touch a broom, take out the garbage, or take a shower for fear of washing away good fortune for the New Year.

• Dumplings were once considered a mainstay of every meal during the New Year celebration. Today, most Chinese households uphold the old tradition by making sure that dumplings are served on New Year's Day.

• Chinese New Year is by far the busiest season of the entire year for public transport, That's when family members travel long distances to be together for their most important holiday. Travelers must book airline and train tickets months in advance to ensure a seat. And, while everyone is welcome to join in, it is the very intrepid foreigner who will dare visit Chinese friends during the New Year!

• As luck would have it, you don't actually have to be in China to participate in a Chinese New Year celebration. The holiday is colorfully observed in cities with large Chinatown communities around the world each year -- including San Francisco, New York, London and Sydney -- each of them boasting the biggest and best!

More about Chinese New Year around the Web:

Around the Web, learn more about Chinese New Year celebrations in the U.S. and worldwide, browse festive clip art and e-mail greetings, or read up on holiday customs and folklore.

Chinese New Year - Wikipedia - Check out a wonderful overview of the history, symbols, customs & foods surrounding the 15-day festivities including information on traditional gifts, flowers, fireworks, good luck / bad luck superstitions, how Chinese New Year is celebrated around the world, plus lots of related links and resources.

Teacher Planet - Chinese New Year - This is a great collection of fun activities and instructional how to's including dragon crafts, paper lanterns & garlands, scavenger hunt sheets, related lesson plans, plus links to clip art & history resources.

Chinese New Year Greetings, E-Cards - A collection of animated and Flash greetings, Spring Festival, and Happy New Year cards.

Chinese New Year Clip Art - Check out kid-friendly images of zodiac signs, dragon parades and more.

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Chinese New Year Recipes

The traditional New Year dinner for the imperial house was composed of 99 dishes since the number 9 is an auspicious number! Fish are a good luck food, but take care to serve the fish whole to preserve the good fortune.