Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4706 begins on February 07, 2008 and the celebration continues through February 21st. Chinese months are calculated by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. In China, people often take weeks of leave from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year. It is celebrated as the symbol of Spring - after the Fall harvest and before the Spring planting season.



The Chinese Calendar & Year of the Rat
The Chinese calendar has a twelve year cycle and one of the most important characteristics of Chinese New Year calendar is that it names each of the twelve years after an animal. Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Tradition says that when Lord Buddha called for all the animals to come the cat told the rat the news and they decided that together they would travel on the next day. However, the next morning the rat did not wake up the cat, and therefore, the cat could not make it to the gathering on time. Only twelve came, and Buddha decided to name a year after each animal that showed up. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. The cat did not get a year. This is why there is no year of the cat and this is one of the reasons why cats hate rats.

The rat made it first to the assembly and received the first year. Though the rat did a lot of trickery to reach first to the congregation. After fooling the cat, the rat tricked the ox to let him ride on its head. The ox agreed and they went together. Just when they were about to reach to the assembly the clever rat jumped off the ox's head and got through the finish line first. This is why the year of the rat is the first year in the cycle and the year of the ox is the second.

The Rat has strong associations with material success such as wealth and other luxuries of life. It is their aggression, charm, hard work, discipline and passionate nature that gives an edge to their persona in comparison to others. There are good chances of Rats being wealthy and professionally successful in their lives. They are quick, energetic and mold themselves easily according to the situation, which makes them excellent problem solvers too. Unlike most of other zodiac signs, Rats believe in having a handful of friends, but they share a special bonding with all of them.

When it comes to competition, nobody can be as manipulative as they are. They are tactful and can go to great extents to win a battle. Yet they are honest and have an unprejudiced attitude. Inner conflicts tend to make them indulge in adventurous tasks to give an outlet for their emotions. If this kind of an outlet is not available, they might turn to self-destruction. Rats observe self-control and are considerate while dealing with others around them. Their active and energetic personalities can be accessed with the diversity of professions they can choose.

Rat Years:
1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 (Keep adding 12 years in the series)

Fireworks and Family Feasts
At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend drives away bad luck. The fireworks exhibited during the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, the Chinese lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival
In China, the New Year is the time for family reunion. Family members gather at relatives’ homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, so instead they found a sense of community through neighborhood associations. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the month. Many of the lanterns are quite elegant and artistic, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon, sometimes stretching 100 feet long, is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held high by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.