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Chinese New Year 1948
Tuesday, 10 February 1948. It opened the Year of the Earth Rat, 戊子, which ran until 28 January 1949.
- New Year's Eve9 February 1948
- New Year's Day10 February 1948
- Lantern Festival24 February 1948
- Animal and elementEarth Rat 土鼠, Yang
- Year ends28 January 1949; the next new year is 29 January 1949
What the Rat year carries
The Rat
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
In the race that fixed the order of the zodiac, the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and leapt ahead at the bank to finish first.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 戊子, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Rat year was 1888, the next is 2008.
The 1948 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1948 only.
| Day | Date in 1948 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 2 February 1948 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 9 February 1948, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 10 February 1948, Tuesday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 11 February 1948 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 14 February 1948 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 24 February 1948, Tuesday | First full moon: lanterns, riddles, sweet rice balls. The season closes. |
In mainland China the public holiday usually runs from the eve for seven or eight days; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia each keep their own, shorter, holiday. How the days are kept, in more detail: the traditions.
What is particular to 1948
1948 is an Earth Rat year, 戊子, the 25th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1888 and comes again in 2008; the previous Rat year was 1936, the next is 1960. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 霹雳火.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 10 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1948?
Between 10 February 1948 and 28 January 1949 you are an Earth Rat.
Anyone born from 10 February 1948 to 28 January 1949 is an Earth Rat (戊子) and turns 78 in 2026. Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1948, before the 10 February 1948 new year? Then the previous animal, the Pig, is yours: the zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January. The zodiac calculator settles it from the exact date.
Your zodiac years (本命年, when the Rat comes round again) are 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044, 2056; the next one is 2032. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rat best are the Dragon, the Monkey and the Ox: the compatibility table has every pair.
Chinese New Year in other years
The second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February. Every year from 1924 to 2050.
- 194215 February 1942, Water Horse
- 19435 February 1943, Water Goat
- 194425 January 1944, Wood Monkey
- 194513 February 1945, Wood Rooster
- 19462 February 1946, Fire Dog
- 194722 January 1947, Fire Pig
- 194929 January 1949, Earth Ox
- 195017 February 1950, Metal Tiger
- 19516 February 1951, Metal Rabbit
- 195227 January 1952, Water Dragon
- 195314 February 1953, Water Snake
- 19543 February 1954, Wood Horse
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1948?
Tuesday, 10 February 1948. New Year's Eve was 9 February 1948, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 24 February 1948.
What animal is 1948 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 10 February 1948 to 28 January 1949 it was the year of the Earth Rat (戊子). Before 10 February 1948, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 1948?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 1948 turns 78 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044.
Why does the date change every year?
The festival falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February on the Western calendar.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
Fifteen days, from New Year's Day to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Most people have a week of public holiday in mainland China.
Born in a Rat year?
Your animal depends on the exact date, not the calendar year.
Find your animal
Enter your birthday and we count it by the lunar calendar: the animal, its element, your lunar birth date and your next zodiac year.
Chinese zodiac calculatorWant the Rat in ink on your wall? The zodiac poster sets the animal above your name and lunar birthday. Giving a Chinese name this new year? Three real names, free.