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Chinese New Year 2008
Thursday, 7 February 2008. It opened the Year of the Earth Rat, 戊子, which ran until 25 January 2009.
- New Year's Eve6 February 2008
- New Year's Day7 February 2008
- Lantern Festival21 February 2008
- Animal and elementEarth Rat 土鼠, Yang
- Year ends25 January 2009; the next new year is 26 January 2009
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 1948, the next is 2068.
The 2008 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2008 only.
| Day | Date in 2008 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 30 January 2008 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 6 February 2008, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 7 February 2008, Thursday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 8 February 2008 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 11 February 2008 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 21 February 2008, Thursday | 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 2008
2008 is an Earth Rat year, 戊子, the 25th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1948 and comes again in 2068; the previous Rat year was 1996, the next is 2020. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 霹雳火.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 7 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 2008?
Between 7 February 2008 and 25 January 2009 you are an Earth Rat.
Anyone born from 7 February 2008 to 25 January 2009 is an Earth Rat (戊子) and turns 18 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 2008, before the 7 February 2008 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 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.
- 200212 February 2002, Water Horse
- 20031 February 2003, Water Goat
- 200422 January 2004, Wood Monkey
- 20059 February 2005, Wood Rooster
- 200629 January 2006, Fire Dog
- 200718 February 2007, Fire Pig
- 200926 January 2009, Earth Ox
- 201014 February 2010, Metal Tiger
- 20113 February 2011, Metal Rabbit
- 201223 January 2012, Water Dragon
- 201310 February 2013, Water Snake
- 201431 January 2014, Wood Horse
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2008?
Thursday, 7 February 2008. New Year's Eve was 6 February 2008, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 21 February 2008.
What animal is 2008 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 7 February 2008 to 25 January 2009 it was the year of the Earth Rat (戊子). Before 7 February 2008, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 2008?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 2008 turns 18 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 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.