Year of the Golden Rat

In many parts of the world rats are met with revulsion. Western associations are generally negative, and the animals are seen as vicious, unclean, parasitic and the carriers of unspeakable diseases. Calling someone a rat is a grave insult and signifies an unscrupulous character, while describing the appearance of a person as rat-like implies a high degree of unattractiveness. However, as the first of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the Rat is seen as resourceful and smart but lacking courage. Rats have rich imaginations and are sharp observers that can take advantage of various opportunities. The reason they are considered quick-witted is found in the Chinese zodiac story. When the Jade Emperor held a race to decide the order of the zodiac, the Rat asked the diligent ox to carry it across the river. Once safely on the other side, the Rat quickly jumped down and raced to cross the finish line before the ox.

Chiayu Hsu: 12 Signs – No. 1. Rat

Chinese Zodiac

In Chinese culture, rats are seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. And because of their explosive reproduction rate, married couples sometimes pray to them for children. If you are born under the sign of the Rat, you are intelligent and a quick thinker, yet generally content with living a quiet and peaceful life. Full of optimism and energy, people born in the year of the Rat are well liked. They are sensitive to the emotions of others, but always stubborn with their opinions. Their personality is kind, yet they have poor communication skills and their words can come across as rude and impolite. In financial matters, people born in a Rat year are generally wealthy and prosperous as they like hoarding and saving. However, as avid collectors they will often waste money on unnecessary things. And people born in the golden Rat year of 2020 are reliable and live a steady and stable life. Most importantly, however, they are able to turn unlucky events into fortune.

Chinese Zodiac – Rat

Of course, there are subtle differences between men and woman born in the year of the Rat. Men are clever and able to quickly adapt to new environments, while women love keeping things organized and place great value on the family. Men are creative in taking advantage of opportunities, but they sometimes lack the courage for leadership positions. Women take care of everything at home, and they carry a great sense of responsibility and ability. Full of independence and imagination, people born under the Rat zodiac are suitable for creative jobs, including authors, editors and artists. Able to pay attention to the finest details, they are a great fit for engineering and architecture careers. Regrettably, however, they lack courage, which makes them unsuitable as police officers, or any other leadership or political positions. They are known to make sound financial decisions, but they should never invest with a close friend, as it will cause money problems and also affect the friendship.

Ronald Stevenson: Chinese Folk-Song Suite – II. A Song for New Year’s Day (Andante)

Rats generally have frail health and catch colds often. They are sensitive to changes in temperature, but despite a seemingly weak constitution, they can perform hard physical labor and they do enjoy longevity. As with most other signs of the zodiac, smoking and drinking habits should be tightly controlled, and they must eat regular meals, and engage in moderate exercise and remain cheerful. And of course, you want to know all about love. Rats are highly compatible with Ox, Dragon, and Monkey. But you need to be aware that you are least compatible with Horse, Goat and Rabbit as the earthly branches clash strongly. Your lucky colors are blue, gold and green, and if you are looking for some lucky number, you should bet on the numbers 2 and 3. Stay away from yellow and brown, and the numbers 5 and 9 will bring you no luck at all. If you are born under the sign of the Rat, 2020 will perform reasonably well. You will have success in your career, but struggle with your health and with relationships. On the bright side your finances will be booming and your income might even double. Your lucky months are March, September, and November, but better keep your head down in April, July, and October. In the event, we sincerely wish you a healthy and prosperous Gong Hei Fat Choy!