The Year Of The Rat is the beginning of a repetitive 12-year cycle of domestic animals that appear in the Chinese horoscope, forming part of the Chinese astrology system. The year of the rat in traditional Chinese is; the year is associated with the original branch of the Earthly Branch symbolic of course, the rat. The Year of the Rat also has the name of Spring in some astrological systems. The symbol of the rat used to form the sign of your year of birth also forms another important feature of this cycle.

 

The Rat symbolizes the first year of a cycle when domestic animals are new and emerge from their hibernation homes to start their reign as king or queen of their own domain. The Year of the Rat also represents the first day of spring after the long night of winter, the commencement of a new cycle. It is significant that every Chinese citizen must learn about the nature and character of this important symbolic animal and how to best honor it. This lesson is even more important for the citizens of Shanghai, where the Rat has become a widely-recognized symbol. Shanghai residents are required to have a Rat card in their birth certificates and a Rat name on their business cards, estate deeds and even their marriages and divorces papers.

 

The rat element rules the entire cycle of creation, including the transformation of material things into the elements of creation (like wood into iron, stone into metal, mud into clay and water into crystal). The Chinese believe that the earth is a living being and that all living beings, including humans, have come into being via the process of creation through the interplay of death and life. As humans die they drop into their resting place called the womb. There a small amount of time known as "midnight hours" until they awake into another world called "new Earth". The "nighttime hours" exist for all creatures but the Rat is said to be the only creature which continually dies and returns to the earths' underworld at "the hour of death". Accordingly, they are thus assigned the "Midnight Hour" or "midnight" as their traditional Chinese name.

Rat Ofributes in Chinese Astrology

 

The Rat is also associated with death in another ancient cosmological myth. The story goes that as the sun set the ancient Chinese realized that there would be no place for the new sun to rise once again. In order to prevent this from happening the Chinese made a bargain with the monkey that if they were left alive, the next midnight the new day would not fall until the Rat was born. Accordingly, the Rat was named "the Rat Who Stands at Midnight".

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A curious aspect of Chinese astrology is that it relates the Chinese Zodiac Sign to the characteristics of the Rat. To this day, Rat traits are frequently incorporated into Chinese astrological charts. This is not a unique practice. Throughout the years, Westerners have adopted Rat as one of their most popularodiac signs due to its association with evil, deceit and greediness.

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A common trait associated with Rat is that it always returns to the same position in the skies each year. For example, in late January or early February the Rat will move to the beginning of anew year. The reason for this is that the Chinese believe that the earth is "round" and that it has to be in a circular orbit around the earth. Because the Sun sets each day, the rising and setting times for the Rat match up perfectly, which enables him to return to the same spot in the sky each year.

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The Rat has several animal friends. One of his primary allies is the ox which gives the Rat the power of movement, attack and supremacy over all other animals. The ox symbolizes the forces of nature and the courage that the Rat must possess in order to triumph over the forces of evil throughout the year. Other animals that Rat has an affinity for are the dragon, the horse and the monkey. These three animals make up the core of the Rat pack, which is also the basis of Rat's evil plan of conquest.

 

The Water Rat can be seen in Chinese astrology as being in the sign of Taurus, which falls between March and April and represents the water element. The Rat in Chinese astrology is a symbol of strength and vitality and can often be found in colorful clothes and carrying on a determined but somewhat laid back persona. A water rat can also be seen as being somewhat sentimental, which explains why the Rat tributes in a Chinese poem from the 1920s is a symbol for the resilience of people. The Water Rat is represented by the Ox, which is in Leo, which is in the sign of Sagittarius and represents energy, independence and originality.

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