The Luna Festival (aka Chinese New Year) is marked as the most important date on the Chinese calendar. Festivities start worldwide with the new moon on the first day of the New Year and end with the full moon 15 days later with a Lantern Festival – the perfect time to say the words “awwww that’s pretty.”

The rat is the first of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac's twelve-year cycle and symbolises new beginnings.

In Chinese culture, it’s animal over age; meaning the animal sign you are born under is more important than the year, with many celebrating the year of animal they were born under opposed to their specific birthday.

The rat is the first of the Zodiac Animals and legend has it that the rat beat the other eleven animals in a race, not because it was any faster, but it was a cunning little creature. It should come as no surprise that the career best suited to rats is publicity or writing. That the rat can spin a yarn is a good thing in Savvy’s opinion given its looks and hygiene issues.

While in the western world the rat has a less-than-hygienic reputation, it should be noted in Chinese culture that it’s not seen as inauspicious to be born under the rat sign, or to eat them (but that’s another story altogether).

According to Lung Hei Cheng, a master of the ancient tradition, Feng Shui the characteristics of people born under the rat sign are ‘smart, magnetic, well-liked, affable, quick-witted, surreptitious, selfish, protective, and calculating’.

The Year of The Rat Symbolises New Beginnings

Think not of a small brown animal with a penchant for disease and your garbage bin, but of Ratatoui! The witty, charming rat that managed to blitz the US box office and make audiences enjoy watching a it cook food…

Romantically, rats are best suited to monkeys. This match makes dating fairly easy but should avoid relations with horses – for physical reasons.

Party Animal

The Chinese believe the way that you spend your New Years in is the way in which your year will pan out so, more than ever before it’s time to make sure nobody rats on your parade (sorry). Everywhere – from Sydney to Seoul, NY, to London - you can join the local festivities of Chinese New Year by Googling ‘Chinese New Year Celebrations + (insert a major city near you)’. However, Confucius Say: ‘The world loves a parade – but not reading about the same thing over and over and over again.” So, we narrowed it down to the top three parades in the world outside of China (…because choosing China would be cheating!).

Where? Sydney (starting at Park and George Streets)
When? February 10th, 11am to 1:30pm 

What? You can’t keep a good rat down and Sydney is no exception. This parade is like the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, only not. 2,500 performers, including 600 people and floats from China’s historic Shannxi Province and Local Chinese community, will take to the streets in The Rat Parade It’s big, it’s brash and full of men and women wearing more glitter than you can poke your stick at. Not that you’d be holding a stick on the street. That would be naughty.

Where? Canal Street South, New York
When? February 10th, 1-5pm
What? The animals come marching two, by two… hurrah, hurrah! 5,000 people (or animals if you get in the spirit of things) will march in the annual Chinese New Year Dragon Parade. Dogs, roosters, sheep, and horses will mix it up on floats with a big dragon that will shake its booty for the adoring crowd. Due to the Big Apple’s steaming potholes, expect more rats to turn up than in any other city.

Where? San Francisco (oh yeah, we’ve saved the best ‘til last.)
When? February 23rd
What? South West Airlines’ Chinese New Year Parade is not one to miss. How can you resist not only the largest Chinese New Year Parade outside of Asia (voted one of the top ten of the best parades in the world), but also the chance to see 100 people (100 people that are not you, that is) slaving away to carry the ‘Spectacular 201 Dragon Gum Lung’ for your parade viewing satisfaction? Plus it’s not everyday you can see the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. - now that’s a treat!

Do Expect: The streets to be littered with rats in every shape and size. Expect rat handbags, rat toys, wild rats, love rats, plus an abundance of gold and red symbols bringing prosperity to the rat and its friends (so if you’re not a rat, now’s the time to make nice with someone who is). Yet perhaps the most joyous symbol of togetherness is the opportunity to yell ‘You dirty, dirty rat’ at a piggish stranger who decides to stuff their face with noodles on packed public transport (and not getting your head kicked in because of it).

Don’t: Get carried away and buy a pet rat – your love life will regret it.

Famous Rats

William Shakespeare, Truman Capote, Cameron Diaz, and Prince William are all rats of the highest order, as is George Bush, who some would say lives up to the rat title. In the interests of journalistic integrity, we ought to point out that yes, the pendulum does indeed swing both ways – Al Gore is also a rat.

Chinese New Year In Your Lounge Room, Savvy Style

Can’t make the parade? Savvy says: celebrate Chinese New Year from the comfort of your own home! Here’s how:
1) Order some Chinese food. It will make your night feel authentic.
2) Invite a rat to join you. If you are single, they shouldn’t be hard to find.
3) Invite a redhead over to bring prosperity to your home.
4) Sweep your floor and dust old ‘energy’ out.
5) Dress up like a dragon and dance around your kitchen if you get bored.

Kung Hei Fat Choy from the Savvy Team!