Life

You can expect courage and wealth for a baby born on Chinese New Year 2020.
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Here's What It Means For Your Baby If You Give Birth On Lunar New Year

by Cat Bowen

Lunar New Year is an all-out celebration of new life, new chances, and the rebirth of possibility. Parents giving birth on Lunar New Year this year can expect their new little one to fall under the year of the rat, and potentially have some courageous personality traits.

First things first, Lunar New Year isn't the same as the regular new year, where the clock strikes midnight and *poof* it's a new year. No, Lunar New Year takes place over a period of 15 days for Chinese celebrants and three days for Vietnamese people (the holiday is called "Tet"), and it is dependent upon the lunar calendar to determine when the event occurs. Being born during this period is complicated. There is some seriously complicated numerology that goes into determining which birth times are lucky and which aren't, but according to the astrologists at Your Chinese Astrology, January is actually an auspicious time for the year of the Rat, so children born after January 25 and during all of next January, are looking at fortunate circumstances.

The dates of Lunar New Year are tricky and they change every year, which is why being born during the Lunar New Year has less weight than which month a baby is born and for which animal of the Zodiac they fall under, according to author Jonathan Dee. He noted that there is an idea of "The Imperial New Year" which happens on February 4, but that has more to do with quick calculations than anything else.

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When I married into my husband's large, Chinese family, I had no idea how important dates and signs were in his culture. There was a time when it was possible that my son would be born under the sign of the boar, on Valentine's Day in February of 2008, instead of his projected due date of March of that year. This was cause for much praying on the part of my grandmother-in-law. And by golly if the ancestors weren't listening, because that little dude quieted right down and was born a few weeks later, healthy, hale, and very much a rat.

Being born in the year of the rat, and especially in January, is foretold to be a sign of wealth and cunning. If your baby is born during Lunar New Year between January 25 and 31, The Chinese Zodiac wrote that your child may be courageous and undemanding. (Good luck with that, new parents.) They may have a deft hand at finances, and excellent decision making skills. They also might be a little sneaky, so that's something to be aware of.

But what does it mean to be born on Lunar New Year in other years? It truly depends upon the animal, and which months are considered lucky. Chinese astrology, like Western astrology, is highly dependent upon specific dates, so each one needs to be evaluated individually. I will tell you that it does mean that every year on your child's birthday, there will be awesome celebrations, fantastic fireworks, and enough noodles to satisfy any toddler. (Or mom.) It's pretty wonderful.