2008 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Rat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rat 鼠
Element
Yang Earth
Stem-branch
戊子 Wu-Zi
Zodiac year
Feb 7, 2008 to Jan 25, 2009
The 2008 Year of the Yang Earth Rat (戊子) began on Thursday, February 7, 2008, and lasted until January 25, 2009. Births from January 1 to February 6, 2008, the first 37 days of 2008, belonged to the Fire Pig year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains no Start of Spring term at all, which folk custom calls a "blind year".
Which animal for a 2008 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 19:00 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 2008, before 19:00 | Fire Pig | Fire Pig |
| Feb 4, 2008, from 19:00, to Feb 6 | Fire Pig | Earth Rat |
| Feb 7 to Dec 31, 2008 | Earth Rat | Earth Rat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2008 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Pig (2007)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Pig (2007)
Chinese New Year 2008: 2008-02-07. Lichun 2008: 2008-02-04 19:00 Beijing time. The New Year rule compares your birth date with the New Year date; the Lichun rule compares the exact moment, converted from your local time.
Lichun 2008 in other time zones
The same moment in local time. Under the Lichun rule, a birth at or after this local time takes the new animal.
Lichun 2008 was 19:00 Beijing time on February 4, 2008. In New York that was 06:00 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2008 | 19:00 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2008 | 19:00 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2008 | 19:00 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2008 | 19:00 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2008 | 20:00 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2008 | 20:00 |
| London | Feb 4, 2008 | 11:00 |
| New York | Feb 4, 2008 | 06:00 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 2008 | 03:00 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2008 | 22:00 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2008, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2008 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 7, 2008 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 21, 2008 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2008 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 8, 2008 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 7, 2008 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 15, 2008 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 14, 2008 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 7, 2008 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 2008 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 3, 2009 |
The Rat and 戊子 in the calendar
The Rat is the Earthly Branch 子 (Zi); it also marks the double hour from 11 pm to 1 am, the direction North and the fixed element Water. 2008's own element, Earth, comes from the Heavenly Stem 戊. All Years of the Rat.
戊子 is the 25th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1948 and 2068 (see the Year of the Rat table).
Lunar months of the 2008 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 7, 2008 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 8, 2008 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 6, 2008 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 5, 2008 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 4, 2008 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 3, 2008 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 1, 2008 | 30 |
| 8th month | Aug 31, 2008 | 29 |
| 9th month | Sep 29, 2008 | 30 |
| 10th month | Oct 29, 2008 | 30 |
| 11th month | Nov 28, 2008 | 29 |
| 12th month | Dec 27, 2008 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2008
Beijing time. The 12 terms marked with a month begin the solar months that the Four Pillars use; Lichun opens the year. What each term means.
| Solar term | Date | Time | Four Pillars month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold 小寒 Xiaohan | Jan 6 | 07:24 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 00:43 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 19:00 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 14:49 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 12:58 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 13:48 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 17:45 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 00:51 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 11:03 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 00:00 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 15:11 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 07:59 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 01:26 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 18:54 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 11:16 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 02:02 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 14:14 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 22 | 23:44 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 05:56 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 09:08 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 09:10 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 06:44 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 02:02 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 20:03 |
Dates are checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; times are calculated. A dash means the term falls within minutes of midnight, where the calculated time and the Observatory's date disagree; the Observatory's date is shown.
FAQ
What Chinese zodiac sign is someone born in January or February 2008?
The Year of the Rat began on February 7, 2008. Anyone born from January 1 to February 6, 2008 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Pig (丁亥); anyone born on or after February 7, 2008 is an Earth Rat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rat year began at 19:00 China Standard Time on February 4, 2008 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2008 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Sunday, September 14, 2008. The next one, on October 3, 2009, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2008 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2008 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2008 in the Chinese zodiac?
2008 is a Yang Earth year: its Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu) carries Earth, and its Earthly Branch 子 (Zi) is the Rat. Together they make 戊子, the 25th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2008?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 2008 at 19:00. Births from then until February 6, 2008 are a Fire Pig under the popular New Year rule but an Earth Rat under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule.
Nearby years
Dates are calculated with astronomical algorithms in China Standard Time (UTC+8) and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table. Zodiac information describes the traditional calendar and is not a prediction.