2020 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Rat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rat 鼠
Element
Yang Metal
Stem-branch
庚子 Geng-Zi
Zodiac year
Jan 25, 2020 to Feb 11, 2021
The 2020 Year of the Yang Metal Rat (庚子) began on Saturday, January 25, 2020, and lasted until February 11, 2021. Births from January 1 to January 24, 2020, the first 24 days of 2020, belonged to the Earth Pig year. The lunar year has a leap 4th month, starting May 23, 2020, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 2020 and Feb 3, 2021), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 2020 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 17:03 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 24, 2020 | Earth Pig | Earth Pig |
| Jan 25 to Feb 4, 2020, before 17:03 | Metal Rat | Earth Pig |
| Feb 4, 2020, from 17:03, to Dec 31 | Metal Rat | Metal Rat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2020 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Metal Rat (2020)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Earth Pig (2019)
Chinese New Year 2020: 2020-01-25. Lichun 2020: 2020-02-04 17:03 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 2020 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 2020 was 17:03 Beijing time on February 4, 2020. In New York that was 04:03 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2020 | 17:03 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2020 | 17:03 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2020 | 17:03 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2020 | 17:03 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2020 | 18:03 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2020 | 18:03 |
| London | Feb 4, 2020 | 09:03 |
| New York | Feb 4, 2020 | 04:03 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 2020 | 01:03 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2020 | 20:03 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2020, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2020 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 25, 2020 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 8, 2020 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2020 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 25, 2020 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 25, 2020 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Sep 2, 2020 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Oct 1, 2020 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 25, 2020 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 2020 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 20, 2021 |
The Rat and 庚子 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. 2020's own element, Metal, comes from the Heavenly Stem 庚. All Years of the Rat.
庚子 is the 37th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1900 (see the Year of the Rat table), 1960 and 2080 (see the Year of the Rat table).
Lunar months of the 2020 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 4th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 25, 2020 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Feb 23, 2020 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Mar 24, 2020 | 30 |
| 4th month | Apr 23, 2020 | 30 |
| Leap 4th month | May 23, 2020 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 21, 2020 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 21, 2020 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 19, 2020 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 17, 2020 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 17, 2020 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 15, 2020 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 15, 2020 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 13, 2021 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2020
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 | 05:30 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 22:54 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 17:03 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 12:57 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 10:56 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 11:49 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 15:38 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 19 | 22:45 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 08:51 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 20 | 21:49 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 12:58 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 05:43 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 6 | 23:14 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 16:36 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 09:06 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 22 | 23:44 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 12:08 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 22 | 21:30 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 03:55 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 06:59 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 07:13 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 04:39 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 00:09 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 18:02 |
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 2020?
The Year of the Rat began on January 25, 2020. Anyone born from January 1 to January 24, 2020 belongs to the previous year, the Earth Pig (己亥); anyone born on or after January 25, 2020 is a Metal Rat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rat year began at 17:03 China Standard Time on February 4, 2020 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2020 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Thursday, October 1, 2020. The next one, on September 21, 2021, comes 10 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2020 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 4th month followed the regular 4th month, starting May 23, 2020 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 2020 in the Chinese zodiac?
2020 is a Yang Metal year: its Heavenly Stem 庚 (Geng) carries Metal, and its Earthly Branch 子 (Zi) is the Rat. Together they make 庚子, the 37th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2020?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 25, 2020 until Lichun (February 4, 2020 at 17:03) are a Metal Rat under the popular New Year rule but an Earth Pig 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.