Happy New Year! OK, Happy Lunar New Year! In the Chinese calendar, the longest chronological record in history dating back to 2700 B.C., this year marks the lunar year 4718 -- Year of the Rat. The first day of the lunar year is January 25, 2020. For the Tet Vietnamese New Year it will be the same, Year of the Rat!
Famous people born in the Year of the Rat include William Shakespeare, George Washington, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Charles I of England, Peter the Great, John McCain, James Cook, Galileo Galilei, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Here are selected local events celebrating the Lunar New Year in San Francisco. Please check the events for updates.
San Francisco/San Francisco's Chinatown:
Saturday, January 18, 10:00am-8:00pm, Sunday, January 19, 9:00am-6:00pm - 31st Annual Flower Market Fair, Grant Avenue from Clay to Broadway. Pacific, Jackson, and Washington between Stockton and Kearny. The Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair is held on the weekend before Chinese New Year Day. The Flower Fair is the place to come to purchase fresh flowers, fruits, candies and brand new supplies for the home to begin the new lunar year. Non-smoking event.
Chinese New Year Day, January 25, 2020, Year of the Rat
Saturday, February 1, 10:00am-4:00pm - 25th Annual Basketball Jamboree, Betty Ann Ong Recreational Center, 1199 Mason Street, San Francisco. More information: email hoopsterlee@gmail.com
Saturday, February 1, 7:30pm - Miss Chinatown USA Pageant, Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon Street @ Bay, San Francisco (www.chineseparade.com). Admission fee. For more information contact the Chinese Chamber of Commerce at 415-982-3000.
Friday, February 7, 6:00pm - Miss Chinatown Coronation Ball. The newly selected Miss Chinatown USA and her court will be crowned at the annual Thunder Valley Casino Resort Miss Chinatown USA Coronation Ball. The black-tie dinner/dance, attended by many community leaders, promises to be a highlight of the Lunar New Year festivities. Coronation Ball Tickets are sold through the SF Chinese Chamber of Commerce by dialing at 415- 982-3000.
Saturday, February 8, 5:15-8:00pm, Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade http://www.chineseparade.com Free
History: San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade began in 1860 and was named by the IFEA to be one of the top ten parades in the world! It is also one of the few remaining night illuminated parades in the country. The parade and festival have grown to be the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia! Since 1958 the parade has been organized and directed by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
More Information: Chinese New Year Festival and Parade, Market and Second Streets to Kearny and Jackson. Check out "Gum Lung", the 288-foot-long Golden Dragon! (www.chineseparade.com/) Can't be there? Watch or DVR it on KTVU Fox Channel 2 or KTSF Channel 26 (Chinese broadcast) on Saturday, February 8 from 6:00-8:00pm.
You will find over 120 booths and concessions making this a shopper’s paradise. The SF Chinese Chamber of Commerce has planned activities and entertainment for all ages. Enjoy Chinese folk dancing, opera, drumming and much more at the entertainment stage on Washington St. below Grant Ave. Make sure to get a family photo with the giant puppets, dragon and other memorable artifacts from the Parade!
Sunday, March 1, 8:00am start, registration begins at 7:00am, 39th Annual Chinese Chamber of Commerce; Chinatown YMCA 10K/5K Run/Walk, Chinatown/Sacramento and Grant www.sfchinatownrun.org or 415-576-9622
This event comprises a 10K or 5K run or walk and raises funds for the YMCA's youth and teen programs. The event expects 1,700 participants and 250 volunteers.
More Than A Hundred Years of the Chinese (Lunar) Calendar (1912 to 2043)
The Chinese Calendar names each year after an animal and legend has it that a person born under a certain animal will display traits of that animal. I was born in the Year of the Tiger. What sign are you in the Chinese 12-year calendar cycle? Look up in the table below what year you were born and the corresponding animal.
Rat: 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020 2032
Ox: 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021 2033
Tiger: 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022 2034
Rabbit: 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023 2035
Dragon: 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024 2036
Snake: 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013 2025 2037
Horse: 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026 2038
Ram: 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027 2039
Monkey: 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 2040
Rooster: 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029 2041
Dog: 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030 2042
Boar: 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 2031 2043
Gung Hey Fat Choy! Chuc Mung Nam Moi! Happy Year of the Rat!
