2008 · 戊子 · Yang Earth Rat
When does the Year of the Rat start in 2008?
The Year of the Rat (戊子, Earth Rat) begins on Thursday, February 7, 2008 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 3 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 4, 2008 at 11:00 UTC, which is 8:00 pm on February 4 in Seoul and 6:00 am in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 4, 2008 · 11:00 UTC
Feb 4, 8:00 pm in Seoul · Feb 4, 6:00 am in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 2008, around the world
Ipchun is a moment, not a date: the Sun reaching 315 degrees along its path. Every clock passes it at once, so the local date can differ.
| Place | Local time | Offset |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Feb 4, 11:00 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 8:00 pm | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 7:00 pm | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 10:00 pm | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 4, 11:00 am | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 4, 6:00 am | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 4, 3:00 am | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 2008, daylight saving and old offsets included. Computed with lunar-javascript, the same calendar engine as the free episode; almanacs can differ by a minute.
Before and after
Pig to Rat
Until the start
丁亥
Fire Pig
Yin Fire
From the start
戊子
Earth Rat
Yang Earth
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 2008?
- 1Born before February 4: both calendars say Fire Pig.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (8:00 pm on February 4 in Seoul, 6:00 am on February 4 in New York) to February 6: saju says Rat, Lunar New Year still says Pig. About 3 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 7 or later: both say Earth Rat.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Sun | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 21 Mon | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 22 Tue | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 23 Wed | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 24 Thu | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 25 Fri | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 26 Sat | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 27 Sun | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 28 Mon | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 29 Tue | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 30 Wed | Pig | Pig |
| Jan 31 Thu | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 1 Fri | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 2 Sat | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 3 Sun | Pig | Pig |
| Feb 4 Mon | Pig | Pig → RatRat from 8:00 pm in Seoul, 7:00 pm in Beijing, 10:00 pm in Sydney, 11:00 am in London, 6:00 am in New York and Toronto, 3:00 am in Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Tue | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 6 Wed | Pig | Rat |
| Feb 7 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 8 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 9 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 10 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 11 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 12 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 13 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 14 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 15 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 16 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 17 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 18 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 19 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 20 Wed | Rat | Rat |
Highlighted rows are the days the two calendars disagree. Switch days are shown for the places above; in other time zones Ipchun can fall a day earlier or later. Check any birthday.
Questions
2008 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 5, 2008 a Pig or a Rat?
By Lunar New Year (February 7) still a Pig. In saju a Rat, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 4, 11:00 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Rat start in 2008?
By the lunar calendar on Thursday, February 7, 2008, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 4, 11:00 UTC), the moment the Sun reached 315 degrees, known in Korean as Ipchun (입춘, 立春), the start of spring.
When was Lunar New Year 2008 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Thursday, February 7, 2008, the same day as in China.
Why does saju start the year at Ipchun?
Saju counts its years and months by the sun. The year turns at Ipchun, the start of spring, and each month at one of the solar terms. Lunar New Year follows the moon instead, so it moves between Jan 21 and Feb 20 while Ipchun stays around Feb 4.
Free episode · 4 panels
Your year, your Day Master
Type your birthday for your Day Master and a free episode. Add your birth city and time, and saju reads your year from Ipchun, to the minute.