This Thursday (7th February), the Chinese will be taking some time off to celebrate the most important date in their calendar, their New Year.
OK, it’s a bit late for the rest of us but prepare to welcome the Year of the Rat! What’s more it’s an Earth Rat.
The Rat marks the beginning of the Chinese astrological calendar as apparently, it’s the first of the 12 animals that responded to a summon from Buddha which is how the calendar came to be (so it’s the equivalent of our Aries).
Which means what exactly?
Hard work, opportunity and renewal are the key words for this year but here’s how it breaks down for each of the signs...
It’s going to be a rocking year for Oxen, Dragons, Monkeys and Snakes, a mixed bag of a year for Dogs and Tigers and a challenging year for Goats and Horses.
But what are you? Find out your Chinese astrological sign and what the Rat Year means for you here.
Where to celebrate
As with every New Year, London's Chinatown is your best bet to join in with the hi-jinx, dance with a dragon etc, but this year we're also promised a six-month festival of more than 800 UK events to toast the Year Of The Rat and get us all excited about the Beijing Olympics...
London’s Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue will be transformed with live performances, Chinese dragons, parades and performers. The action kicks off at 11am on Sunday 10th February. Find out more here
Also of note is a version of Damon Albarn's hit opera Monkey will have its London premiere at the British Museum
Other events are planned for Manchester, Brighton, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Coventry, Southampton, Leicester, Liverpool, Nottingham and Bath.
Find out more here
Image: c/o Hudson Museum