February 7 2008 to January 25 2009 is the Year of the Rat and it means something to me because it is my Chinese astrological symbol. Shelly Wu explains what Chinese Astrology is here. It describes the meaning and the reason of the order. My favorite part is the role that the rat played as described here:

“The Buddha invited all of the animals in the kingdom together for a meeting, but only 12 creatures attended. The first animal to arrive was the talkative Rat (who was aggressive enough to jump off the back of the Ox in order to be the #1 arrival) next in place #2, came the serious, enduring and hard-working Ox with the honorable Tiger, and cautious Cat. The outspoken Dragon joined the others, along with the philosophical Snake. The physically active Horse arrived with the artistic Goat. The spirited Monkey and the showy Rooster came as well. The last to join the others was the watchful Dog and the meticulous, resigned Pig. Buddha gave each animal a year of its own, bestowing the nature and characteristics of each to those born in that animals year.”

According to Wikipedia the attributes of the rat according to Chinese astrology:

Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat’s natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.

You will be find many different interpretations of what this means. I personally like Yahoo News idea that the rodent is also seen as a “flower of romance” which means the year will stimulate romance, but also sex scandals….hmmmmm. If you like to follow fashion advice and relate it to Chinese astrology read this post from fashion-week.net, “The year of the rat” which mentions the color gray as a fortunate hue. So lets start wearing more shades of gray and make this year a prosperous and healthy one for all!