1996: Year of the Fire Rat
In the Chinese sexagenary calendar, 1996 is 丙子 — Yang Fire over the Rat branch.
The Heavenly Stem: 丙 (Fire)
Yang Fire is the sun overhead — expressive, generous, and impossible to miss; it warms a room just by entering it.
The Earthly Branch: 子 — Year of the Rat
The Rat is quick-witted and resourceful — good at spotting an opening and moving on it before anyone else notices it's there.
What 1996 holds in the sky
Computed from the same ephemeris as the charts: every date below is a position, not a prediction, and can be checked against any astronomical almanac.
Eclipses
- April 4Lunar eclipse
- April 17Solar eclipse
- September 27Lunar eclipse
- October 12Solar eclipse
Retrogrades
- January 9 – January 30Mercury retrograde
- May 3 – May 27Mercury retrograde
- May 20 – July 2Venus retrograde
- September 4 – September 26Mercury retrograde
- December 23 – January 12, 1997Mercury retrograde
Slow planets changing sign
- January 3Jupiter enters Capricorn
- January 12Uranus enters Aquarius
- April 7Saturn enters Aries
This is the story every Rat year shares
The stem and branch of 1996 describe the year itself, so they read the same for everyone born into it and everyone living through it. That is the group-level half. Your own chart also weighs your exact birth date, time, and location, which is what turns this into something specific to you.
Get your free personal chart →For entertainment and self-reflection only. Not medical, financial, legal, or psychological advice.