The Rat was celebrated during the Lunar New Year beginning on January 25, 2020.
January 25, 2020, marked Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Rat. In the 60-year cycle, it was specifically the Year of the Metal Rat. The year followed the Pig year and preceded the Ox year, which began in February 2021.
The Rat is first in the traditional 12-animal order. In the famous race legend, the Rat is said to have reached the finish first by riding on the Ox and jumping ahead at the final moment. That story explains the traditional ordering but is folklore rather than an account of a historical event.
Because the lunar year began in late January, people born earlier in January 2020 traditionally belonged to the preceding Pig year.