Chinese New Year - The Year of the Rat | Benczik Team Realty
905-477-7766

On the Blog

Chinese New Year – The Year of the Rat

January 16, 2020 / Announcements

Chinese New Year – The Year of the Rat – The origins of the Chinese New Year festival are thousands of years old and are steeped in legends, but it is unclear when the beginning of the year was celebrated before the Qin Dynasty.

Over the centuries each dynasty has added different elements to the festival including fireworks from the Han Dynasty to lanterns from the Tang Dynasty.

This important Chinese festival celebrates the turn of the traditional lunar calendar and is one of the most important days of the year. The first day of the New Year falls on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February.

This year we celebrate the Year of the Rat on January 24 – February 4. The rat is the first of all zodiac animals. In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children. Rats are clever, quick thinkers; successful, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life.

During this time, families will decorate their windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts with popular themes of “good fortune” or “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. They will also gather for the annual reunion dinner and thoroughly cleanse the house to sweep away any ill-fortune and make way for good incoming luck.

In Markham, 51% of the population is East and Southeast Asian. The entire Markham community is viewed as an extension of our own family and we here at RE/MAX All-Stars Benczik Team realty are thrilled to take part in the occasion.

We would like to wish everyone good health (身體健康) and a happy new year (新年快樂)

Chinese New Year – The Year of the Rat – written by Benczik Team Realty

Latest Posts

Does Home Staging Really Make a Difference?

If you’re considering selling your home, you likely want to get the best price possible and sell it in the shortest amount of time. You might be wondering if home…

How to Buy a House in Stouffville in 2023

Buying a house is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. But, with the right plan and preparation, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience. Our team at…

Selling Your House in Markham in 2023 – What You Need to Know

Are you considering selling your house in Markham this year? If so, now is the time to start preparing. With an ever-changing real estate market and new trends emerging every…

Testimonials

Kevin & Reshmi seller Markham

We finally made a purchase and had to put our home up for sale. Right when the market started to shift. In such a seller’s market,  I never thought I would be nervous to list our home. With  homes  all around us sitting for weeks we listed  our house and …
Read More

Kimberly seller Stouffville

The team made our home look amazing, which increased our sales potential and views of our listing. The real estate agent sold our home for 100% of asking in less than two weeks. I would highly recommend RE/MAX All-Stars Benczik Kavanagh Real Estate Team to anyone looking to buy or …
Read More

seller Unionville

Thank you Alon Hillel and his team for helping to declutter and ready our condo for showings without delay. His can do attitude and positive energy was a great help as we worked towards achieving a successful sale. I would recommend Alon to friends & family!

seller Unionville

Alon Hillel from the Benczik Kavanagh team was very professional, knowledge and friendly. I felt that Alon worked hard to achieve the best offer for me.

seller Markham

It has been a delight to deal with Leslie Benczik and his entire team. They smoothly guided me through the process of selling my home – from the listing agreement to offers for purchase – everything was clearly explained and with Leslie’s experience his advice was much appreciate. From MLS …
Read More

seller Markham

Rachel Kavanagh and her team are a dream come true! I highly recommend working with them to sell your property. We were able to sell our house in 6 days for over asking during an unpredictable and slowing market. You can expect professional, trustworthy, kind, thorough, prompt, and full service. …
Read More

buyer Markham

Alon Hillel from the Benczik Kavanagh Real Estate Team was a professional and excellent agent from listing to sale of my old house, and then throughout the process of purchasing my new home. He was always quick to respond to inquires and always made time for showings that worked with …
Read More

seller Markham

Thanks Rachel and your team for responding very swiftly and professionally to our sudden decision to sell our home. Our home sold in 2 days at a fair price and we are very happy. Our experience was completely positive and we would recommend Rachel and her team to anyone looking …
Read More

seller

This was my second time working with Rachel Kavanagh and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The team that she brings to a property know what they are doing. They got my condo staged and on the market quite quickly. The photo’s and video they shot turned out beautifully. …
Read More

seller

During the sale of our family home, we wanted to work with a realtor who would be sensitive to our needs. Rachel Kavanagh was excellent – she was professional, attentive, informative and resourceful. Highly recommend!

seller

Rachel Kavanagh is the BEST realtor we have ever worked with. Efficient, honest, hard working and works in your best interest. Great marketing team. Our humble home looked like a gem with her recommendations. Extremely professional. I would definitely use them again.

seller Markham

We highly recommend Carly Whittamore and Debra Ambrose – two outstanding agents on the Benczik team. They are motivated, extremely professional, have a thorough understanding of the marketplace and above all, conduct themselves with the utmost of integrity. Their hard work and creative approach to marketing our building lot in …
Read More

seller Unionville

Alon and his team has done a professional job in helping us sell our house. We rate them highly with their reliable and professional service!

buyer

Alon and the Benczik team we’re absolutely amazing. Alon helped me purchase my first home. He guided me through everything and was always answering my questions. Alon and his team gets the job done no matter what and I will definitely be going back to them in the future. They …
Read More

seller Markham

Alon Hillel and the entire REMAX Benczik Team were a pleasure to work with. Alon was patient and informative. We were very impressed with Alon as he went above and beyond our expectations. He was always available to answer our questions or concerns and it was clear he is dedicated, …
Read More

seller Markham

Leslie and Rosaria were wonderful to work with. They were professional, responsive and kind. Our property sold quickly and over asking. We would highly recommend!

seller Markham

I had the honour to work with one of the best area specialist in the Markham area during a very challeging time. . Leslie was incredible to work with, honesty ,knowledge, integrity and professionalism. I can not asked for a better realtor. I would highly recommend him for any of …
Read More

seller Unionville

I would like to thank you Leslie and his team for their help in selling my property. Their professionalism, client care, support all the way from the listing to the closing day was outstanding and priceless.

seller

It was a pleasure to do business with Benczik and his team, with the entire process from beginning to end being quite favorable. The overall responsiveness and professionalism displayed, gave us complete confidence in their ability to accomplish the task at hand. My family and I found Benczik expertise to …
Read More

seller Markham

seller Unionville

We are so grateful to Alon Hillel and the Benczik Team who helped us sell our Unionville home with an incredible result! Right from the beginning, we knew that we could trust Alon and his team – the process from start to finish was completely seamless. Everything was explained in …
Read More

seller

When my husband and I decided to sell our house, we were faced with an endless selection of realtors. We ultimately chose to work with ReMax All Stars to sell our house. Alon Hillel was extremely helpful and knowledgeable – from staging to listing, to offer night and beyond – …
Read More

seller Markham

After 29 years we were nervously excited about selling our family home and moving on to “smaller pastures.” I reached out Rachel and her team as I knew her knowledge of my neighborhood was unsurpassed. The attentiveness, level of professionalism, advice and decisive actions helped us achieve a quick, painless …
Read More

seller Stouffville

What can I say, Rachel and Leslie are the single best agents I have ever had the pleasure of working with. They not only were sensitive to the nature of this sale, but they marketed the property beautifully and strategically and got a price we never dreamed. Professional, skilled and …
Read More

seller Unionville

Rachel is attentive, knowledgeable and experienced. She was honestly a superstar in helping my family with a very stressful move. Thank you for your insight, patience and warmth. Not to mention helping with big decisions, little details and everything in between. You’re the best! xo

seller Markham

Alon Hillel from the Benczik Team Realty helped my parents sell our family home this summer and buy their new home too. Alon works with a reputable brokerage which is what attracted us to get in touch with them in the first place. It’s true that an established and respected …
Read More

seller

Rachel and the Benczik team are the best! We are 3rd time repeat customers and we wish we had more money so that we could keep on using them over and over again… Thank you!

seller Unionville

It was a pleasure to have Alon & team as our realtor, we would highly recommend him to anyone selling their home . He was honest & knowledgeable & we sold our home quickly. We were very happy with the outcome

buyer Markham

Alon recently helped us buy our second home, and sell our first. He also helped us purchase our first home 5 years ago. He is very knowledgeable and willing to assist in any way he can. He is always available to answer questions. Very professional, happy to recommend Alon! Thank …
Read More

buyer

Alon was amazing! He helped my husband and I purchase our first home in a crazy real estate market. He was exceptionally patient and professional, always punctual and responsive. 5 star service! I highly recommend working with Alon to anyone!

seller Markham

We worked with Alon Hillel for the sale of our home and hunt for our next home. Alon was attentive, professional and courteous throughout the process. He was quick to understand our interests and needs, guiding us to potential homes that would suit our family. Alon worked with our busy …
Read More

seller Stouffville

We hired Leslie and his team to sell our parents’ house in Stouffville, and we were very happy we did. Every aspect of their service was professional, from staging to photography to marketing and negotiations. They went the extra mile, with a comprehensive market analysis, picture booklets, livestream Zoom walk-throughs, …
Read More

seller Unionville

Amazing experience, with excellent results! Leslie Benczik and his team did a fantastic job with helping my brother and I sell our parents home. What initially seemed like an overwhelming task was quick, efficient and professional. Leslie’s success in the area, years of experience, local knowledge and attention to detail …
Read More

seller

Hands down, Leslie Benzick and RE/MAX All-Stars Benczik Team Reality are the people to go to if you are looking to sell or by property. We have specifically chosen Leslie for a number of properties (bought and sold) and he has always provided us with knowledgeable advise, up to date …
Read More

seller Aurora

Leslie Benczik is the epitome of professionalism! His manner is gentlemanly, unassuming and always attentive to a myriad of details. We certainly felt in safe and skillful hands. This was proven by Leslie selling our house in just 5 days!! We are truly grateful to Leslie, Susan and this incredibly …
Read More

seller

Rachel was fantastic to deal with and looked after everything during what could have been a stressful time selling our home. From coordinating timing, providing a gameplay and strategy as well as having photo’s and making sure every detail was covered. During the process she was constantly in communication with …
Read More

seller Markham

We’ve bought and sold again with Alon Hillel, and were again delighted with the experience. His expertise in the Markham Village neighbourhood gave us confidence the first time we worked with him (in 2010) and our trust has only grown since then. He worked hard to find the perfect home …
Read More

seller

Leslie Benczik and his team are professionals in every sense of the word. My Mom sought Leslie’s counsel in securing the sale of her property and after meeting with Leslie knew that her needs would be well served. From the very beginning of what was a long and challenging process …
Read More
All Testimonials Google Reviews

Get in Touch

Contact Benczik Kavanagh Real Estate Team

We’re ready to answer your questions, provide you with much-needed resources, and help you take the next step in your real estate journey.

  • 905-477-7766
  • info@bkteam.ca
  • 120 Main Street North,
    Markham, ON L3P 1Y1

    Newsletter

    Cut Straight to the Facts

    Get the most accurate market information, the latest listings, and other need-to-know updates delivered to your inbox once a month. No spam or unwanted emails, guaranteed.