Year of the Dragon – Day Fifteen

Day fifteen of the Festival! We have made it through feasts, sweets, dumplings and most importantly we avoided the God of Wrath!

Today is celebrated as the “Lantern Festival”.

Traditional rice dumplings are eaten throughout the day.  Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home – families will also walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.

In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals searching for love – similar to our Western celebration of Valentines Day. The custom is for single women to write their contact number on a mandarin orange and throw it in a river or a lake whilst single men will collect  and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.

Today we have a very special blog from Dianne Smith, Chief Executive of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council on Attracting Asia: Preparing for the China Boom

Dianne Smith:

In her current role Dianne fulfills the multiple roles of Chief Executive of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) and the Victoria Events Industry Council (VEIC) as the peak organisations representing the state’s tourism industry.

Dianne was previously Manager Tourism Partnerships at Parks Victoria, a position she held for nine years. Dianne also brings experience in regional tourism to her new role, having served as Executive Director, Ballarat Tourism. As Marketing and Visitor Services Manager at Melbourne Zoo, Dianne also gained valuable experience at one of the state’s premier visitor attractions.

www.vecci.org.au/VTIC 

Horoscope of the Day ( Horse):
Things are looking up for you this this year, Horse! After all, it’s certainly more exciting to fly with the Dragon than go bunny-hopping with the Rabbit. You’ve got ten favorable months to go out and do whatever it takes to bring yourself happiness. Success? You bet — and in many different areas of your life! And since it’s a Water year, travel, education, networking and communication could all be great for you. Take some chances. Try something different. Make a commitment. Your two biggest mistakes would be to either hold back or get too carried away with the Dragon’s unbridled enthusiasm. The Dragon’s fast pace can be oh-so-appealing for your tastes — don’t be afraid to go with it, but do stay under control and know when to put on the brakes.

This day marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities for 2012.

The team at Destination Melbourne hope that you have enjoyed our campaign, recipes and guest blogs! We thank every person who has contributed their time and knowledge to make this campaign a great success!

If you missed any of our guest bloggers check them out here:

Jeremy Johnson – Sovereign Hill and the Chinese Market
Felicia Mariani – The Chinese are Coming
Andrew Collins – Retail Tips & Social Media in China