Year of the Dragon – Day Two

Day Two of Chinese New Year is also known as the birthday of all dogs – on this day all pets are remembered with special treats.

It is also the day when Tsai Shen, the God of Wealth, leaves for heaven (after he has collected all of the offered sacrifices from New Years Day –  it is also his birthday). People will burn the picture of him they welcomed on the New Year’s Eve and see the deity off, wishing for a luckier and more prosperous year.

The second day is also a time for eating ingot-shaped wontons. (Ingot was a type of money used in ancient China) See our recipe for these lucky wonton treats below or click here.

It is also tradition for married daughters to visit their birth parents, relatives and close friends. (In times gone by many married daughters didn’t often have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently).

Todays Horoscope (Monkey):
12 out of 12 favorable months this year? That’s right — it’s time for the Monkey to shine! The spotlight and all the success that comes with it are yours for the taking. All you need to do is simply go for it. You can make good things happen in almost every area of your life. Since it’s a Water year, travel, education, networking and communication could all turn out to be exceptional for you. Enroll in a course. Try something new. Turn your biggest dream into your reality! But beware: Sometimes the Dragon’s schemes are so outlandish that crashing and burning is the likeliest outcome. Can you exercise a little restraint? Live on the edge … but be careful about leaning too far over it.

Quirky fact of the Day:
Ice cream was invented in China around 2000BC – they packed a soft milk and rice mixture into the snow to freeze it!

Word of the Day:
“xie xie” – the Chinese word for “thank you”
Try pronouncing it: “she she nee” or you can simply say “she she” which translates to “thanks”!