Dong Zhi 冬至

Yesterday, Ah Mah made Tang Yuan to celebrate Dong Zhi, which is the celebration of midwinter ( the winter solstice) in the Chinese calendar. Mostly, it falls on the 22nd of December each year but this year, it was on the 21st. I only found out today but I don't think your Ah Mah knows that she celebrated it a day late!

The winter solstice is when the earth is at a point in its orbit when one hemisphere is inclined farthest away from the sun, meaning that is is at it's lowest point in the horizon - a day when it is the shortest day and longest night in the year (for the people up north).

For your Ah Mah, the significance of eating the Tang Yuan means that you are one year older.

For you, you only ate like 1/30th of the Tang Yuan and decided that it doesn't taste good and refuse to eat any more. You did however, liked the soup and drank quite a fair bit of the pandan leaves flavoured brown sugar syrup. (",)

2 new additions (from Finland)

Got these for you from Finland last week. A green tractor with a front end loader and an excavator - to add to your rubbish truck.


Quite excited. Christmas is round the corner again and this will be your second. I've decided I'm going to show you how to open your own presents. We are missing the christmas tree but that's okay I think. By the way, did you know that having a small evergreen tree (the christmas tree) in the house is a German tradition?

If you are wondering what christmas is, the word comes from the words Cristes Maesse which, means "Christ's Mass". Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion.

Historians pegged the first celebration of Chrismas to Rome in 336AD. So, is Christmas really Jesus' birthday? No one really knows. What is known is that Christian leaders set it to this date in an attempt to eclipse a popular pagan holiday in Rome - Saturnalia - The winter solstice.

My advice? Believe in God and don't put that same faith on mankind.

Hi!