July 20 is National Fortune Cookie Day. This sweet treat with a fortune inside is a popular feature that ends a night out at your favorite Chinese restaurant.
It’s not often that we think of fortune cookies in the middle of the year. Other than having them as a treat at Asian restaurants, the little cookies are sometimes thought of in relation to the Chinese New Year. For many they are a year round treat.
To make it even odder, the exact date which honors the cookie is a bit unclear. Some call July 20 National Fortune Cookie day and others say September 13 is Fortune Cookie Day.
Fun facts about fortune cookies
Brush up on your knowledge of fortune cookies with these fun facts.
- Contrary to popular belief, these cookies were not invented in China, but first came on the scene in Japan!
- Four ingredients make up a fortune cookie: flour, sugar, vanilla and oil.
- There are 15,000 different fortunes in the database of Wonton Food (the largest producer of fortune cookies.)
- Over 4 million fortune cookies are produced each day.
- The first fortune cookie to appear in a US restaurant was in 1890 at the Japanese Tea House in San Francisco.
- Fortune cookies are baked as flat round cookies and then folded after baking.
- 1 fortune cookie has about 107 calories, a gram of fat, a milligram of cholesterol, 24 grams of carbohydrates, and 13 grams of sugar.
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Ways to celebrate National Fortune Cookie Day
- Spread the word on social media using the hashtag #nationalfortunecookieday.
- Invite your friends over for a Chinese meal and end it with some fortune cookies.
- Carry your good luck around with you by wearing a fortune cookie locket.
- Have a movie night and watch the movie the fortune cookie.
- Teach your kids about fortune cookies by making the no sew fortune cookie project below.
Let’s make some no sew fortune cookies!
Nothing says good fortune like a tasty fortune cookie. But these fortune cookies are low calorie. In fact, they are no calorie, since they are made of felt.
The beauty of this project is that there is no sewing involved. The cookies are made by using iron on adhesive. It’s a fun way to let the kids be involved in crafting.
To make the project you will need the following materials:
- Fabric squares
- Felt squares
- Iron on adhesive
- A piece of sand paper
- 18 gauge wire
- Gel glue
- Paper to write a fortune
Directions for the no sew fortune cookies:
1. Cut your fabric, felt and iron on adhesive into 4 1/2 inch squares.
Fuse the fabric to the felt, according to the manufacturer’s directions, so that you end up with one layered square.
2. Using the sand paper, trace a circle, then use it to cut your layered square to a circle shape.
3. Cut a piece of the wire and a strip of felt slightly shorter than the diameter of the circle.
Glue the wire to the felt strip, with the gel glue and then glue this felt strip to the circle with the wire side down. Allow to dry for 10-15 minutes.
4. Print out a fortune and place it inside the circle. Fold the circle in half and then bring the ends of the wire together to make a fortune cookie shape.
The wire will hold the cookie in place.
What fun it would be to put use no sew fortune cookies in your Chinese New Year place settings.
You can even make the fortune relate to the person who will be sitting there for a fun surprise.
Best of all, these no sew fortune cookies can be used again and again…and have ZERO calories!
The Chinese zodiac
Fortune telling is a big part of the Chinese zodiac and the lunar New Year celebrations. Animals also play a big part since each Chinese zodiac year features a different animal.
Be sure to see my article that talks about all the traditions that are celebrated on the Chinese New Year.
Animals play a big part in each year’s celebrations and are named after each of the animals. It’s fun to include a mention of the zodiac years in the fortunes that you put in the cookies.
Each of the animals – rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig all repeat as the birth year in a 12-year cycle.
Pin this post on National Fortune Cookie Day for later
Would you like a reminder of this project for National Fortune Cookie Day? Just pin this image to one of your boards on Pinterest.
To learn about more national days in July, watch our YouTube video.
There are close to 2000 national days in the year. Don’t miss a single one of them. Be sure to check back often to see which national day we are celebrating today.
Other September 13 national days:
Fortune Cookie Day is not the only day celebrated on September 13. These days are also celebrated today!
- National Peanut Day
- Uncle Sam Day
- National Kids Take Over The Kitchen Day
- National Defy Superstition Day
- National Celiac Awareness Day
- Ronald Dahl Day
- Snack a Pickle Day
- Bald is Beautiful Day
- Positive Thinking Day
- International Chocolate Day
Be sure to also check out my calendar of national food days for September here.
Admin note: This post first appeared on the blog in January of 2014. I have updated the post to add information about National Fortune Cookie Day and added a printable project card.
No Sew Fortune Cookies for National Fortune Cookie Day
These no sew fortune cookies are easy to make and a fun way to have the kids take part in craft activities.
Materials
- Fabric squares
- Felt squares
- Iron on adhesive
- A piece of sand paper
- 18 gauge wire
- Gel glue
- Paper to write a fortune
Tools
- Scissors
Instructions
- Cut the fabric, felt and adhesive into 4 1/2 inch squares.
- Fuse the fabric to the felt with the adhesive iron on material.
- Trace a circle onto the fabric pieces
- Cut a piece of the wire and a strip of felt slightly shorter than the diameter of your circle.
- Glue the wire to the felt strip and then glue this piece to the circle with the wire side down.
- Allow the pieces to dry for 10-15 minutes.
- Write or print out a fortune on a piece of paper and place it inside the circle.
- Bring the ends of the wire together to make a fortune cookie shape. The wire will hold the cookie in place.
Notes
Idea inspired by a vintage issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine.