If you transgress, your life will be short, but should you do so on the third day, you will be rich, it says. Under the title of Disastrous Hospital-visiting Days it cautions when such visitations could result in the death sentence of the terminally ill being transferred upon the healthy. To highly superstitious Chinese, the almanac words sound like a king's order. If the almanac says it may be dangerous to leave the house on a certain day, it's not unknown for people to call in sick for work. It is taken so seriously that the Social Welfare Department staff use Tung Sing to choose names for abandoned babies and, in one of its many famous cases, Hong Kong's windsurfing queen Lee Lai-shan followed its advice to marry on a lucky day.
Companies also use it as a promotional tool to boost sales.
It arrived at February 22 as, the company claimed, the book said it was a perfect day for travelling abroad to meet friends or associates. Every year, the palm-sized drawing, featuring a farmer and a cow standing in front of a crop field, changes. The farmer's attire reflects the year's weather. For example, when the man wears shoes it means the year will be dry, but if he is barefoot it signifies ample rain. If he wears just one shoe, the weather will be partially wet.