OPINION
Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
February 1, 2016
Volume 26 Number 3
February 1, 2016
ISSN: 1094-9453
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MY TURN
n Wayne Chan
The holiday for those
who love time travel
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For VISA, Mastercard, or American Express payment only:
he Lunar New Year is a big deal. It has the
ability to bend time and space.
Believe me — I know.
Here’s the evidence: I’ve never known my dad’s
birth date. You might ask, what does that have to do
with the Lunar New Year and time travel? Good
question.
Growing up, we always gathered for dad’s
birthday. The only thing is, we celebrated it on a
different day. Not just a different day of the
week. We celebrated it on a different day every
year.
My dad was my hero and I always felt bad because
I usually did not have a present or a birthday card
ready for him since I never knew when it would be
held.
Each year, when I’d ask what his actual birthday
was, he would calmly say, “My birthday is based on
the lunar calendar, so we have to look it up to know
when it is.”
That was long before the internet was invented,
so “looking it up” was no easy task. I never actually
saw my dad look it up, but somehow he figured it
out. My guess is that a compass or abacus was
involved.
Now that nearly everything is online, finding a
lunar calendar calculator is easy and accurately
determining one’s birthday and age is a click away.
Wait a minute — you need a calculator to figure
out how old you are?
T
Yes, you do. You see, there are fewer days in a
lunar year, therefore using a lunar calendar means
people are actually older than their age calculated
with a Gregorian calendar. It also means the actual
date of the Lunar New Year changes from year to
year.
Therefore, based on either a Gregorian calendar
year or a lunar calendar, I’m either 51 years old or
53 years old.
Let me get this straight — with a typical
calendar, I know exactly how old I am and the day I
celebrate my birthday stays the same every year?
And with a lunar calendar, not only do I not know
when my birthday is each year, but the day always
changes and I end up being two years older?
And the reason this is a good thing is … why?
Actually, I can think of a few reasons the lunar
calendar makes a lot of sense:
1) I’d be able to collect social security two years
early.
2) For those who hate surprise birthday parties,
nobody will be able to throw one because people
never know your actual birthday.
3) Those who actually enjoy parties can use both
calendars and guess what? Double the presents!
4) At the county fair booth where they try to guess
your age, you’ll be able to clean up.
The Lunar New Year is upon us. It is the Year of
the Monkey. Have fun and here’s hoping the next
year is full of fortune and prosperity.
Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.
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