It should be a safe bet that those reading this blog know of the lunar calendar – not so much know its mechanics, but rather know its function with regards to important dates like Lunar New Year and the Lunar Festival – and also birthdays.
Because my parents are twice removed from China and thus weren’t brought up using the lunar calendar, I found Jean Yoon’s radio documentary ‘My Mother’s Birthday’ quite fascinating. (The same Jean Yoon found here.)
I was already familiar with most of what she spoke about as a friend of mine, who also happens to be Korean, doesn’t really know her ‘real’ date of birth. For all she knows, she could be twice as old or young as her papers say. What I didn’t know, was the stigma surrounding having a girl of a certain year and fudging dates to appease future-in-laws. *cue airing of dirty laundry.*
It’s a rather humourous take on an old tradition that still continues to be fiercely followed.
My parents, however, while traditional are honest to a fault eventhough I was born in the year of the Horse.
Podcasted from CBC.ca …
