Einstein and the New Years

VIDA, my 9-year old daughter, came over my study the other night to ask me about the difference between "our New Year" and that of the Chinese.

Now that's a though question to answer and elucidate to a 9-year old inquisitive mind. How would you talk to her about the relativity of time, the lunar and the Gregorian calendars in such a fashion that she would be able to grasp them by their horns? Ah, the dilemma of Ms. Enriquetta Vidal of the Supreme Court is far easier to handle than this one!

What is new is old and vise versa. The illusional gaps between the past, the present and the future are indeed convincing ones. They give us something to differentiate, something to discriminate, some memories to retrospect, some expectations to look up to. Nevertheless, they remain such an illusion. And I am not ready to spoil the joy of this illusion from the young psyche of my daughter.

So I told my daughter that there is hardly a difference between the two. "It is just like you and your Nanang Vita. She's the Gregorian New Year and your are the Chinese New Year. Both of you are life. It is just that she 's ahead of you by one year but then, you are all my daughters and I both love you. So here we are in polka dots gathering round fruits to celebrate and welcome the new years together."

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