Chap Goh Meh

Good day everyone… First of all we would like to wish you a very Happy Valentine and to our Muslim friends we would like to wish ‘Salam Maulidur Rasul'

We would like to share with you about the ‘Chap Goh Meh’ festival which our Chinese community will celebrate today. What are your thoughts on this festival? What does it mean and what will our Chinese Community do during this festival?

Chap Goh Meh is basically the last day of the Chinese New Year festival which is celebrated on the fifteenth day. In the Hokkien dialect, Chap Goh Mei simply means "the 15th night. Family members will gather together to enjoy a feast to mark the end of the celebration. Just like Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Mei is celebrated with lots of fireworks and a feast. You will also see many homes gaily decorated with red lanterns and bright lights to mark the end of an auspicious occasion. In temples, thanksgivings are held while many people would be asking for the God of Prosperity to endow them with success and wealth for the coming year.

In the old days, this day signifies the end of the CNY holiday and time for the people to head back to work.

Besides that, according to the some members of the Chinese community, Chap Goh Mei is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day in some states in our country such as Penang. This practice started towards the end of the 19^th century. During those days, young women are only allowed to stroll down the streets on this particular day. The young and unmarried women would gather and throw oranges into the sea with the wish of finding a good spouse. This act signifies that these women are available for marriage. According to legends, there will be a matchmaker from the moon who would tie red strings of destiny on the young womens legs with their intended spouses. As the result, the couples would be end up together.

Please share with us your celebration on this day. Is it a family gathering or a romantic event?

‘Happy Chap Goh Meh’