Today, the Chinese will observe the Chap Goh Meh, one of the most celebrated days during the 15 days of Chinese New Year. It is also the day that signifies the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Here’s what you might want to know more about Chap Goh Meh.
What is Chap Goh Meh
Chap Goh Meh literally means the 15th night of Chinese New Year in Hokkien, a dialect spoken in Penang and many other northern regions of Malaysia. The Chap Goh Meh is also known as Yuan Xiao Jie 元宵節 or the Lantern Festival. ‘Chap Goh’ means 15 while ‘Meh’ means night in Hokkien.
Family Dinners
Families will usually gather to close-out the celebrations with a dinner. There will also be a final toss of the yee sang for the Chinese New Year, while tang yuan is also served in some families. For the Peranakans and some Chinese families in Penang, the bubur cha cha or also known as the pengat is a common dessert during the Chap Goh Meh.
Photo / IG @___hanaxalz___
A Chinese Valentine’s Day
In Malaysia, the Chap Goh Meh is also a version of the Valentine’s Day. On this night, young unmarried ladies throw Mandarin oranges marked with their names and telephone numbers into lakes, rivers and seas in hopes of finding love, and optimistic men will be tasked to scoop them up and make contact.
But with the current civic awareness, the people understands that throwing mandarin oranges into the lakes, rivers and seas is not environmental friendly. Hence, there are many events during the Chap Goh Meh that creates a makeshift pool specifically for this occasion.
Where to celebrate Chap Goh Meh in Penang
In Penang, the Chap Goh Meh is indeed one of the major event throughout the 15 days of Chinese New Year.
Make your way to Penang for a grand closing of the Chinese New Year celebrations with an array of activities at the Esplanade from 5.00pm to 11.00pm.
Among the featured programmes are arts and crafts activities, multicultural drums performance, Chinese orchestra, acrobatic lion dance on stilts, live bands and fire juggling shows. And of course, there will also be a mandarin-orange tossing ceremony.
