Chap Goh Meh

It’s the last day of Chinese New Year, the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. One of the major celebration held this day is known as the Chap Goh Meh (十五暝). The term is from the Hokkien dialect and refers to the fifteenth day of the first month, which is the occasion of the first full moon of the New Year.

The occasion is marked by feasting and various festivities, including the consumption of tangyuan. In traditional Chinese culture, it is also celebrated as the Lantern Festival or the Shang Yuan Festival. In Southeast Asia, however, it coincides with the Chinese Valentine’s Day. It is also when young unmarried women gather to toss tangerines into the sea, in a hope that their future spouse will pick it up. In the past, this was also the only day that unmarried ladies could be seen with their partners.

On this day also, we celebrates the Lantern Festival (元宵節). It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also sometimes known as the “Lantern Festival” in locations such as Singapore, Malaysia. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns (兔子灯) and solve riddles on the lanterns (猜灯谜). It officially ends the Chinese New year.

The Lantern Festival is also known as the Little New Year since it marks the end of the series of celebrations starting from the Chinese New Year. Koreans celebrate this festival as the Daeboreum. In Vietnam, this festival is named “Tết Thượng Nguyên” or “Tết Nguyên Tiêu”.

Over the past years, various activities would be put up to celebrate this auspicious day including sumptous feasting, culture shows, lion dance, dragon dance, lantern lighting and the highlight of the night - tangerines tossing.

Have you found a place to go with your friends to toss some tangerines (for the ladies)? For the guys, especially the single ones, this is the day you could go out there, fish out some tangerines and look at the contact number or email address then start contacting. You wouldn’t know right? You might find the one you were looking for through this tradition.

For those that have yet to get all the ang paos from their family and friends, what are you waiting for? After today, no more ang paos will be given by those that are married!

Related posts:

1. Happy Birthday Everybody!