What Is Chap Goh Mei

It is also known as yuan xiao in the hokkien dialect.

What is chap goh mei. In malaysia and indonesia it is commonly known by its hokkien name. Chap goh meh chinese. The word chap goh in hokkien means fifteen. In the hokkien dialect chap goh mei simply means the 15th night of chinese new year.

Chap goh mei is a day mostly observed by the hokkien community with festivities most prominent in penang with its large hokkien chinese population. Chap goh mei is a hokkien term that means the 15 th night of the new year which is why it s celebrated on the 15 th and final day of chinese new year. Instead it is simply a very popular festive date marked by many of chinese descent. Chap goh mei meaning the 15th night of chinese new year in the hokkien dialect is often considered the chinese equivalent of valentine s day in malaysia hong kong and taiwan.

When mandarin oranges meet the sea waters they become the blind destiny match maker with mr. On the fifteenth day of chinese new year technically the final day of the festival is a day known as chap goh mei. Chap goh mei is generally the last day of the chinese new year festival and the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calendar. It s also called the lantern festival which can be confusing to malaysians seeing as we refer to the mid autumn.

It is well known that chap goh meh is a night of courtship and has since been the forerunner in promoting match making. In mandarin it s called yuan xiao jie 元宵节 which means prime night festival. Tatung men whose members include ethnic. Since more than 70 per cent of its population is of chinese descent the chap goh mei festival has always been an integral part of singkawang culture.

Tsa p gōo mê meaning 15th night. Some people also refer to the festival as the lantern festival. In ancient times females of marriageable age were not allowed to step out of their homes except on this day where the emperor had decreed everyone must carry a lantern and go out to deceive the god of fire. 18 in japan the lantern festival is commonly known as 小正月 こしょうがつ.

Image via the star online. Chap goh mei itself means the 15 th night of chinese new year in hokkien which also marks the end of the chinese new year celebration. Chap goh mei is the chinese valentine s day the day when the singles flood malacca strait with tangerines in hope to start the year by finding love.