Chap Goh Meh (also known as the Lantern Festival) is a Chinese festival celebrated on the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
During the Lantern Festival, it is common to see colourful paper lanterns and competitions for solving traditional riddles in Buddhist temples. The air is festive and bright with lion dance, dragon dance, firecrackers and various other traditional performances.
Chap Goh Meh or Tzap Goh Mei represents the 15th and final day of the Lunar New Year period as celebrated by the Chinese communities. The term is from the Hokkien dialect and the day auspiciously coincides with the first full moon of the New Year.
The festival’s origins are uncertain, as there are many legends surrounding it.
Legend has it that a beautiful crane flew down to earth from heaven only to be slaughtered by some villagers.
The crane was the Jade Emperor’s favourite crane, and he was angered by its death. He vowed vengeance against the villagers.
On the 15th lunar day, the Jade Emperor planned to send a storm of fire down. But his daughter, Zhi Nu, took pity on the villagers.
She warned the villagers about their impending doom, and they were troubled as they could not see a way out.
Then, a wise man from another village came up with the suggestion for every family to hang red lanterns around their houses, set up bonfires on the streets and set off firecrackers on the 14th, 15th and 16th lunar days. On the 15th day, the troops descended from heaven with orders to incinerate the village, but saw that it was already “ablaze” and returned to report to the Jade Emperor.
Since then, people celebrated the anniversary of the 15th lunar day every year by carrying lanterns on the street and setting off firecrackers.
To some, Chap Goh Mei is known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
This is because a long time ago Chap Goh Mei was the only day that young maidens were allowed to dress up and stroll on the street, albeit having to be accompanied by fierce chaperones.
Young men would then go out, hoping to catch a sight of the rarely-seen maidens.
Young women also went to temples to pray, hoping for the heavens to send them a suitable match.
Matchmakers took the opportunity to strike up marriages between eligible individuals.
Another ancient practice saw young maidens throwing oranges into the lakes. The belief was that the man who picked up their orange would be their future match.
The Mandarin oranges would also symbolise the presence of a maiden of marriageable age. This tradition has survived till present times.
Today, Malaysians tend to congregate around bodies of water at night. Lanterns inscribed with wishes are lit, providing a sparse light source, and some are released into the night.
Eligible bachelorettes inscribe Mandarin oranges with their names and their contact numbers, and then throw them into lakes or ponds. Young men hoping to meet new people will wait with nets to fish out the oranges.
These days, single men and women alike throw inscribed oranges in the spirit of celebrating Chap Goh Mei in a fun way.
Some people write good wishes on their oranges, while others are just looking to meet new people. Granted, there are some who are looking for that special person, whether or not they believe in the likelihood of it happening through a chance introduction via a mandarin orange!
For some youths, it’s just a quaint tradition, a day to mark the end of celebrating the lunar new year.
The tradition of throwing oranges in the hope of landing a husband has also slowly evolved into a fun activity, rather than a superstitious belief that the man who picks up the girl’s floating Mandarin orange would be her future spouse.
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