Chap Goh Meh

Chap Goh Meh or Tzap Goh Mei (zh-cpl|c=linktext|十|五|暝|p=shí wǔ wěi|l=fifteen night) represents the fifteenth and final day of the Lunar New Year period as celebrated by Chinese migrant communities. 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. [Note that another festival, Qi Xi, is also sometimes referred to as "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 – a custom that originated in Penang, Malaysia. In the past, this was also the only day that unmarried ladies could be seen with their partners.

ee also

* Lantern Festival

Notes