CHINESE New Year celebrations actually continue until the 15th day, when the moon is at its brightest. Also known as “Yuan Xiao”, this auspicious occasion is celebrated with prayers and offerings to mark the end of Chinese New Year.
Business returns as usual for many Chinese communities in the country with Chap Goh Meh, marking the end of the Chinese New Year. The Lion Dance troupe danced their last dance. For those who had been celebrating Chinese New Year for the last 15 days, it is indeed time to go back to business. It is time to earn those profits so that they can celebrate the next Chinese New Year.
But, to the non-Chinese, what does Chap Goh Meh refer to? Chap Goh Meh can be spelled in a number of ways such as Chop Goh Mei, among others.
In Hokkien dialect, Chap Goh Meh means the 15th night of the Chinese New Year which is the occasion of the first full moon of the New Year. In hanyu pinyin, the characters shi wu wan means literally “fifteen nights”. It is celebrated with prayers and offerings to mark the end of the celebration. Chinese households and companies began lighting up the sky with flashes of fireworks last night to celebrate the last day of the festivity.
In traditional Chinese culture, it is also celebrated as the Lantern Festival or the “Shang Yuan Festival”. The Festival of Lanterns, traditionally, marks the end of the celebrations when Chinese welcome in the first full moon of the lunar new year. It is celebrated by feasting and various festivities and servings of “Tang Yuan”, round rice dumplings symbolic of the full moon, cooked in sweet soup.
In Southeast Asia especially in some states in Malaysia, Chap Goh Meh coincides with the Chinese Valentine’s Day. It is 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 is said to originate from Penang, Malaysia. This practice must have evolved over time as in the olden days, Chap Goh Meh was the only time when young and eligible maidens were allowed out of the confines of their homes.
They would make their way to the nearest river at nightfall and throw oranges into the calm stream as a gesture, in hopes that they will soon find themselves good husbands. This act is like a ritual or as a gesture for the troupes of young men who would gather to watch the beautiful fair maidens that they are available for marriage.
Till this day, this traditional belief has been kept alive by Chinese communities in Singapore and various states around Malaysia. In Kuching, the Chinese community, especially young and single ladies, would flock to the Kuching Waterfront, which is located along the serene riverbank of Sarawak River. Everyone would be asked to bring all the leftover mandarin oranges from the Chinese New Year celebrations to the waterfront that night.
(Above) Girls in Penang, Malaysia follows a traditional ritual by throwing mandarin oranges with their name and contact number on it during 'Chap Goh Meh', the 15th day of Chinese New Year, in the hope of finding a good husband. Pictures: Agencies
So, armed with a handful of oranges, the ladies dressed in their best attire, would then throw the fruits with gusto into the dark river and within a matter of minutes, numerous amounts of oranges would bobbled down the stream before disappearing into the shadows of the night.
Though traditionally practised by the women, young single men would also take the opportunity to throw some oranges hoping that they too might be able to find their significant other in the New Year.
Unfortunately though in Brunei, this practice never caught on. For most Bruneians nowadays, Chap Goh Meh is not celebrated widely. Most of the celebrations, if any, are confined to a small family dinner. Although there will be families who prefer eating out on Chap Goh Meh but their dinners will not be the large family gathering at the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
This is also the reason why Chap Goh Meh is also known as “Yuan Xiao” which also means it’s a day for all the family members to gather together and have a decent meal before everyone splits or people leaving the hometown to work in the town or city.
Some older members of the Chinese community remembered that in the 1950s and 1960s, visiting relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year festivities goes all the way up to the full 15 days until Chap Goh Meh. Even during Chap Goh Meh, family members and relatives can still drop in. But nowadays the visiting ended after the first few days of Chinese New Year celebrations.
However, nowadays the fire crackers do go on until Chap Goh Meh. In the 1980s and 1990s when fire crackers were not allowed, fire crackers were clandestinely lit and can only be heard occasionally. Over the last few years, fire crackers were allowed to be sold openly and nowadays the loud explosive sound of fire crackers go on until Chap Goh Meh.
Some elderly businessmen still remember in the 1950s and 1960s that fire crackers were at its loudest and noisiest during Chap Goh Meh. During those times, most of the businesses in the city centre were owned by the Chinese, so the streets would be strewn with bits of red paper fireworks.
Construction works in Brunei generally stopped over the two week Chinese New Year celebrations. The workers be it Chinese or otherwise would take the two weeks break and will only return after Chap Goh Meh. For those who are taking a keen interest in the construction of their houses would realise the zero activity during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Tomorrow, after Chap Goh Meh, businesses resume as usual and the roads and highways which have remained relatively free over the last two weeks will go back to its usual jams.
The writer runs a website in Brunei at bruneiresources.com.
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