Chinese New Year lasts a whole good fifteen days every year. Every year on the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year, techinically the final day of the festival, is a day known as Chap Goh Mei. In Hokkien dialect, Chap Goh Mei simple means “the 15th night of Chinese New Year”. Besides being known as the last day of Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Mei is also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Just like Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Mei is celebrated with lots of firecrackers and fireworks. You will see many homes decorated with lanterns and colourful bright lights to mark the end of this auspicious occasion. In the temples, many people will be asking for the God of Prosperity to shower them with success and wealth for the coming year.
One of the highlights of this day is that you will see girls throwing oranges into the sea. This tradition is originated from Penang. It is believed that by throwing oranges into the sea, these young girls would find themselves a good husband. It is also said that if a guy who sees the floating orange in the water picks it up, that means that the single who threw the orange would be able to find a good spouse. While many no longer believe in such traditions, it is still a fun thing to do or to observe every year.
