Tangy Experience

Happy Two-Days-Late Chap Goh Meh people!

Chap Go Meh, 'the fifteenth night' of the Chinese New Year festivals, is also better known as the Chinese Valentines. Young single women berkumpul beramai-ramai to throw oranges into the sea/river/pond in hopes of finding love.

Attached with the mandarin orange are scribbled names and mobile numbers (and perhaps nowadays with msn, fb account and blog links?) Today I read in The Star that the men community toss bananas in the lake instead of oranges, how odd.

As I’ve always been quite negligent of Chinese festivals and traditions, I’ve never tried or even get to witness people casting tangerines into the sea/lake.

Speaking of oranges, I had zero at home, neither did Lynette, Yong Hui or Carolina had any to spare. Yea, that was how urgently we required oranges -______- After much brainstorming and calling, we stole a few from Jian Hon and Swea Phin who imprinted their names on an orange each to throw on their behalf. After dinner Jin Hwa, Kok Sing, Jun Keat, Yvonne, few more people and myself head over to the lake at Taman Jaya to throw our own oranges and participate in the festivities. There was a massive crowd of people of all ages, very unexpected loh. Even as we were leaving there were still people swarming in the entrance

As we wedged our way through to the lake, we passed by many many enthusiastic jantans armed by long poles with a net at the end to fish for floating oranges with contact numbers on it. And nowadays, it’s not only the single ladies that are doing the casting, the men do it too. I know a few who did anyway *coughs*

It was fun, despite the not so interesting performances and standoffish choi san yeh, I’ll never look at Chap Goh Meh as just another day with fireworks blasting around after this.

If you’re fascinated to find out more regarding the story behind Chinese Valentines (Qi Xi), click here. There are many versions to it, this is just one among the many.