What Is Chap Goh Mei

Chap goh 15th mei night literally means the 15th day of the first lunar month.

What is chap goh mei. Chap goh mei itself means the 15 th night of chinese new year in hokkien which also marks the end of the chinese new year celebration. On the fifteenth day of chinese new year technically the final day of the festival is a day known as chap goh mei. In mandarin it s called yuan xiao jie 元宵节 which means prime night festival. It is known by many as the chinese version of valentines day.

Chap goh mei is a hokkien term that means the 15 th night of the new year which is why it s celebrated on the 15 th and final day of chinese new year. People also visit temples during the celebration and offer prayers of prosperity to bless their family for the coming year. In malaysia and indonesia it is commonly known by its hokkien name. In the chinese language chap goh mei means 15th night of the chinese new year in hokkien and it also marks the end of the chinese new year celebration.

Chap goh meh chinese. Chap goh mei is not an official public holiday in malaysia. Aside from being tagged as the last day chap goh mei is also known as the chinese valentine s day. It s also called the lantern festival which can be confusing to malaysians seeing as we refer to the mid autumn festival as lantern festival as well.

An alternative name to the festival would be yuan xiao jie 元宵节. During the celebration families gather over a grand meal which includes yuan xiao glutinous rice balls and homes are beautifully lit with red lanterns. 18 in japan the lantern festival is commonly known as 小正月 こしょうがつ. In the hokkien dialect chap goh mei simply means the 15th night of chinese new year.