What Is Chap Goh Mei

In mandarin it s called yuan xiao jie 元宵节 which means prime night festival.

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. People also visit temples during the celebration and offer prayers of prosperity to bless their family for the coming year. It is known by many as the chinese version of valentines day. Instead it is simply a very popular festive date marked by many of chinese descent.

I believe that many of us are familiar with the name chap goh mei in malaysia but in many parts of the world it is known as the lantern festival. During the celebration families gather over a grand meal which includes yuan xiao glutinous rice balls and homes are beautifully lit with red lanterns. Tsa p gōo mê meaning 15th night. 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.

Chap goh 15th mei night literally means the 15th day of the first lunar month. 18 in japan the lantern festival is commonly known as 小正月 こしょうがつ. Chap goh meh chinese. 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.

Chap goh mei is not an official public holiday in malaysia. An alternative name to the festival would be yuan xiao jie 元宵节. On the fifteenth day of chinese new year technically the final day of the festival is a day known as chap goh mei. 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.