Chap Goh Meh - The Chinese Valentine's Day

Chap Goh Meh or Tzap Goh Mei (pinyin:shí wǔ wěi; lit. "fifteen tail") represents the fifteenth and final day of the Lunar New Year period as celebrated by Chinese migrant communities. The term is from the Hokkien Dialect and literally means the fifteenth day of the first month.

It is the occasion of the first full moon of the New Year.

In Southeast Asia, however, it coincides with the Chinese Valentine's Day. It is also 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 originated in Penang, Malaysia. In the past, this is also the only day that unmarried ladies can be seen with their partners. - source -Wikipedia

Here's what I found in my fridge... Two sad looking tangerines and I've edited the photo to make them look fresh, juicier and more attractive.

Alrighty, according to the Wikipedia article, we unmarried young (ahem...) ladies are supposed to toss these mandarin oranges into the sea tonight hoping their potential husbands will pick it up from the river and give them a call to arrange for a first blind date ..who knows, they'll be walking down the aisles! So, tonight..I assumed there will be thousands of tangerines floating along the Longkang Besar(Big Monsoon drains), Klang River & Titiwangsa Lake up for grab? I guess these beliefs still exist till today...

Son: Daddy, how did both you and mommy met?

Daddy: I picked her up from the monsoon river 10 years ago...

Son: ???



To those who're afraid of the crowd at those popular locations, come over to my place lar, there's a river opposite my house ler... but don't say L'abeille did not warn you hor....the chances that your tangerines being picked up by a "foreigner" is 99%... Trust me, there's always a better and comfortable way to look for your potential mate geh ;)




I've two left in my fridge and both are already dry and tasteless..
Mmmm... maybe I should scope some from the nearby river tonight... ngek ngek ngek