I know it is kind of late to post it here. But, info is still an info! Hahah. Remember of Pai Ti Gong festival? Now I want to share some info of Chap Goh Meh.
Many people know that Chap Goh Meh is also called Lantern Festival. It is celebrated on 15th day of Chinese New Year to symbolize the last day of the celebration. But some of people may know that this date is also marked as Valentines Day. Here is what Wikipedia stated:
"Young people were chaperoned in the streets in hopes of finding love. Matchmakers acted busily in hopes of pairing couples. The brightest lanterns were symbolic of good luck and hope. As time has passed, the festival no longer has such implications.Those who do not carry lanterns often enjoy watching informal lantern parades. In addition to eating 'yuanxiao (food)' (Chinese: 元宵; pinyin: yuánxiao), another popular activity at this festival is guessing lantern riddles (which became part of the festival during the Tang Dynasty), which often contain messages of good fortune, family reunion, abundant harvest, prosperity and love."
So, on the day of Chap Goh Meh, I decided to go to Esplanade (or also known as Padang Kota Lama) where the celebration was held there. There were some performances such lion dance, and also performances by Peranakan people while waiting for the grand occasion which is the oranges. Yup, throwing the oranges is the grand occasion of this festive.
Oh wait, throwing oranges? Is there any kind of oranges? Why must be the mandarin oranges?
People believes that Mandarin oranges symbolise the presence of a maiden of marriageable age. When the young maiden throws the orange into the lake or pond, the man who pick it up would be the future match.
And so you can see that all the information like contact number, names and so on will be written on the orange. But today, some people just write good wishes or just sake of meeting new people during Chap Goh Meh celebration. And here, some of photos that I have taken during the occasion.
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