In Hokkien, Chap Goh Meh literally means what?

In Hokkien, Chap Goh Meh literally means “fifteenth night.” It refers to the fifteenth night of the first lunar month, the closing celebration of the Chinese New Year season.

Chap Goh Meh is the Hokkien name commonly used in Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of Southeast Asia for the Lantern Festival, known in Mandarin as Yuanxiao. The festival falls at the first full moon of the lunar year and traditionally features lantern displays, riddles, temple visits, and family gatherings.

The phrase is descriptive rather than the name of a separate calendar system: “Chap Goh” means fifteen, while “Meh” means night in the relevant Hokkien usage. A common mix-up is to call it the fifteenth day only; the literal expression emphasizes the night of that day.

In some Malaysian communities, Chap Goh Meh is also associated with matchmaking customs, including the throwing of written-on mandarin oranges. Those practices are regional additions to a festival whose broader Chinese tradition centers on lanterns and reunion.