KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Chinese New Year is coming to an end and it’s time to save some of the festive favourite mandarin oranges for Chap Goh Meh tomorrow.
Known as the Chinese Valentine’s day, Chap Goh Meh is a centuries-old ritual where single young women toss into lakes or rivers mandarin oranges.
They write their name and telephone number in hopes of finding their ideal man.
Although this ancient tradition may sound simple and straightforward, feng shui analysis seems to have a set of guidelines to help increase your chances of landing that elusive man.
According to feng shui master Jessie Lee, the general Happiness Star will be facing south tomorrow.
Therefore, it is advisable to toss the oranges towards south.
But, for an extra ounce of luck, Lee said there’s also specific personalised direction for each animal zodiac signs.
“The best time to make your wish and throw the citrus fruit is from 5pm until 10.59pm,” she said.
If you miss the 11pm deadline, Lee said it would still be fine to participate in the ritual but there might not be many men around at that time to pick up the oranges.
“There’s not much fuss about missing the deadline, but it’s best not to do it late at night when there’s not much people.
“Bear in mind that the whole idea is to get your Mr Right pick up the orange on that night.
“Alternatively, you may also leave the oranges at temples if you don’t want to throw them into lakes or the river."
Lee also highlighted that those born under the animal signs of Dragon, Dog and Rat would benefit most on Chap Goh Meh this year.
“The Dragon has high chances of meeting somebody due to the presence of the Red Matchmaker star which represents auspicious relationship.
“This would be the same for the Dog due to the Sky Happiness star which also signifies relationship,” Lee added.
The Rat, she said, would have greater chance of finding someone due to the presence of the Sun and the Heavenly Yi stars.
“The Sun star helps negate all negativity while the Heavenly Yi star attracts noblemen to offer relationship recommendations,” she added.
Lee also said that this year’s ritual wouldn’t work much for those who were born in the Year of the Snake as the zodiac sign clashes with the energy of the day but, there was no harm giving it a shot.
Dating back to centuries ago, Chap Goh Meh is derived from the southern Hokkien dialect which means “fifteenth night”.
The tradition harks back to the old days when women had restricted freedom to leave their houses and roam the streets.
Thus, it was only on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year that women had the opportunity to head out in hopes of meeting people and making new friends.
But times have changed and in modern society, the ritual is more well-known as a popular social event, with even some men joining in the fun and tossing bananas.
