Chap Goh Mei: Low-key affair, but many reasons to feel joyful'

By Azdee Amir - February 26, 2021 @ 9:00am

KUALA LUMPUR: Although Chap Goh Mei will be celebrated in a low-key manner amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it still gives plenty of reasons for the Chinese community to be upbeat about it.

Many said it still allowed them to uphold age-old traditions while embracing technology.

What's more important, they said, was to stay safe as the battle against the virus continued.

Daryl Chim Wai Fatt, who runs his family's chee cheong fun stall in Petaling Jaya, said observing the standard operating procedures (SOP) during a celebration now came naturally for him and his family.

"For Chap Goh Mei, we will have a family dinner at home, just like how it was for the Lunar New Year.

"After a year of living amid the pandemic, we are used to it."

The father of three said some practices that came with the festival would have to be redefined.

"Bachelors and bachelorettes are perhaps crestfallen that they cannot gather at ponds, rivers and lakes to throw oranges.

"But this is no big deal because they can always use social media platforms to throw virtual oranges to find love or a significant other.

"If there's a will, there's a way, isn't it?"

He said single men no longer needed to jump into rivers, lakes and ponds to look for oranges bearing the names and numbers of single women, like how it was practised before.

"There are easier, more convenient ways to meet your life partner, thanks to technology.

"Here in PJ (Petaling Jaya), the popular spot for this activity in the past was the Taman Jaya lake.

"But nowadays, people just use their smartphones and social media for digital orange throws in the hope of finding love."

For retired teacher Chong Pit Choo, 60, this Chap Goh Mei will see her have a quiet celebration with her family at home.

She said that since insterstate and interdistrict travels were not allowed, she was looking forward to spending time with her family members.

"I can also save a lot this year. Sure, my family and I will miss out on the fun of celebrating Chap Goh Mei in a kampung, but in a way it is good because we can redefine how we celebrate, as long as we have people we love around us.

"What's important is for everybody to remain safe so that we can look forward to celebrating it the way it was."

She said her family would have dinner at home and watch TV shows and eat cookies.

"It will be a more relaxed Chap Goh Mei. No need to wear new clothes, no ang pau.

"For family gatherings, we have made plans to meet on WhatsApp video or Google."

Accountant Stefanie Tan Su Jen, 35, from Petaling Jaya, said celebrating Chap Goh Mei during the pandemic allowed her to see things that really mattered.

"It is the festive spirit that counts, by being thankful for what we have and the people around us.

"The new normal means we have to think about people's safety as well, and this concept is selfless.

"Chap Goh Mei does not only commemorate the end of the 15-day period of the Chinese New Year celebration, but it is regarded as the Chinese Valentine's Day.

"For me, it is love that encompasses family and friends.

"Although Chap Goh Mei will be a low-key affair this year, it doesn't mean that we have to stop spreading the love.

"We just have to follow the SOP."