Penang: Chap Goh Meh

There’s not really that much to do in Langkawi when you can’t go to the beach (my upper body is in the process of molting from the sunburns – I’m feeling so unpretty right now) and staying in a roach motel doesn’t help matters any. I decided to cut my losses and headed back to Penang for Chap Goh Meh, the last day of Chinese New Year. Papers have dubbed it “Chinese Valentines Day.” It’s much like its Western equivalent in that I spent it by myself.

I started my day at Khoo Kong Si, which is a beautifully ornate temple in Penang’s Chinatown district. I guess there isn’t much to say about it (words don’t do the place justice) so here are some pictures.


Most of the city is quiet because of the holiday:

The weather's always around 30 degrees Celsius yet I've seen a few places selling Winter jackets:

There's a big uproar over an inflammatory Danish cartoon:



Chap Goh Meh celebrations started along Lebuh Pitt at around 7-ish. Traditionally speaking, girls would throw mandarin oranges into the ocean, in hopes of scoring ideal husbands. This doesn’t translate so well in modern times – especially when they’re using the same girls from back then.

They don't make this shirt in my size (XL):

The headline event was too commercialized to be meaningful. Having had enough, I pushed my way through the crowds and promo stands, past the sponsored stage show and through a couple of back alleys to go pick up my laundry.

As I was waiting to cross the street, I got pulled into a makeshift parade (1 truck, 1 float, a couple of dozen people). I don’t think I was actually supposed to be part of the event because one of the ladies there asked which branch of the sponsoring family I was from. I just shrugged, put on my “hi, I’m a stupid tourist” face and continued waving to the crowd. Luckily, she was too preoccupied to follow up.

The gist I got from the first couple of stops is that an old shrine from one of Penang’s prominent family temples is carted around every year to all the other family temples, where the involved parties give/receive some kind of blessing. Each place had a couple of distractions to keep me busy while they did their business.

We’re blocking traffic but it’s OK. The hazard lights are on:

A couple of backpackers I bumped into afterwards suggested I wake up early for the Thaipusam (Hindu festival) closing ceremonies. I’m kicking myself for staying in Langkawi for as long as I did because I really wanted to see this event (I thought it had already happened before I quit my job). All the good bits are over but there should still be something to see.