"Chap Goh Mei," 15th day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar!

This marks the end of the 15th day of "celebration" for Chinese Buddhists!

Prayers are offered to heavenly God during these Auspicious Days at home daily or it is timely to go and pray
at local temples!


"Chap" means ten, "Goh" means five, and "Mei" means night. So, it means the 15th night of Chinese New Year!

In the old days, the young maidens go out with their parents or gardians of course, taking with them some oranges that had been offered at their home shrine alters to go and throw them into the river! Knowing that, naturally those days the young men would also gather to try to "look-see," "look-see," prospecting for a Beautiful future wife for themselves. However, all marriages were done with their parents or elders. Match-made Marriages were the norm of the day!


These days, all this traditions have disappeared for the Modern Newly-Weds!

This evening my son got home from work and one of his Chinese friend asked him if he was going to eat "Kueh Ee," on Chap Goh Mei! He asked if I made some and I replied that I never remembered anything of this on this night! My memory failed, at las! I only knew how to offer fruits and Chinese Tea and lovely incences at all my home shrine alters and kept the Oil lamps alight and kept on offering incence sticks or Sandal wood coiled-incence most of the day and night!
Just thanking God, Shirdi Sai Baba-ji, Universal Mothers (Matas) Different God names like Buddha-ji, Virgin Mother Mary and her son, Jesus that I had known since growing up and all had helped me till now, and Devas and Devis (heavenly beings), Angels from four corners of the Earth, although the World is Round!!!

So, to keep this Tradition "alive," I hurriedly made the Auspicious Chinese sweet dumplings in our kitchen!
In my heart, I was thnkful for my son's friend to have told him that, or I would have "missed" the fun of making this popular dessert!

I offered this Sweet Dumplings filled with brown coconut sugar in lightly sweet syrup to all my home alters with short thanks and later enjoyed some from the pot with my son.

We must be Blessed and Thank God for Sweet Dumplings on this Auspicious night!

 

      Sweet Glutinous Rice Balls (Kueh Ee, in Malaysian Hokkein dilect).

Three "auspicious" bowls to offer for Prayers with Sandal wood incence.

Have a Nice Time!

Wishing you All and Very Happy and Prosperous and Healthy Year of the Dragon, according to this year's Chinese Lunar Calendar!

Thank you for viisting my Blogspot and Please Share this with your Friends and Family!

Peace and Best wishes,
Nancy