The Romancing Night of Chap Goh Meh

 Chap Goh Meh! "A Festivals Of Romance"
The Romancing Night of Chap Goh Meh

 On the 15th day of Chinese Lunar year, Chinese community in Penang celebrated
Chap Goh Meh. According to legend, this fascinating festival tells a story of a lonely
young man who during his first outing saw one of the most beautiful women his sights ever laid on. He was immediately enraptures by her stunning looks.

Despite the excitement and exhilaration pounding in his heart, the young man quickly jotted down the number of her car. On the very next day, he made a search and enquiries on which this car belongs to. When he got to know the address, he quickly asks his mother to send a matchmaker to his dream girl's home to arrange the marriage. In such haste and without investigation, the young man did not realize that the beautiful girl he had seen that day was actually not the daughter of the house but a visiting niece.

And so on his wedding day, the poor groom found that instead of looking at the radiant smiling girl he had expected, he was to be married to her fat and rather plain cousin. The story does have a rather happy ending though, as his wife was a wealthy woman!

Chap Goh Meh in Mandarin was called Yuan Xiao, but in the traditional Hokkien dialect of Penang, Chap Goh Meh means the 15th night of Chinese New Year. It is celebrated with prayers and offerings to mark the end of the Chinese New Year.

During this auspicious occasion, houses are brightly decorated with lights and lanterns are hung over the balcony or five-foot ways for the last day of the Chinese New Year. Prayers to the ancestors are offered. Despite a ban, firecrackers are lit as a 'send-off' to the New Year. The next day, people go back to work, businesses operate as usual and everyone is looking forward to the next Chinese New Year.

Various activities are planned to mark this very traditional occasion but the two mainstays are the Dondang Sayang and orange/tangerine throwing ceremony. In the morning, nyonya households will distribute pengat, a sweet and rich broth of tubers and bananas to relatives and friends.

As evening falls, the atmosphere relaxes as the gentle strains of Dondang Sayang fill the air. Dondang Sayang, which means "lullaby of love", is interplay of sung poetry, usually revolving around the theme of love, between a man and a woman, trying to outwit each other in the name of affection whilst traditional music plays in the background.

In the past, Chap Goh Meh was one of the few occasions where eligible young ladies, transformed into scorching beauties, were allowed out from the confines of their homes. Eager gentlemen could only admire longingly at all the passing beauties, as the lovely ladies were always accompanied by an entourage of the fiercest looking aunts and amahs (servants)! These young maidens (and spinsters) would throw oranges into the sea as a gesture of hope to wed good husbands.

To keep this quaint tradition alive in modern times, orange throwing has transformed into a competition of sorts, where oranges thrown into the sea by girls (single or otherwise) would be scooped up by boys in boats. The boat with most oranges would be declared the winner.

So, if you're coming to Penang during this occasion, don't forget to drop by at the esplanade where the yearly orange throwing competition is being held. You can also participate in the competition if you like.

 Courtesy of  http://www.penang-vacations.com © All rights reserved

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Chinese New Year Festivals

Chinese New Year Festivals

 History of the Chinese New Year

The Chinese observe many festivals, some religious and some secular. The most important celebration however is the Spring Festival, more commonly known today as the Chinese New Year.

According to experts, the Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the start of the Chinese Lunar Calendar can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February.

A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each. Because of this, Chinese New Year changes each year, as it falls on the first day of the lunar calendar.

"Why it is also called the

Spring Festival
Why is the Chinese New Year also known as the Spring Festival? Astrologers describe springtime as a season of renewal, when new life springs forth after the cold and passiveness of winter. Similarly, the Chinese New Year is a time of fresh beginning.

Preparations
The 20th day of the 12th Moon is set aside for the annual house cleaning, where every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned with bamboo leaves or a broom in preparation for the new year. Debts are paid, hair is cut and coiffed, and new clothes and shoes bought.

An auspicious 'chai' or red banner bearing well wishes of wealth and prosperity is hung over the front door. Propitious sounding couplets like "peace on your coming and going" and "big prosperity coming in a big way" is hung everywhere.

Preparations

The 20th day of the 12th Moon is set aside for the annual house cleaning, where every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned with bamboo leaves or a broom in preparation for the new year. Debts are paid, hair is cut and coiffed, and new clothes and shoes bought.

An auspicious 'chai' or red banner bearing well wishes of wealth and prosperity is hung over the front door. Propitious sounding couplets like "peace on your coming and going" and "big prosperity coming in a big way" is hung everywhere. 

 The Kitchen God, regarded as the inventor of fire leaves the house on the 23rd of the last month to report to heaven on the behavior of the family. Although the household would have done all they could to ensure a favorable report, no chances are taken and the Kitchen God's mouth and lips are sweetened, and if need be, sealed with a sweet meat called lin ko (a homophonic word which means both 'auspicious year' and 'sticky cake' in Cantonese). With lips sufficiently sugarcoated and safely closed, he is given a grand send off, only to return once more on the first day of the lunar New Year. 

In many Chinese homes and temples, incense and joss sticks are burned as a mark of respect to ancestors.

Reunion time and welcoming the new year
It is important that all immediate members of the family be together during this time. As some live far away, the journey home for them begins a few days before Chinese New Year. The significance of the reunion and excitement of the big dinner to follow makes such trips back home an event in itself. No matter how tired one may be after the journey, all family members are present during the reunion dinner.

The dishes served, needless to say, are not things that are found on the table every day! All dishes have auspicious names or use ingredients that sound auspicious, for example fish, prawns, abalone, dried oysters, lettuce, black sea moss (fatt choy), long noodles, lotus seeds, ginkgo nuts, dried bean curd and bamboo shoots. Must-have snacks include mandarin oranges, roasted pumpkin or melon seeds and peanuts. Eating eight types of such auspicious foods is believed to bring plenty of luck to the family. To usher in the new year, family members young and old do not sleep. To keep awake, they will spend the night playing cards, mahjong, watching festive TV programmes, playing with fireworks or just have a good time chatting with one another. 

The 15 days of Chinese New Year
On the 1st day of Chinese New Year, celebrants wear new clothes, shoes, jewellery and hair dos. So attired, homage is first paid at the altar of the ancestors. Then a prayer of thanks is offered to the gods.

Family members will greet their elders with a hearty "Kong Xi Fatt Chai" (in Mandarin) or "Kong Hei Fatt Choi" (in Cantonese), which means "congratulations and prosperity". In return, the unmarried will receive red packets (hong bao) containing cash from parents, married family members and friends.

The 7th day of Chinese New Year is known as "everybody's birthday". On this day, Chinese businessmen will feast on "Yee Sang", a dish of pickled ginger, shredded vegetables, lime, raw fish, raw cuttlefish and various sauces.

This meal is believed to ensure prosperity and good fortune
to those who eat it. The diners will mix and toss the ingredients as high as they can with their chopsticks. The higher they can toss, the greater the prosperity they will enjoy throughout the year. 

The 9th day is an especially significant one for Hokkiens. Some traditionalists venture as far as to say that for the Hokkiens, the 9th day is even more important than the New Year itself, for it was on this day that the entire clan of Hokkiens were spared from being massacred.

Preparation begins on the morning of the 8th day, Hokkiens will rush to the market to buy all the essential items needed for the celebration – sugar cane stalks, roasted pigs, cooked meats and fruits. At the stroke of midnight, they will give thanks to the Jade Emperor, also known as the God of Heaven. Firecrackers are let off and the night sky is ablaze with skyrockets and fireworks.

Businessmen of the Hokkien community take the festival quite seriously – their bountiful offerings are both thanksgiving and votive in nature, in anticipation of a propitious year ahead. For the Hakkas, eating nine kinds of vegetables on the ninth day is a must. Numerous offerings are set out in the forecourt or central courtyard of temples to celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor.

The 15th day marks the end of the New Year. For the Hokkiens, the 15th night is also known as Chap Goh Mei. In Penang, the Hokkien community commemorates this day with the Chingay – a parade where stilt walkers, lion and dragon dancers, and acrobats move slowly along the busy streets of Georgetown, to the beat of gongs, drums and cymbals.

 Chap Goh Meh

During the golden era of the Babas and Nyonyas, Chap Goh Meh in Penang is often celebrated as a sort of Chinese Valentine's Day. It is said that in those days, maidens would ride along the coastal roads to throw mandarin oranges into the sea while expressing the wish to meet a good husband.

It was held that wishes made on this night were more willingly granted by the heavenly powers. Although Dondang Sayang groups still go around town to serenade the Chap Goh Meh revelers, singing their pantuns from illuminated buses, this form of entertainment is quite obsolete today.

Sadly, those who really appreciate the pantuns and songs are way above fifty, and the younger generation is unable or uninterested to join in the singing.

More story of Chap Goh Meh.

Courtesy of www.penang tourism.com.my © All rights reserved

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Penang Dragon Boat Race

Penang Dragon Boat Race 

About 100 years ago, large clans of sea-faring migrants from China settled along the
foreshores of Penang island, building pier houses on the fringes of George Town.

Many of these humble coastal plank settlements, like the old Bang Liaw jetty in Weld Quay, still exist till today, housing scores of fisher-folk families just as they did many
decades before.

During the early period, every year on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar, the settlers would push out to sea lengthy specially built boats for a passionate day of racing. It was one of the great traditions they had proudly brought along from China.

 Little could these communities, literally living on the margins of George Town, have known then that the race they were so avidly celebrating among themselves would one day became one of the biggest sea events of the region.

In fact, when the grand Dragon Boat Race festival was formally organised in Penang, it was the first time that the race had ever been held outside the shores of China.

Local authorities here recognised the Dragon Boat race as a sporting activity sometime around 1934. It proved to be so popular that the race was officially held for the first time to commemorate the George Town Municipal Council's 100th anniversary in 1956.

Ten years later, the race was organised again and made a regular feature in the annual Pesta Pulau Pinang celebrations.

Today, the race, held on an international scale, is so prestigious that it draws hundreds of participants from all over the world.

Teams from far-flung places like China, Macau, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, the US, Norway, Germany and New Zealand converge in Penang as part of a year-long world race circuit under the auspices of the International Dragon Boat Federation headquartered in Beijing.

The great race is now held in a lush setting unmatched the world over for its unique lake environment.

Surrounded by green hills and ancient rain forests, the giant placid Teluk Bahang dam on the quiet north-western corner of Penang island, shatters into a frenzy as tens of thousands of athletes and spectators descend to partake in the colours and drumbeats of the mighty contest.

The race has moved several venues since 1979 when the international festival was launched – it has been held at the picturesque Gurney Drive and the Mengkuang Dam. But the current landscape in Teluk Bahang, amid verdant tropical scenery, would surely make the Chinese emperors of old proud.

In fact, the race carries a legendary tradition that stretches back some 2,600 years.

According to historical annals, Chu Yuan, a minister in the Imperial Courts famed for his righteousness, was banished because he opposed the oppressive policies of the king.

In a tragic act of sorrow, Chu Yuan drowned himself in a river. It is said that villagers and citizens raced their boats to save the famous philosopher, but to no avail.

Another story has it that teams of boats were sent to spread glutinous rice on the river for fish to feed on so they would not devour the remains of the dead Chu Yuan.

The incident is said to have happened in the 4th century BC. Since then, the Chinese have marked the day by racing on boats, each bearing the masthead of a serpent-like dragon.

Chu Kok An, a veteran of Penang's boating scene, explains that the image of the dragon is very significant. Not only is it symbolic in bringing luck and prosperity as well as in frightening evil spirits. The image bears historic testament of a magnificent legacy that has endured thousands of years.

There are other symbolic aspects as well. Each boat carries a drummer at the front whose reverberating beats all the oarsmen follow while propelling the boat with a robust sense of timing and synchrony.

"The beatings of the drums are very symbolic," Chu says. "Traditionally the drum is placed in the centre of the boat, while at the front are objects of offering like sugar cane and oranges."

It is an absolutely amazing spectacle to behold, even from afar, rows of oars moving in perfect unison to the thumping of drums, as the thin boats glide above giant ripples on the lake, like silent darts.

"The appeal of the Dragon Boat race is the teamwork. In football, we have only 11 players. In the Dragon Boat, we can use 26!" Chu says. Training is crucial for the oarsmen. Chu explains that there are different paddling techniques - short strokes and long.

"In the long strokes, there is more power in rowing, while in the short there is more speed," he says. "It now looks like there is a move to favour long-strokes. Some of the teams that have lately won cups in Cape Town and Sydney had used the long-strokes."

There are seven categories of races in the Penang festival, some featuring either men or women, others with mixed players. Some require use of large boat measuring about 12m, others requiring small boats of only about 6.5m in length.

Each fibreglass boat must have a drummer and a steerer. Most categories cover a lap of 500m, but the main race features an intriguing round of 1,000m.

Indeed, the race is verily a brilliant exhibition of power, speed and endurance. "The Dragon Boat Race has truly become a sport, especially in the western world. The best teams are almost always from Canada, the US and Europe," Chu adds.

But in spite of the inevitable global commercialisation, the Dragon Boat race is still, till today, held with deep reverence in many parts of China in the spirit of its ancient origins.

Like the heroic integrity of the legendary Chu Yuan, the spirit now lives on in Penang, to the beating of the drums and the roaring of the throngs in the thrill and adulation of sheer human prowess.

Courtesy of www.penang tourism.com.my © All rights reserved

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Rope Walk Taman Selat, Butterworth Pulau Pinang

Rope Walk Taman Selat, Butterworth Pulau Pinang 

Location: Taman Selat, Jalan Selat (Jalan Pantai), Butterworth, Penang 12000, Malaysia 

Rope Walk Taman Selat is located near the bus station, train station and the ferry pier Penang and this facilitates visitors to use public transport to visit. Rope Walk Taman Selat same like Rope work Lorong Kulit. An antique market.

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Penang Flea Market -Lorong Kulit

Penang Flea Market -Lorong Kulit

Lorong Kulit - A ragbag and jumble of odds and ends

Love it or loathe it, Penang flea market at Lorong Kulit has gained quite a reputation among Malaysians and tourists alike.

Whether or not the Penang flea market is similar to (or different from) other flea  markets around the world is a matter of  personal opinion but it definitely fits in with the description above, which was taken from the American Heritage Dictionary.

Penangites will tell you that shopping at the Penang flea market cannot compare with shopping in a megamall or modern shopping complex.

Although both are in their own way -  Interesting and colourful, shopping in a modern complex somehow lacks the excitement of uncovering hidden surprises - like discovering a long lost and forgotten treasure under a pile of throw-aways.

The saying that "East is east and west is west and never the two shall meet" holds true when you talk about flea markets and shopping complexes in the same breath. Interestingly, some shopping complexes in Malaysia have introduced the concept of the flea market into their premises, two examples being our very own Prangin Mall (every Sunday from 1 to 8pm) and Amcorp Mall in Kuala Lumpur. But I digress…

I'm not sure when Penang flea market started. As far as I can tell, the place started from humble
(and shady) beginnings at Rope Walk, off Prangin Road. Since then, Penang flea market has grown and
expanded into a semi-legitimate gathering of peddlers selling everything from discarded things to mundane household paraphernalia to genuine antiques and curios.

Why semi-legitimate you ask. Well, the Penang flea market (known to locals as Lorong Kulit, after the road where it is now situated) did have (and still has, I hasten to add) a reputation of being a thieves' market.

If that last bit conjures in your mind images of Scheherazade and a colorful Middle Eastern marketplace filled with scoundrels, thieves, magicians, pirates, princes and treasures, you've got another thing coming.

The only thing reminiscent of Ali Baba and the Thousand and One Nights in Lorong Kulit are old and tarnished brassware, the occasional snake in a basket, old coins and maybe a hookah.

For the record, there occassionally are stolen goods in Lorong Kulit, but they look no different from other used goods on sale. Case in point – a friend who once lost a pair of stilettos was told that she could probably get them back at the flea market!

So off she went with some mean looking relatives (for protection) and lo and behold, there were her
shoes, which were returned to her after some heated threats were exchanged!

Some of the things you get there look too good to be discards, although they are all lumped together. If you look carefully enough, there are bargains to be had -- for example, I once picked up a full 1 ounce bottle of L'air du temps perfume.

It would've cost a couple of hundred ringgit on the market, if you can find it, but I paid RM15 for it. And take it from someone who knows what the real thing smells (and looks) like, this was the real thing, right down to the gold painted doves on the flacon. At those prices, you don't really care to know where the seller got his stuff!

Then there was the time I picked up an old record for RM3. A few months later, it sold on ebay (an online auction site) to a buyer in the UK for US$115. I still have an Indian pressed 78rpm shellac of P. Ramlee and Saloma singing Gunung Payong (from the classic Malay movie Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup) on one side and on the other the more upbeat Chiki Chiki Boom, which I found several years ago at the Penang flea market. The reason why I haven't parted with it is because:
a) P. Ramlee is the most endearing personality in the entire history of Malay cinema.
b) There was a picture in The Star, not too long ago, of Dr. Mahathir dancing to the same record which was spinning on an old fashioned horn phonograph.

There's no telling what you will unearth at the Penang flea market. You may be looking for a particular thing, but come across something else that strikes your fancy, which you were not looking for in the first place. Isn't that the essence of serendipity?

Record collectors will squat patiently while flipping through a pile of dusty, moldy and scratchy records. Behind him, other collectors patiently await their turn. Better to wait than to come back later and find that the best have been taken by another sharp eyed collector.

Article courtesy of www.tourismpenang.com.my © All rights reserved

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Seberang Jaya Hospital (HSJ) 

Seberang Jaya Hospital (HSJ) has been built to meet the demand of around Seberang Jaya. It has prompted the government to begin construction of this hospital in October 1991 to provide health services to the population of seberang Jaya and Seberang Perai. The hospital was built in strategic locations in Seberang Perai Tengah. Where its position near the North South Expressway (PLUS) and Butterworth Kulim Expressway (BKE) and its proximity to the industrial area Prai, Bukit Mertajam and Butterworth.

The hospital was able to provide medical services and quality and effective treatment with expertise in the fields of medicine, surgery, obstetrics & gynecology, orthopedic, anesthesia, pediatrics, pathology, radiology, and dental emergencies. 

http://hsbjy.moh.gov.my

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Beach: Pantai Kerachut

Pantai Kerachut 

 

 

Undisturbed, unspoilt and tranquility is what best to describe Pantai Kerachut. Located at the north-east of Penang Island along the Muka Head cape, it is one of six beaches in Penang National Park.  

This relatively unknown place is normally frequent by locals who went there to explore the lush greenery of Penang National Park and to camp at the designated campsite near the beach. Lately, more and more foreign tourist starts to give this fantastic place, a stop over. 

 Perhaps, it is the charming and alluring beauty of Pantai Kerachut that makes' it, the best gateway to recuperate from the hectic city life.  

There are two ways to get to the beach. First, is by walk/hike and the second is by boat. Taking a boat will be faster and will cost you approximately RM 15 per person (one way). There will be some fishermen boat along the stretch of Teluk Bahang that can brings you there. The price is not fixed, so try bargain for a good price.  

Some hotels along Batu Ferringhi also provides' boat service to this beaches. For example, Golden Sands Resort and Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa.  

Although, you can enjoy a more relaxing boat cruise to this place, walking has become more favored now-a-days. It's because the trails to Pantai Kerachut are much simpler and so much shorter compared to 4 years back. Various signboard are put up, leading you to Pantai Kerachut, Monkey Beach, Muka Head Lighthouse and some others beaches. The walk/hike will take between 1 ~ 2 hour’s journey along the lush greenery and astounding beauty of Penang National Park.  

You'll need to register before heading into the park to prepare for any eventualities in case some of you did not made it back. Registration is of course, FREE!  

Some of the Flora in the forest includes Cashew nuts which are common here. Fully grown timber trees are found inside the forest beyond the coast. Fauna such as bats and birds are very common. Monkeys are a nuisance as they raided campsites for food.  

The calls from a pair of resident stock billed kingfisher in the evening occasionally break the monotonous beating waves and chirping birds. Wild boars and mousedeers are quite common during low tourist seasons. A thing to note is that, you can't find any food or drink sellers on this beach. Therefore, it is essential to bring our own. You wouldn't want to eat something from the wild, right?  

And when evening comes, it is where you can enjoy the breathtaking view of the beautiful sunset, amidst the beatings of endless ocean wave coming down the shores.

Content and Photographs courtesy of penang-vacations.com

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Beach: Pasir Panjang

Pasir Panjang, Pulau Pinang.

Pasir Panjang is a stretch of sandy beach in Balik Pulau, on the southwestern tip of Penang Island, facing the Straits of Malacca. Once Pasir Panjang was just a quiet fishing hamlet, with a handful of fisherman's huts. Today, the huts were gone, taken over by Kem Bina Negara, an outward bound camp.  

A winding hill road leads towards the beach of Pasir Panjang. The place is mostly frequented by picnickers and anglers during the weekend. The beach suffered some damage during the December 2004 tsunami, but has since been cleared of any Tsunami debris. It is a good place for locals to relax and enjoy the beach away from the crowds on the north coast.

 Content and Photographs courtesy of penang-traveltips.com

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