CNY: Chap Goh Meh #3 - Chap Goh Meh In Tanjung Harapan.

When we reached Tanjung Harapan, we were caught in very bad jam. We moved forward inch by inch and for a long period of time were at a complete standstill. The place was very crowded. How different it was from South Port where we came from.

Kurau was rightly worried about finding a parking space. I was not at all worried except getting to the center of the activities where the esplanade opened out to an observation deck and where a replica of a sailing ship was placed. Opposite this was the entrance to the Port Klang Golf Resort. Kurau’s jaw dropped when I drove straight in, the surprise in his face was priceless and almost worth the yearly subscription I paid but did not make use of.

This was the riotous condition there. Cars double and triple parked. Hawkers were doing roaring business. And the huge crowd milled around, looking at people launching Kong Ming lanterns and each other. There was hardly any space to move. If this is the first place in Malaysia a foreigner was to land, he will think that the population is 99% Chinese and the average age to below 20.

The first thing that hit us as we came out from the club was the sound war blasting on from about a dozen cars with specially soup up audio system. They were turned up at full blast and the deafening sounds were coming from all sides. The sound was so loud that they literally vibrate you. BOOM!!

Though the entrance to this replica ship is closed at night, it did not stop the crowd from finding a way up.

Some more mischievous chaps behaved dangerously trying to impress the girls with their antics.

But the majority of the crowd were well behaved and were justenjoying themselves. Many of those who came in group will buy one of the lanterns and wrote their wishes down. Then, they launched it with much laughter. It was a pleasure even for those who watched.

There were many such groups celebrating the last day of Chinese New Year to end it with a great flourish.

Groups after groups, almost non-stop sending off their lanterns.

The Kong Ming lanterns were a relatively recent introduction, maybe 5 years but not more than 10. Before that, no one in Malaysia and Singapore launches sky lanterns. I guess they were first introduced here by religious (Buddhist) orders. It was a good means of raising funds whereby donor buy the lanterns in the name of charity. They were originally all white in color. These days, it has become very commercialized and the favored color as least during the Chinese New Year period is red.

But where there any one throwing oranges? There were but not as many as expected which was a let-down given that this was the tradition on which the Chap Goh Meh was founded. Here is a girl writing down her wishes (telephone number?) on her orange before throwing it into the sea. There was also one new negative element which I dislike. There were people who went into the water to pick the oranges. Maybe they were curious and wanted to look at the messages which were an invasion of privacy. Surely, they did not want to eat them. There was even one guy with a fishing net. Sigh…

But even among joy, sadness and disappointment were never far away. This group of young boys and girls had set up their lanterns after happily written down their heartfelt wishes. They got together and prayed before letting go of their lantern.

The minute they released it, off it went. With plenty of cheering and clapping and excited laughter. Their pleasures were contagious and their happiness rubbed on to the others watching. They cheered as it took off with vigor. Their wishes were bound to be fulfilled.


As it drifted off to sea, it drifted too close to the stone pillar. There were shouts of concern and frantic appeals. It brushed against the pillar, struggled and then lifted free off it. There were tremendous cheering and everyone were happy. But it was not to be a happy ending. When the paper lantern compressed against the pillar, the side caught fire. Even as it floated up, the sides burned. There were cries of dismay as the lantern burned and lost altitude. Then it lost height and dropped into the sea not far from the shore and sank.

The look on the youngsters' face told it all. There were great disappointments. And among the superstitious, they will wonder if this portend a bad year ahead. I shared in their disappointment but they were not the only lanterns that failed that night.

This was a shot I took from above the ship.

From there, I observed this family got together to launch their lantern. It was nice to see a family together in action.

They released it and off it sailed taking their wishes with them. Of all the launches I saw that night, this was my favorite.