What are the Chinese Customs for Moving House that you know or you wish to know?

Do your postings on your understanding to the Customs.

If you wish to know more on a certain custom, do feel free to open a new thread for that, I'm sure that there are members who are willing to share with you..

I was taught the following:

i) Need to choose an auspicous date and time. One quick source is the Tung Shu, but better consult a deity or a priest;

ii) If you pray to any deity/buddha, must invite them in first;

iii) Have a charcoal burner (with red hot charcoal burning) placed in front of the front door;

iv) sprinkle salt and rice before moving in ( you will have abundant food and prosperity);

v) The main bread winner must be the first person to 'enter' the house, enter walking backwards, walk over the charcoal burner;

Some superstitions:
1. Do not place your bed under a beam. (The 'sa' chi is too strong. It will put you under tremendous pressure at all time)
2. Do not have cupboards to left and right of bed cos you'll be surrounded by wood, like a coffin.
3. Do not sleep with your legs facing the door. (This is the way one put a dead corpse!)
4. Do not have window or back door directly facing main door because fortune will flow out.
5.Your house cannot be at the intersection of a T junction. cos all bad luck flowing to you or something.
6. Always points your burner's output outlets towards your best direction.
7. Place mirror or reflective materials into wall of your stove. (this will ensure you're always very 'wan'! i.e. prosperous).

Hi Bro Reborn,

Yes, almost all of your points are what people practising today.

Why people are doing all these?

Cos all people are hoping that after they have move into the new house, all their luck can change, good luck will shine on all the family members.

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But due to different Masters and dialect groups, some of the process or the things that they using will have slight different.

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Tong Shu (a book of wonderful knowledge left behind by our ancestors) is a MUST book for referencing of Moving House date, time, etc.

In Tong Shu (or some will refer to other books like Yu Jia Zi, etc), Good dates and timings will be written out clearly, so for those new generations youngsters do not worry of dont know how to do own referencing.

But for some older generations, they will still refer to Lao Xian Sheng (old mister on refering of tong shu) for the Good dates and time.

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For New Age couples or families, they will like to engage People with Feng Shui ability and Crystal Stones' knowledge to help them in the organising of their home layout.

Sometime the results are quite good.

dear all,
there is one ritual that my family has passed down from the previous generations and still adhered to today is before even putting the altar into new homes, the head of the house, normally males will take the "huat soh" and bless the 5 corners outside and inside of the house to sort of invite the 5 generals and to post a guard around the house. the main reason is to protect the house from unwanted speels and curses to enter the vicinity of the house and create negative effects.
regards
CT

One very important omission:

Must pray to TuDi gong first before moving in.
A simple prayer to be done in the middle of the main hall.
Requires:

i) A pair of candles,
ii) Five joss sticks,
iii) five different type of fruits; best to use pineapple(for luck), banana(to invite lucky star), orange(for wealth), apple(for peace), pear (for everything to go smoothly),
iv) A 'huat kua' for prosperity,
v) five sets of TuDi gong praying materials (can get from any kimchua shop).

Although we own the house, but we must respect TuDi gong as he owns the land!

Pls dont forget the "HAO XIONG DI" @ the particular area ,need to pray n burn kim chua to them also. This is to po bi all ppl staying there CHU RU PING AN.

Yes totally agree if not things will go haywired man...... must pray to the five corner of the house right kf?

Sorry Bro,
miss this topic for qui some times.
Actually for 'Hao Xiong Di' need not to pray to the five corner of the house, can pray at corrider or at the void deck.

Chinese Customs And Culture For House Moving
by Wilson Chang
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Find a suitable auspicious day and time according to Tong Shu/Sheng (The Chinese Almanac); the selection of auspicious date should take into consideration of the birth data of the family members, but priority is given to the house-owner/patriarch.

Prior the appointed date, light up the house for 3 consecutive nights (do make sure that all the light bulbs are working).

i) At the appointed auspicious day and time (usually before noon and do move in before noon), before entering the house, say a prayer at the door and proclaim that you are the rightful owner of the house and claim for its ownership and possession and politely ask any 'uninvited guest' to leave (or perform religious ritual/rite according to your religious beliefs).

ii) Enter the house with your sale and purchase agreement (and marriage certificate for newly wed couple).

iii) Before moving other things in, locate and position the altar, and perform the necessary sacred ceremony/rites.

iv) Open all the door, windows, lights, water pipe, heater, electricity/gas appliance (to make sure and declare everything is functioning). We clean the energies or Qi in the house by opening all the windows to let fresh air flow through the house.

v) Let the water run and gas burn for approximately 3 minutes - this is to signify the flow of energy/qi in the house.

vi) Now invite others to come in (and no one should enter empty handed) Bring the 5 necessities for kitchen (cooking oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, rice) and some Chinese customs say bring a: brush and broom, bucket filled with water, pairs of chopstick or fork and spoon. (Some Chinese even bring a charcoal cooker with burned charcoal from the old/parents' house to symbolize the "Passing on" of a generation or some said, representing a "burning success").

vii) Cook some things, boil a kettle of water and cook some things sweet and/or a light meal with your family members.

viii) If the furniture was placed in previously [see note below] (they should not be placed at the exact location) position them properly at the appropriate location.

xi) If the furniture has not been place in, put them in now.

xii) Put NEW money/red pocket at where you should normally keep your money - desk drawer/safe, preferably the wealth corner.

xiii) Put sweets on all tables and desks - stands for good fortune.

xiv) Pack enough clothing for (at least) a night stay (because of clause 15).

xv) make sure that you and the family members stay and sleep for the night after moving in.

Note:
Don't move house when there is a pregnant woman in the family, or at least the pregnant woman should not be at the scene on the day of moving.

At the day of moving, say good things, and avoid any dispute.

Some Chinese folks use mixture of salt and rice for house cleansing purposes, but I believe a prayer would do.

After moving in, organize a 'house-warming' party for lunch or dinner; the presence of guests would bring favourable 'Yang/Sheng Qi' to the house.

There is no need to move 'everything' in at the appointed date, other minor things can be moved in at a later time.

It is Chinese custom to assemble the cooker and the bed on another date (according to auspicious date from the Tong Shu) before the moving in date. But then the cooker should be dis-assembled from its connector, and the bed not placed at its exact intended location. The bed-sheet of the bed should only be made at the moving in day.

Any charms or talismans at the old house should be properly disposed off. There is no need to follow the above rules/recommendations rigidly, as I have pointed out in the heading, it is a custom that was developed and has evolved with time.

This article is reprinted with permission courtesy of Feng Shui Times, a Feng Shui e-Zine that encompasses Feng Shui, Chinese culture, Buddhism and other related topics.

Wilson Chang
Wilson Chang is a Feng Shui scholar with years of experience in researching Chinese culture, tradition, literature an Feng Shui. He is a student of Grand Master Yap Cheng Hai and has studied under a number of other Feng Shui Masters as well. He is very active on quite a few discussion lists.