Chinese house moving customs

If you think that moving is difficult enough as it is, you may be interested in learning about the procedures involved in a traditional Chinese-Canadian or Chinese-American move, in order to maximize the house's feng shui. Let's examine some of the customs for house moving within Chinese culture.

1. Find a suitably auspicious day for the move according to the birth date of the house owner or patriarch of the family.

2. Before the day of the move, make sure that every lightbulb in the house is working, and leave them all on for three consecutive nights.

3. At the correct time and date of the move, say a prayer before entering the house and proclaim that you are the rightful owner of the house. Also ask any uninvited guests, [bad luck or evil spirits] to leave.

4. Enter the home with your purchase agreement [and marriage certificate if you are a newlywed couple].

5. Before moving any other objects into the home, locate and position the family altar and perform the necessary religious ceremonies for its new installment.

6. Open all doors and windows, and turn on all of the lights, watertaps, heaters, and appliances to clean the house of its old Chi energy.

7. Let the water run and the heaters burn for approximately three minutes to signify the new flow of energy in the house.

8. Guests should now visit the home bringing the five necessities for a kitchen: cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and rice, as well as a brush and broom, a bucket filled with water and pairs of chopsticks.

9. At this point a light meal for your family should be cooked.

10. The furniture should be brought in and placed in accordance with standard feng shui philosophy.

11. Put some newly minted money into a red envelope and store it where you will be keeping the house's money.

12. To represent good fortune, put candy on all the home's tables and desks.

13. Make sure that the patriarch and all family members stay and sleep in the home the first night after moving in.

Some restrictions:
1. On the day of the move, try to avoid disputes and only say good things. [This is probably good advice for people of any culture.]

2. If there is a pregnant woman in the family, she should not be at the home during the move.

3. The after moving in, organize a housewarming party as the presence of guests will bring favorable yang energy to the home.

If you're interested in reading the original article, is located here.

posted by Anonymous @ 4:38 PM