Moving is a big deal for everyone, as it means a new life and a fresh start of your family fortune. As a result, you should proceed with caution. Then, what are the customs to observe and do’s and don’ts in Feng Shui for moving into a new house?
15 Chinese Customs to Observe
1. Do choose an auspicious moving day: it is important to choose an auspicious day for moving into the new house. Cheng Day (”Cheng” means accomplishing in everything), Horse Day (6th day of a lunar month), Ecliptic Day (a day good for everything) and San He Day (a triple harmony day) shall be selected as the lucky day for moving. The inauspicious days, such as Bai Day (a failure day), Break Day (a misfortune day), Heidao Day (a day bad for everything) and other taboo days in folk shall be avoided. If a day offends the zodiac sign of your family member, then it will be unfit for moving.
2. Do move in before the sunset: you’d better move into the new house in the morning or at noon rather than after the sunset and at night. Otherwise, it has the meaning of laboring day and night, going out early and coming home late in Feng Shui.
3. Do clean the house and open the doors and windows for two or three days to ventilate and bring in the auspicious air before moving into the new house.
4. If possible, you’d better set off firecrackers to drive away the evil spirits when you move into the new house.
5. The items to be moved out in the new house shall be handled by others while the items to be moved into the new house shall be handled by your family members.
6. Several items shall be prepared on the moving day: a rice box with 80% rice inside and a red packet on it, for the meaning of enough food after moving into the house; high-end clothing packed in the suitcase, for the meaning of abundant clothing for the whole life. Also, the items above shall be brought into the kitchen or bedroom first before you move other items into the new house.
7. If you have a spirit tablet, do move it in and worship first.
8. Do choose an auspicious hour for bed installation. If there is no auspicious hour available on the moving day, lean the bed against the wall and wait for an auspicious hour to install. Once the bed is installed, you’d better ask a person under the Dragon sign to sit on the bed first.
9. Choose new pillows for your new home. According to Chinese Feng Shui, moving means the transfer of Qi field and the pillows shall be brought into the new house first since head ranks top in terms of Qi field: bring the pillows in the quantity same as that of your family members into the new house first and arrange as per the bed of everyone. Chinese people in Hong Kong, Singapore and other places still have the custom of putting a red pocket with HKD 138 or so inside the pillow for the lucky meaning of ”thriving for the whole life”.
10. On the moving day, boil a pot of water for the symbol of profits pouring in from all sides.
11. Block all kinds of basins and sinks (in kitchen, bathroom, etc.) and turn on the taps to have the water run slowly for the meaning of enormous fortune. Also, you may turn the fans on and blow around rather than to the front door for the auspicious meaning of prospering.
12. Take some earth of the old house to the new in case of being unaccustomed to the new environment.
13. Light up the new house on the moving day until the next day to keep your new home flourishing. Someone even keep the lights on for three days and three nights to achieve the goal of flourishing the new house.
14. Prepare a new dustpan and broom with red cloth or red ribbon and clean from every corner to the center of the house, and then to the front door for the auspicious meaning of cleaning away the old dust and ushering in the new, and having everything go well.
15. Housewarming is required for moving. On the first day or in the first week of moving, you’d better invite as many friends, relatives and neighbors as possible to your new home for housewarming, so as to drive out evil spirits.
Taboos
1. Do not decorate your bedrooms and living room in cold and white colors, such as white curtains and sheets. Instead, you’d better choose the red and festive colors to drive out the Yin and increase the Yang and to improve your family fortune.
2. Keep a good mood and do not lose temper or shout at someone, especially children, on the moving day. The unlucky words shall be avoided.
3. Do not move if you have a pregnant family member or new baby. If you do need to move, make sure the mother-to-be does not participate in the moving and wears a Buddha figure or fetus protection charm. On the moving day, you may boil water, cook and worship at a lucky hour.
4. Do not move in empty-handedly. On the moving day, do hold some living goods or valuables when you enter the new house and never go into the new house with nothing or look back.
5. Do not take an afternoon nap in the new house, or you will be prone to illness after that. At the night of the moving day, you should lie down for a few minutes and get up to work for a while, for the symbol of getting up after sleep.
