8 Lucky Chinese Customs to Follow When Moving to a New House

Huat ah!

If a life milestone is concerned, chances are you might know about an auspicious Chinese custom associated with it, like setting up a matrimonial bed for newlyweds or eating longevity noodles on a birthday.

The same applies for moving houses too, where there are various Chinese traditions and rituals which you can perform for good fortune – and here are 8 of them (no more, no less) so that you can kickstart your life in your new home in the luckiest way possible!

1. Roll a pineapple around your house while reciting auspicious phrases

Outside of Chinese culture, it seems that the only relationship that pineapples have with homes is their (former) popularity amongst millennials as a design motif. No doubt these spiky fruits will make for pretty quirky home accessories, but they can also make your new place a luckier one.

In Cantonese, pineapples are referred to as Wong Lei – which also sounds like “come prosperity” (旺来) in the same dialect – hence the tradition of bringing one to a new home.

To begin the ritual, you can start the ball (or should we say, pineapple?) rolling by moving it around your house from the entrance to the bedrooms while repeating lucky Chinese idioms like “吉祥如意” (good fortune according to your wishes) or “开门大吉” (enter good luck).

And once you’re done, DON’T toss the pineapple. Instead, keep it around for a while to let the good luck linger.

2. Have all of your family members bring fresh fruits indoors

Pineapples aren’t the only fruit that you can bring along to invite good luck into your new home. When entering your home for the first time with your family, you’ll want everyone to hold on to either an orange, pomegranate, peach, or apple as they go past the front door because each of these fruits represents something positive.

Here’s what they each symbolise:

• Oranges: Prosperity
• Pomegranates: Opportunity
• Peaches: Health
• Apples: Safety

If you don’t have any of these fruits on hand, you can also hold on to cash or jewellery to signify bringing wealth indoors. In any case, just don't enter empty-handed!

3. Open up all the windows and doors in your home

According to Chinese beliefs, opening every door and window in your house will allow Yang energy to enter unimpeded and purge the surroundings of any evil spirits.

But regardless of tradition, ventilating your home is always a good practice, simply because it allows natural light and fresh air to flow indoors – and that always makes for a better living environment.

4. Turn on all the appliances and leave the taps running (for a short while)

Turning on all the taps and/or appliances is a surefire way to know if everything in your home is working as intended – and in terms of Chinese beliefs, keeping the water and electricity running represents a constant flow of wealth into your home. That said, do remember to shut them off afterward!

5. Light up the kitchen stove and boil a kettle of water

The Chinese practice of lighting up the kitchen stove and boiling a kettle of water is representative of filling your household with warmth and career luck.

It’s also recommended to make tea with the hot water afterward, which you can offer to family and friends to further enhance the congenial atmosphere at home!

6. Scatter a mixture of raw rice, green beans, salt, and tea leaves

To bless every inch of your new home, scatter a mixture of raw rice, green beans, salt, and tea leaves around it while following the natural flow of your house.

You’ll want to start from the living room/entryway, before sprinkling the mix in your bedrooms, kitchen, toilets, other home spaces, and at the entrance again. Doing so is believed to chase away evil while planting the seed of prosperity in your household.

7. Place flowers, sweets, and red packets around the house

Just like during Chinese New Year, placing symbols of prosperity around your house after moving in is said to increase wealth luck.

Displaying lucky items, such as flowers and candy, will ‘sweeten’ your home's atmosphere while storing an ang pow (red packet) or two in your built-ins – especially the cabinets/drawers/safes that you use to store valuables – is believed to aid in ushering in good fortune.

8. Have everyone bond over a delicious homecooked meal!

Finally, don’t forget to conclude the big move by eating a homecooked meal with your family – because what’s more valuable than your relationships?

Having food together at the same table symbolises the equal sharing of wealth, but more importantly, it’s also a sign that everyone’s happy to be in your new home!

This article was originally published on 26 April 2016, and last updated on 30 January 2024.

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