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

Huat ah!

You’ve probably heard of auspicious Chinese customs associated with specific milestones in life, like setting up a matrimonial bed for newlyweds or eating longevity noodles on a birthday.

Moving into a new home is no exception, as it comes with its own set of Chinese traditions and rituals believed to bring good fortune. 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

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

To begin the ritual, start the ball (or should we say, pineapple?) rolling by moving it around your new home 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).

If you’re not a fan of how pineapples taste and/or food wastage, you could even consider using a pineapple plushie since the symbolic significance remains.

2. Have your family members bring fresh fruits in

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 in. 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 newly renovated home is always a good practice, simply because it lets out formaldehyde while allowing natural light and fresh air to enter – 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 rice grains, green beans, salt, and tea leaves

Many Chinese also scatter a mixture of rice grains, green beans, salt, and tea leaves in their new homes, as doing so is believed to chase away evil while planting seeds of prosperity in your household.

In particular, it is recommended that you follow the natural flow of your home’s layout. Start from the living room/entryway, before sprinkling the mix in your bedrooms, kitchen, toilets, other home spaces, and back at the entrance again.

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

As it is with Chinese New Year, placing symbols of prosperity around your house after moving in is said to increase wealth luck.

For example, displaying flowers and candy are said to ‘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 home-cooked meal!

Finally, don’t forget to conclude the big move by eating a home-cooked meal with your family.

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! After all, what’s more valuable than your relationships?

This article was originally published on 26 April 2016, and last updated on 5 February 2026.