Posted January 6, 200817 yr I just got a resale flat. I understand there are a few rituals I have to go through for the flat1. Open door2. Dong tu (before reno)3. Xie tu (after reno)4. Lu Zai ( move in)5. An Sheng ( place altar)I read in the forum that I need auspcious dates . Also I have to carry out some ritualsFor the Open door and Lu zai i found it in the forumBut for dong tu and xie tu and an sheng I didnt see any.I read differing views on these 3 rituals. Could you tell me what needs to be done ?Thank you
Posted January 11, 200817 yr Staff Dear Tomas, In general, when we first open door; symbolically we want to "deposit" wealth into the new home or apartment. Start of renovations is often done. Here, the most simple procedure is to bring a hammer or a screw driver if we do not have the hammer and before starting renovations, usually say in mandarin " To all the gods, apologies, as I or we are starting renovations on ..... such a such a date." Afterwards, just knock three times on the floor or some on the wall. Usually Hokkiens practice more "simple procedures". Many Cantonese on the other hand, have the concept of 5-ghosts or spirits i.e. spirit or god of North, South, East, West and Central =5 ghosts (not bad ones but they are"ghosts" = gods). Thus, someCantonese may wantto knock all4 corners: North, South , East and West and on thecentrepointpoint floor = centre and place 5 types of fruits (or pray with them). As there is the Hokkiens, there are the Cantonese, there are the Teochews, Hakka etc.. That is why there are somany differingprocedures. For example, for the 1st time open door,throwing in pineapple usually by the Hokkiens/ Teochews aspineapple sound like "ONG LYE" or prosperity come... Therefore,frankly there is no right or wrong procedures! If we analyse carefully, as mentioned earlier.. open door = usually try to deposit some wealth be it throw a pineapple etc... In this modern day, many couples new purchased their home and really have no time to do all the procedures! The best that they may do most of thetime are:- 1. Open door procedure 2. Start of renovations (sometimes, delegated to contractors) 3. End of renovations(nowadays.. in modern times.. for a tinyapartment.. usually not done - Many couples find it "time wasted" just to take leave to perform this.) 4. move-in. Frankly, if we don't do para 3, still won't "die" or have dire repercussions. In fact, for every 1 person who does para 1 to 4, there are at least 5 more who don't even do the above procedure. Thus, if one is so particular about wanting to do the above procedure, best is to look for your immediate family members : elders be it parents, grand parents or uncles or aunties to check what procedure could be done based on often one's dialect group. I would normally recommend para 1, 2 (skip 3) and go for 4. 1 and 4 can be found in this forum. As for para 2, I have elaborated a simple procedure, above. Some even go as far as burning joss papers, light up joss sticks / candles.. No right or wrong answer... Warmest Regards, Cecil Quote: Tomas Ka wrote: I just got a resale flat. I understand there are a few rituals I have to go through for the flat 1. Open door 2. Dong tu (before reno) 3. Xie tu (after reno) 4. Lu Zai ( move in) 5. An Sheng ( place altar) I read in the forum that I need auspcious dates . Also I have to carry out some rituals For the Open door and Lu zai i found it in the forum But for dong tu and xie tu and an sheng I didnt see any. I read differing views on these 3 rituals. Could you tell me what needs to be done ? Thank you
August 1, 20205 yr Hi Master Lee, I would like to enquire any prayer required for renovating our current staying hdb flat? Thank you!
August 1, 20205 yr Staff 32 minutes ago, Cy12 said: Hi Master Lee, I would like to enquire any prayer required for renovating our current staying hdb flat? Thank you! It is nice to do so. The ceremony varies with many people. As there are free thinkers, religious persons etc... other than Christians do not believe in such things. Given the diversity even for the Chinese, one source could be to seek the advice from matriarch (Such as a grandmother) of a family or parents.
November 29, 20204 yr Staff Chinese charcoal stove. In the past this was a popular item. Nowadays, harder to find or purchase. Not like one can go to a supermarket to do so.
April 19Apr 19 Staff Hi Master Lee, we have couple of questions. I hope you can help… 1) can an auspicious date for the couple be used as the date to start the hacking of the walls and floors of the house as in 动土? 2) is removing of old cabinets without hacking walls and floors considered 动土 ? 3) is removal of the trees outside in the yard areas considered as 动土？ 1. Indeed, the dates can be chosen for any favorable events. 2. It is advisable to proceed cautiously and view this as a component of renovations. Therefore, any dates that are not extremely inauspicious will suffice. 3. Some traditionalists regard this as the commencement of renovations. Considering the multitude of dates available, which range from highly auspicious to merely average or mixed blessings, there is no disadvantage in selecting a date to accommodate all three aspects. Both are average dates. As mentioned above not perfect but still acceptable. Since they are not inauspicious or very inauspicious days
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