Unusual Superstitions in Different Countries When Buying a New Home

Moving to a new home has always been an important event in the life of any person and their entire family. It is not surprising that many cultures have a variety of traditions, rituals, and superstitions associated with housewarming. By observing these rituals, people sought to protect their home, gain well-being and prosperity.

From this material, you will learn which location is considered the most successful for the location of a house, which days are considered favorable for moving, and who should enter the new home first. We will also tell you what signs and rituals realtors adhere to.

Ancient Eastern Customs

In Eastern countries, a whole layer of unique traditions associated with housewarming has formed. For example, in Hinduism, it is customary to invite a Brahman to bless a new home. According to the scriptures, the priest must fumigate the premises with incense and recite special mantras.

In China, there was a ban on moving on certain “unlucky” days according to the lunar calendar.

Among Japanese customs is the sign that a young and healthy man should be the first to enter a new house in order to bring good luck to the family.

Traditions of the Peoples of Europe

Many European nations had their own signs and rituals of housewarming. The Slavs, for example, before moving, first allowed pets into the new house — a cat or a chicken. In this way, the house was, as it were, “tested” for the presence of evil spirits.

In Finland, during housewarming, it is customary to welcome the family with bread and salt — a symbol of well-being. And in Britain, there was a belief that the first time through the threshold, you needed to enter with your right foot.

In Ireland, it was a tradition to leave an old house through the same entrance through which you first entered. Not doing this will lead to bad luck. Also, to attract happiness, it was recommended to count the corners in each room of the new apartment on the first day.

Indigenous Customs

In the cultures of the indigenous people of America, Africa, and Oceania, there are many interesting rituals and beliefs about a new home.

Many Indian tribes, including the Navajo, performed special ceremonies before building a house to gain approval from the spirits of the land. Rituals of fumigation and the offering of gifts were widely practiced.

In Zulu culture*, celebrations and ritual dances played an important role before moving to a new home, which was supposed to gain the favor of the spirits of their ancestors.

* The Zulus are an African ethnic group living primarily in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Their number is about 10 million people.

Modern Signs and Advice for New Residents

In the modern world, many ancient pagan rituals have gradually faded into the background, but some harmless superstitions are still preserved in the cultures of different peoples. For example, in the US, when numbering floors, many developers skip the number 13, and some buyers do not close deals on Friday, the 13th.

Here are some tips that are still common today for all occasions:

• If you adhere to the Feng Shui technique, you need to take into account that a T-shaped intersection is considered an undesirable location for a house. The ideal option is a location near the water.
• It is best to move to a new home during the warm season. An old belief says that moving in the winter can bring cold and problems into your home. It is also better not to move during a leap year — this is what Asian tradition says.
• According to one belief, the best days to move are Thursday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday are considered unlucky. There is even a saying: “If you move on Saturday, you won’t sit still for long.”
• When entering a new home, it is customary to cross the threshold with bread or salt in your hands — it is believed that this will attract wealth and well-being to the house.
• It is better not to bring old, broken things and trash into a new apartment/house. According to beliefs, this can attract problems and failures.
• It’s best to celebrate a housewarming before you unpack your belongings. It is also believed that the more children present at the celebration, the better.
• The first thing you should do in your new home is light candles or lamps. It is believed that fire will attract light, life and warmth.
• Make sure that a black cat or a pessimist does not cross the threshold of the house first — this is a bad omen. The ideal “pioneer” is considered to be a happy young housewife with a baby in her arms.
• Some cultures recommend leaving offerings of salt, coins, incense, or grain in the corners of rooms and under thresholds. This way, you will supposedly appease the guardian spirits of your new home.
• When moving to a new apartment in a high-rise building, it is considered a good sign to hang a mirror first. It should reflect negative energy from the house.

Of course, you should not unconditionally take all these beliefs seriously. However, a respectful attitude towards the traditions of ancestors and a bit of superstition can make the moving process a more vivid and memorable event.

What Signs do Realtors Follow?

In the work of realtors, in addition to their direct responsibilities, there are also various signs and rituals that they try to follow for successful transactions.

One of the signs says that when inspecting an apartment or house, potential buyers should enter first, and if it is a couple, the woman should cross the threshold first.

The realtor is not recommended to take off his shoes during the showing; it is better to wear shoe covers so as not to “get energetically attached” to this property and not complicate its sale.

You cannot talk about a completed transaction in advance or plan to spend the proceeds before the actual closing — this may “scare it off.”

If the buyer stumbles or clings to the threshold/jamb during inspection, the sign foretells that he will return and make a purchase.

If the seller refuses the first buyer he comes across with an acceptable price offer, then the apartment or house may remain stuck on the market for a long time.

Failure to show a property, even for a good reason, may mean that the next time you try to view the property, the property will not be purchased.

But if, on the day of concluding one transaction, the realtor conducts a showing of another property, it will most likely turn out to be successful.

Beginners are advised to purchase a leather wallet after the first transaction and put a large bill from the reward received into it. With each new successful operation, it is recommended to replenish the collection of such “lucky” bills.