Indian Superstitions when Moving into a New House

Introduction

By: Shyamli Thakur

India is drowned in endless supernatural beliefs that can either make life a bed of roses or a complete nightmare. Superstitions in India dates back to thousands of years and have been an enormous segment of Indian culture and tradition.

Although, majority of educated Indians call themselves modern and rational, at times they can’t help acting on some prevalent legends.

Therefore it shouldn’t surprise you that Indians mindlessly follow some superstitions even while entering a new house. This is done to ensure that no misfortune befalls you or the new house you’re moving into.

After all, nobody is foolish enough to tempt fate, isn’t it? The myth lingers on that if one doesn’t abide by these legends, the family will be tormented by the evil forces in the house.

Here I’ve master-crafted a list of widespread Indian superstitions while moving into a new house.

Date, day and time matter when moving

Natives of India believe that it’s extremely important to proceed with the relocation endeavor on an auspicious date, day and time. Why you may wonder?

Indians are firm believers that task should be carried out on perfect time to ensure a trouble-free transition to your new abode. For this, a learned priest is consulted who assigns the most suitable date, day and time.

What does the priest do, you may wonder? The answer: the priest refers to the Hindu calendar to analyze some crucial astrological aspects.

From the phases of the moon to lunar mansions to numerology and zodiac, there are certain things to be considered before moving into a new house.

Also, the first day of the lunar calendar and full moon are considered quite auspicious days.  Shifting on these days is believed to bring in lots of fortunes to the inhabitants of the house.

Perform Vastru Pooja (Architectural Worship)

Did you know that architectural flaws of the house affect the wellbeing of the residents to a great extent? This could be the reason Indians put a great emphasis on having ‘Vastru Pooja’.

An expert on the ‘Science of Architecture’ is consulted to eliminate any defect from the construction by pleasing ‘Vastru Purush’, powerful spirit that protects the building!

Vastru Pooja holds the utmost importance and is carried out in several ways as the budget permits. This deeply-rooted tradition ascertains that the house is absolutely free from any negative vitality.

What’s more, you may wonder? This ritual is also believed to shower the house with happiness, prosperity, and stability. This is why you’ll hardly find any Indian who has moved into a new abode without performing Vastru Pooja.

Light the fire when moving into a new house

Fire is one of the five elements of nature and is considered pious all over the world. Similarly, in India, a grand fire ritual is hosted on the threshold of the house to dispel negative energies. The legend claims that the blazing flame produced takes in all the malignant forces.

In order for this ritual to have desired consequences, a learned priest guides the family members to complete the process.  Only then the domestic spirits will be contented, and welcome the family to share the dwelling.

If this superstition is skipped the pestered spirits won’t let the family stay peacefully and unfortunate things take place.

Put forward your right foot first

In India moving into a new house has a plethora of superstitions and woes betide the families who disregard them. One such old-wives’ tale is to step over the threshold of the house with the right foot.

The origin of this myth could be because people are prejudiced that anything on the right can never be wrong. After all right is right!

This has no scientific backing at all but natives of India follow it thoughtlessly for it runs in their blood.

It might surprise you that even the guests are expected to be mindful of which foot they put forth. This simple act is considered a good omen that marks the inflow of endless good fortunes inside the house. Also, make sure to exit through the same door to or it’s taken as a bad omen.

A typical house-warming ceremony

‘Griha Pravesh’ is an Indian version of the house-warming ceremony which is unlike the western way of guests constellating to have a whale of a time.

To commence ‘Griha Pravesh’ a small shrine area is set up with a consecrated figurine of a deity you’ve complete faith in. Other prerequisites for the completion of this ritual are an earthen lamp, incense sticks, and holy water.

All these things are believed to sanctify the house by scattering the existing atrophic energies. Lighting the earthen lamp is presumed to invite light and good fortunes by casting away darkness, literally and figuratively!

Much-believed myth states that incense sticks hold mystical energy to magnify the impact of the prayer recited during the ritual.

 And the holy water consisting of drops from the Ganges River, tap water and cow’s urine is an effective way to purify the house.

Be happy over spilt milk

After the completion of ‘Griha Pravesh’ ritual, it’s customary for the head female figure of the family enters the kitchen to boil milk in an open-pot until it starts to spill.

While some people scoff at this practice, many believe that tradition signifies an abundance of prosperity, wealth and success.

Remember to carry a new broom

On an auspicious day, it’s recommended to double-check that you have not an old broom. In India leaving a used broom in the old house symbolizes leaving past behind and starting afresh. It’s funny because of every other thing is old except the broom!

Why a new broom, you may wonder? Indians assume carrying used broom from the old house to the new haven brings malefic spirits along with it.

Therefore, families purchase a brand new broom to sweep their new place. Although it’s toilsome to trace the root of these centuries-old superstitions, they’re widely believed and can’t be shaken off completely.

Don’t forget to bring the salt

Carrying salt into a new house is one of the most widespread customs that’s followed by the Indians since the dawn of time. The citizens believe that salt is one of the most important staples that every household ought to have. Salt is thought to add flavor to life like it adds flavor every savory dish.

What’s more; the natives also believe that sprinkling a pinch of salt into every room keeps malefic spirits at bay. The areas where salt is carefully scattered are windows and doors.

Why you may wonder? The answer: the Indians opine, this way no malevolent spirit or negative energy will be successful in entering the house.

It’s not just enough to sprinkle salt; an individual should be mindful to vacuum up the salt after 24 hours. This suggests that the owner is also vacuuming up the evil spirits!

Bring Bread

It is quite common for Indians to carry bread when they move into their new abode. In some areas in India people also carry flour to bake bread instead of already prepared bread.

The individuals firmly believe that carrying bread into their new dwelling will bless with sufficient food for their lifetime. The legend also states, doing so ensures that inhabitants will never experience hunger during their stay in the new house.

Moreover, in some parts of India bread also symbolizes hospitality, wealth and prosperity. The superstition states that bringing bread symbolizes that the house will always have an abundance of ration in the store. It is also customary to sprinkle flour or bread in the kitchen and the store-room.

Also, some have blind faith that this ritual will ensure good fortune to the dwellers.  The next day the scattered floor should be cleaned away, but not swept!

Why you may wonder? The answer: Indians rely on the myth that if the flour is swept it’ll negate the positives of what its objective is.

Light the earthen lamp

In India, people have an easy way out to cast out the darkness from their brand new house. The natives are very particular about cleansing the abode when moving into a new home.

This is because of the existence of eons-old superstition that’s deeply rooted in Indian society. According to which illuminating the new house removes any negative energy left at the place from the previous owners.

What’s to be done, you may ask? The answer: illuminating every corner by lighting the earthen lamp gets rid of any negativity in the abode.

To make clearing out old energy more effective for fresh start prayers can be chanted while lighting the lamps. And this way you will be blessed with a house that’s teeming with happiness, contentment, and positive vibes.

Let there be no rain

If you’re not into checking the weather forecast on television, you should when you’re planning to move into a new house. This is not just to ensure that you experience pleasant weather but also because of a widespread myth across India.

 A heavy downpour will definitely dampen the boxes and ruin your priceless belongings. But do you know incessant rainfall can do more?

Apparently, in some Indian states downpour of rain on the day you are shifting into a new house signifies bad omen. The legend states that it’s nature’s way of warning you not to leave for a new house on that particular day.

As a precautionary step, it is highly recommended to postpone the moving day. Majority of people follow this superstition to make everything go right while moving into a new house. After all, you have already waited for quite some time, haven’t you?

Don’t sweep away wealth

Do you think any man in his sense would want to keep the goddess of wealth and good fortune at bay? The universal answer is a big no!

In order to preserve wealth, people from across the world believe in endless numbers of unreasonable superstition. Similar is the case in the country of millions of gods and goddesses- incredible India!

What’s the myth you may ask? The answer: Indians believe that sweeping your new home at night will lessen the riches and valuables that you possess.

It’s said that sweeping the brand-new abode at night keeps goddess Lakshmi, the deity responsible for the incessant flow of wealth, away. While this irrational legend has no logical explanation, the natives follow it mindlessly to keep their wealth intact. After all, no one likes to tempt fate and lose their money!

Let us not get unlucky!

Shifting to a new house is a really big deal as it’s the result of working long hours at work. It is also about cutting down the expenditure on luxury and saving money for years.

So, not a single individual likes to start this beautiful, hard-earned journey on the wrong foot. And they fall in the trap of trying every existing superstition to make the shifting go right and blissful.

In India to make a trouble-free transition to the new abode, natives visit a learned priest-an expert at astrology!

He guides the to-be-inhabitants by analyzing the positions of the stars and gives instructions on when the shifting should commence. This differs from person to person depending upon the astrological aspects like horoscopes.

However, one thing that’s common among every superstition-believer is the days when they are not allowed to move. According to Indians, you should not plan to relocate on Fridays and Saturdays.

The natives consider these two days unlucky for making headway by moving into a new place of residence. If you plan to shift these days, you may also face hurdles in settling in your habitation.

A Lucky day for Moving!

Now this superstition that is quite prevalent in India states the luckiest day to make a move into the new abode.

In order to make the transition super smooth, the astrologers recommend shifting on Thursdays. If you shift on this favored day, you will be blessed with success, prosperity, and happiness.

What’s more: the traditional narrative states that fasting on Thursday while moving into a new house has innumerable benefits. From immense happiness to spiritual fulfillment to attaining salvation, the inhabitants will be blessed with all his needs and wants.

Therefore, natives opine that Thursday-moving opens doors to success, serendipity and satisfaction in life.

Old is gold

Moving into a new house is a life-changing event. It’s like starting your life from the scratch- you clean the place, carry out some rituals and then start to settle. It all seems like a piece of cake, doesn’t it?

However, it’s not always easy to adjust to the new building after you’ve lived in the old one for years. You miss the familiarity of the place, the sense of belonging and the memories that are created.

This makes it a Herculean task to adapt to the new surrounding that has not yet made you comfortable. For this reason, many natives of India believe in the superstition that will let you have a piece of your old dwelling.

The legend states that taking soil of the old dwelling into the new one has the magical power to take your uneasiness away. It is thought to be helpful for you to quickly and effortlessly settle in the new environment.

It is also firmly opined that carrying soil along will bring positive energy from the previous abode.

Witch Shield

Indians believe in the existence of powerful witches who practice black magic to harm the individuals they do not like.

In order to not become a victim to one of the witches’ sorcery, people believe in centuries-old superstitions. And natives fear these deeply-rooted myths when it comes to moving into a new house.

One widespread legend that people dearly follow even after being highly educated is the use of fennel in the new abode. Fennel is a perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves that are believed to have mystical power.

The natives have long believed that fennel magically builds protection against evil influences and negativity. Therefore, it’s a common sight in India to see fennel stuffed into the keyhole to fend off witches’ malignant influence.

Let the ants in

In India, every living creature is believed to have some purposes in life. Natives are a hard-core believer that some animals and insects are the harbingers of good fortune, happiness, and success.

However, others are acknowledged to be a bad omen. Therefore, Indians are forethoughtful that they encounter no creature which invites misfortune on a moving day.

Having said this, the natives also eagerly look forward to getting a glimpse of lucky animals. One such creature is the ant! Ants are teeny-tiny creatures busy in their little world completely oblivious to their importance to human existence.

Indians believe when ants pave their way into the new abode, it signifies inflow of happiness, positivity and wealth in the family. Therefore, if you see an ant, particularly a black one, do not throw it outside or kill it.

Although India is influenced by modern and pop culture, people still abide by these superstitions while moving into a new house to summon positive energy.

Written by: Shyamli Thakur