One of the life-changing things I hear about from my OFS and other people’s OFS is how having a full-time job lets them move up in life.
Often, that means moving out of poverty into a middle-class home or neighborhood.
In the Philippines, there are also a lot of traditions and superstitions about moving.
Moving is complicated and exhausting, but as a concept, it’s simple. All you need to do is move your things from your old home to your new home. But in the Philippines, it’s more than that.
Julia, my OFS, explains.
Moving to a new home (lipat-bahay) in the Philippines isn’t just about changing your address. It’s an opportunity to bring in good luck and shake off the bad luck from your previous home. That’s why when moving, we try to follow as many superstitions as we can. Superstitions like:
Finding the ideal time to move.
Apparently, it’s bad luck to move on Fridays, Saturdays, and rainy days.
I understand the rainy days part because most of our moving trucks for hire here are open trucks. We don’t have U-haul here. It sucks when your things get wet.
The superstition of not moving on Fridays and Saturdays, though, doesn’t make sense. That’s when most people have free time, making it easier to ask friends and family to help with the move.
Because of this, when we moved into our home more than 10 years ago, Jam (my husband) had to take a week off from his call center job because it was bad luck to move on a weekend, and we’re not even superstitious.
For good luck, we make sure to be in our new home before 6 am on a new moon day. This is a practical tradition because it helps us avoid the morning rush hour. This also gives us the entire day to unpack and do the other superstitious traditions.
Sprinkling salt and “padugo”
To appease the supernatural spirits that live around our new home, we have to perform a “padugo” (blood sacrifice). This sacrifice is usually the blood of a newly slaughtered pig or chicken poured over or around the house’s foundation.
I know it’s creepy, but there’s a practical aspect to this. The slaughtered pig or chicken would be cooked and served as a meal for the people helping us move. This works in rural areas with space to do this, but it doesn’t make sense in cities with mostly apartments, condos, and small homes. So instead, we buy fresh pig or chicken blood from the market.
Once that’s done, we sprinkle salt around the house to keep unwelcome spirits out.
Traditions to bring in good luck.
The first thing we bring inside our home is a container full of rice. This symbolizes a promise that the people in this home will never go hungry.
We also bring in new brooms and cleaning supplies. This symbolizes letting go of the energy of the old house and welcoming good energy into our new home.
Scattering coins in the corners of every room and burying old coins at the doorstep are done to bring prosperity.
Housewarming blessing and “pausok”
We also have housewarming parties here in the Philippines. But before the party, we would have a blessing and “pausok” (fumigation).
Both traditions are done to drive away evil spirits, and they’re very similar. The blessing usually involves the priest or pastor praying and sprinkling holy water around the house. The “pausok” is done by either an “albularyo” (witch doctor), a priest, or a feng shui practitioner who goes around the house praying while burning incense.
After the blessing and “pausok,” that’s when we have a housewarming party with friends and family.
Housewarming presents
If your OFS is moving to a new home and you want to buy them a housewarming gift, DO NOT buy them knives or sharp objects. It symbolizes discord and a future where you become enemies.
Traditional housewarming gifts like candles, art, and throw pillows are welcome. But if you want to give them something that would bring good luck, consider getting them plants (e.g. lucky bamboo, indoor plants, jackfruit trees), items made of wood (e.g. wooden utensils, abacus, wall art, new brooms), feng shui items (windchimes, laughing buddha, lucky animal sculptures) or mirrors.
I can’t even think of a time when I knew an OFS was moving. They usually keep it to themselves as they don’t want to bother you with their personal life.
…or maybe that’s just a shortcoming on my part in not knowing enough about my OFS personal lives.
John
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