CULTURAL

BELIEFS IN
HOUSING
(REGIONAL
CHARACRTERISTICS)

CULTURAL BELIEFS IN HOUSING

( REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS )
The experienced Filipino architect is familiar with the common folk
beliefs and usually follows them or applies these age-old guidelines
in the planning of one's dream house.
Many of these beliefs are based on sound planning practices that
do not have to be overly emphasized for example :
In Bontoc, the front door of the house must face against the flow of
a nearby river according to ancient folk beliefs. In Romblon, the roof
of the house must slope following the direction of the incline of the
nearby mountains. In the Cordilleras, it is different. The ridge of the
roof is always positioned at right angles to the ridge of the
mountain on which the house stands.
Among the Ibalois, a Benguet ethnic group in the Cordilleras, it is
customary to give ample space underneath their houses by
elevating their floors to accommodate the future tomb of the owner
to ensure perpetual guidance over the house the dead leaves
behind.

Posts
In Southern Tagalog, posts are erected following this
procedure: posts are laid with their bottom ends at the
footing on the ground and the top ends pointing towards the
east. The post nearest the east is the first to be raised.
The same procedure is followed for the other posts, one after
the other in a clockwise direction as one reads the plan. This
same clockwise manner of raising the posts is practiced on
the island of Romblon and the belief is that it will make the
house windproof.
The Tausugs equate the building of a house to the
development of a fetus. They believe that the first to appear
in a woman's womb is the navel. Hence, the first post to be
erected should be the main post within the interior of the
house.
In the Cagayan Valley, meanwhile, the first post to be raised
is the one positioned nearest to the northeast. But this is
done after the footings have been sprinkled with wine.

The old folks of Bataan caution against having a solitary

post in the middle of a room. It is said to bring misfortune to
the family. This belief is also common in Tagalog areas and
it is said that posts situated this way augur a "heavily
laden" life (mabigat ang kabuhayan).
The Yakans do not use crooked wooden posts especially the
ones with knotholes in them because they are said to
symbolize death.
In the older communities of Bayambang, Pangasinan, it is
commonly believed that termites (anay) will not enter the
house if the bottoms of all wooden posts are first charred.
Informed master carpenters, however, suggest that these
bottoms not just be charred but tarred as well. Others
swear by the potency of rock salt sprinkled generously in all
footing excavations as preventive measures against
anayinfestation.
Old people also cautions against cutting old posts for reuse
so as not to lose one's wealth.

STAIRS
An orientation towards the east is also required for stairs. Ilocanos
position their stairs so that they rise with the morning sun. To them,
if it were the other way around, meant turning one's back on fate.
But builders in Pandi, Bulacan, just like many typical Filipinos,
believe that a stairway facing east is considered bad luck because,
they say, anything facing the early sun dries up ahead of all others,
and in the same token, wealth taken into the house will dry up
much faster.
If there is no way one can make the stairs face east, at least make
them face any nearby mountain. If one's lot abuts a river, position
the stairs in a way that they are facing upstream. This is so in order
that good luck from the house would never be washed away with
the river's flow.
In the same way, if the proposed house is beside the sea, or if one
is building a beach house, plan the stairs in such a way that they
run parallel with the shore. If the stairs are perpendicular to the
shoreline, luck may flow in but also flow out with the tides.

Most Western countries consider it bad luck to walk under a

ladder. Actually, this can be taken more as a safety precaution
than a superstition. Locally, one should not make a
passageway any area under the stairs.
Tagalogs never use the space beneath the stairs as a sleeping
quarters. The underside of wooden stairs of Ilonggo houses are
usually completed covered not because of peeping Toms but
because the Old folks say so.
For business establishments, especially the small ones, the
cashier or the place where money is kept should not be located
under the staircase. In homes, neither should rice be kept there
because it translates to treading on the grace of God whenever
one goes up or down the stairs.
When planning a structure with two or more storeys, the
stairway should not be positioned at the center of the structure
so as not to divide the building into two equal parts.
It is believed that the dried umbilical cord of a son or daughter
of the house owner inserted in the staircase will strongly bind
the stringer with its supporting girder.

ORO, PLATA, MATA

Thereare guidelines, too, governing the number of steps in

one's stairs. Starting with the first landing, count the steps
using the wordsoro(gold),plata(silver), andmata(death).
The perfect last step should beoro. Ending upplatais not
too bad either but, understandably, do not ever end up
withmata. This ruling is strictly observed especially if it
involves the first steps going into the house. If your home
has a slight elevation, choose four steps but never three.
The Yakans of Mindanao, however, believe in odd
numbering of steps. They also require an odd number of
bedrooms. Chinese Filipinos, on the other hand, count their
steps by fours.
This building belief is not limited to stairs alone.

DOORS

It is advised that doors should not face each other. The people in the
north associates this with the easy passage of a coffin through two
doors that directly face each other. Most regions in the country also
avoid positioning the main gate of the lot opposite the main
entrance of the house itself.
In Sta. Maria and San Miguel, Bulacan, however, wide doors facing
each other are considered lucky, especially if they lead to the terrace
or garden
One's door also should not directly face one's neighbor's to avoid
future conflicts with the said households and to avoid wrestling with
each other for the possession of the luck that passes in front of both
your houses.
Doors should always be on the right side of the house and the stairs
should always turn to the right to keep a married couple loyal to
each other for life. Doors erected on the left side of the house and
stairs that turn to the left will encourage infidelity.

LIVING ROOMS

Sunken rooms, like basements are looked at as pockets of

caves where evil spirits can hide. It is balanced off only
when an exit lower than the said room is provided.
Some Ilocanos do not want basements altogether because
of the belief that only coffins should be found under the
ground.
Old folks of Sta. Maria, Bulacan advise that the floors of the
living and dining rooms must be of the same level.
Overly ornate living and dining room ceilings, especially
those with cornices, moldings, and other superficial
decorations are avoided as it tends to make the ceiling look
like a coffin. Even the "mansard" are avoided as it reminds
people of a coffin

BEDS AND BEDROOMS

It is advised that one must plan the doors of one's bedrooms in
such a way that when it is opened, one would face neither the foot
nor head of the bed. There should always be ample space between
the door and the bed itself.
Position the bed such that the headboard does not rest against a
window opening. Neither should you put any bed under a cross
beam, regardless of whether the beam is of wood or concrete, and
position the bed so that the occupant will not be lying
perpendicular to the beam.
For houses with second floors, it should be observed that no
drainage pipe runs inside or under the floor where the bed is
located. Drainage pipes contain unclean fluids associated with bad
energies which may affect the good spirits of the people sleeping
over these pipes.
Do not place bedrooms in the basement portion of the house. It is
always preferred (luck-wise) that the bedroom floor is higher than
the living room

BRIGHT DINING ROOMS

As anyone who knows Filipino
cuisine, Pampangos love to cook (and
eat), so most of their dining rooms
are situated in the sunniest and
brightest locations of the house.
Ilocanos, on the other hand, prefer
subdued lighting because they
consider eating a solemn occasion

OTHERS CULTURAL BELIEFS IN

HOUSING

As in other areas of their existence, Filipinos nurture certain

superstitions when it comes to building their abodes. These
house-building beliefs are as amusing as they are intriguing.
The origins of these now widely held superstitions can be
traced back to the traditions of particular ethnic groups.
Applicable to both house owner and tenant, if the former is
not residing in it, this superstition is attributed to Pampangos
in Central Luzon.
Palm fronds are popular in Filipino houses especially for
Roman Catholic families.
In planning and designing the house, people should refrain
from having their house in the shape of a cross as it will bring
the residents bad luck.
Doors should never face west

 Mirrors should never face a houses main door because it is

believed that the mirror will send out the blessings that are
supposed to go inside the house.
During construction, residents or the carpenters working on
the house should offer a pig or a chickens blood through
pouring it to the foundations or posts of the house.
Another thing which should be done during construction is
twisting the posts clockwise before cementing it in its place
It is believed that a child will be lucky if his or her first ever
extracted tooth is placed under a houses roof.
People should never sweep the floor in the evening going to
the direction of the main door and outside the house.
A house that is built in the middle of a crossroad and faces
the dead end or what is called tumbok in Filipino is said to
be full of bad luck for its residence. This also applies to
buildings, apartments, and all other structures.

 An imperative ritual in building a house, perhaps the Ilocano

counterpart of the cornerstone-laying ceremony, is to imbed
the foundation posts with loose coinsfor good luck.
A house must face east, if it could be helped. Sunshine
entering the front door ushers in prosperity.
Doors inside houses must not directly parallel other doors
that lead outside. Easy exits mean money earned may be
quickly dissipated and never saved.
As for stairs, they should always turn right, that being the
righteous path. This particular belief applies best to the
marital bond. An opposite direction signifies infidelity.
Ilocanos of the northernmost part of the Philippines tend to
cut downaratilestrees growing in front of their houses to
prevent their daughters from being illicitly impregnated.
To make a house typhoon-resistant, the posts should be
turned clockwise before being permanently cemented and
secured. Allowing the shadow of a post to fall on you while
erecting it is a bad omen

 Erecting a house in front of a dead-end street will bring bad luck

to its occupants, whether it is the original owners or tenants.
Doors should always be on the right side of the house and the
stairs should always turn to the right to keep a married couple
loyal to each other for life.
Doors should not be built facing each other for it portends that
money will come in easily but will also rush out quickly.
Septic tanks must not be constructed higher than the ground for
it would demand a sacrifice in human life.
The owner must transfer to the new house not later than six in
the morning during the new moon toattract good luck and
prosperity, and the first things that must be brought inside the
house are salt, riceand coins.
No part of the house should cover or hang over the stump of a
newly cut tree. Neither should a new house overlap any portion
of an old house.
A two-story building that is remodeled into a single story will
shorten the lives of its occupants

 A snake that enters the house brings good luck as long

as it doesnt bite any of the occupants. This is probably
based on the practice of Fili pinos during the Spanish
colonial times to keep pythons in the partition between
the roof and the ceiling to reduce the rodent population
the house.
While number 7 and 11 bring good luck, number 13 is
never used as an address number or the number of a
story in a building.
An injury to a construction worker while a house or
building is being erected is an omen of bad luck that
can be neutralized by killing a pig or a white chicken
and sacrificing its blood to the spirits.
A balete tree is considered to be haunted and must not
be cut down when building a house or else thespirits
will attack the construction workers as well as the
owner of a house.