Cultural Beliefs in Housing
East
An orientation towards the ________ is also required for stairs
right
Doors should always be on the __________ side of the house
plata
Ending up_______________ is not too bad either
upstream
If one's lot abuts a river, position the stairs in a way that they are facing _________. This is so in order that good luck from the house would never be washed away with the river's flow
perpendicular to the shoreline
If the stairs are _________________________________, luck may flow in but also flow out with the tides
mountain
If there is no way one can make the stairs face east, at least make them face any nearby ________
four, three
If your home has a slight elevation, choose _______ steps but never _______
face each other
It is advised that doors should not face each other
dried umbilical cord of a son or daughter of the house owner
It is believed that the _____________________________________ inserted in the staircase will strongly bind the stringer with its supporting girder.
living, dining
Old folks of Sta. Maria, Bulacan advise that the floors of the _______ and ________ rooms must be of the same level
coffins
Some Ilocanos do not want basements altogether because of the belief that only ____________ should be found under the ground
basements
Sunken rooms, like ____________ are looked at as pockets of caves where evil spirits can hide
oro
The perfect last step should be
Cordilleras
The ridge of the roof is always positioned at right angles to the ridge of the mountain on which the house stands.
Ilonggo
The underside of wooden stairs of _________ houses are usually completed covered not because of peeping Toms but because the Old folks say so.
center, two equal parts
When planning a structure with two or more storeys, the stairway should not be positioned at the _________ of the structure so as not to divide the building into _______________
overly ornate
___________________ living and dining room ceilings are avoided as it tends to make the ceiling look like a coffin.
Pandi, Bulacan
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.
Bataan
caution against having a solitary post in the middle of a room. It is said to bring misfortune to the family
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.
mata
do not ever end up with
Yakans
do not use crooked wooden posts especially the ones with knotholes in them because they are said to symbolize death
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
oro
gold
parallel with the shore
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 ____________________.
Bayambang, Pangasinan
it is commonly believed that termites (anay) will not enter the house if the bottoms of all wooden posts are first charred
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
heavily laden
mabigat ang kabuhayan
death
mata
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
Tagalogs
never use the space beneath the stairs as a sleeping quarters
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.
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
Southern Tagalog
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.
plata
silver
business establishments
the cashier or the place where money is kept should not be located under the staircase
Cagayan Valley
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.
Bontoc
the front door of the house must face against the flow of a nearby river according to ancient folk beliefs
Romblon
the roof of the house must slope following the direction of the incline of the nearby mountains
Sta. Maria and San Miguel, Bulacan
wide doors facing each other are considered lucky, especially if they lead to the terrace or garden