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