Cultural Beliefs in Housing (Regional Characteristics) Flashcards
The experienced Filipino architect is familiar with the common __ and usually follows them or applies these age-old guidelines in the planning of one’s dream house.
folk beliefs
Many of these beliefs are based on __ that do not have to be overly emphasized.
sound planning practices
It is more advantageous if two faces of the house __. This can be achieved if a corner of the house take in the morning sun. This can be achieved if a corner of the house faces east. In fact, most educated Filipinos are of the belief that the more windows your residence has (or the larger they are), the better the chances of your house absorbing natural and spiritual graces.
take in the morning sun
In __, the front door of the house must face against the flow of a nearby river according to ancient folk beliefs.
Bontoc
In __, the roof of the house must slope following the direction of the incline of the nearby mountains.
Romblon
In the __, 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.
Cordilleras
Among the __, 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.
Ibalois
If one is building a house __, make sure that the roof is not higher than theirs, otherwise, their lives will never progress or will always be worse. A sibling’s house must not be built so close to that of his parents such that rainwater from the eaves of the main house pours onto the roof of the sibling.
within a family compound or between two relatives
In __, 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.
Southern Tagalog
This same clockwise manner of raising the posts is practiced on the island of __ and the belief is that it will make the house windproof.
Romblon
The __ 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.
Tausugs
In the __, 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.
Cagayan Valley
The __ 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).
old folks of Bataan
The __ do not use crooked wooden posts especially the ones with knotholes in them because they are said to symbolize death.
Yakans
In the older communities of __, 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.
Bayambang, Pangasinan
Others swear by the potency of __ sprinkled generously in all footing excavations as preventive measures against anay infestation.
rock salt
Old people also cautions against __ for reuse so as not to lose one’s wealth.
cutting old posts
An orientation towards the __ is also required for stairs.
east
__ 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.
Ilocanos
But builders in __, 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.
Pandi, Bulacan
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 __. This is so in order that good luck from the house would never be washed away with the river’s flow.
facing upstream
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 __. If the stairs are perpendicular to the shoreline, luck may flow in but also flow out with the tides.
run parallel with the shore
Also, it is not advised to place a large window in the wall __ so that good fortune will not easily go out that window. Most Western countries consider it bad luck to __. 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.
directly facing the stairs
walk under a ladder
__ never use the space beneath the stairs as a sleeping quarters.
Tagalogs
The underside of wooden stairs of __ houses are usually completed covered not because of peeping Toms but because the Old folks say so.
Ilonggo
For __, especially the small ones, the cashier or the place where money is kept should not be located under the staircase.
business establishments
In homes, neither should __ be kept there because it translates to treading on the grace of God whenever one goes up or down the stairs.
rice
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 two equal parts.
center
It is believed that the __ of a son or daughter of the house owner inserted in the staircase will strongly bind the stringer with its supporting girder.
dried umbilical cord
Oro
Gold
Plata
Silver
Mata
Death
The __ of Mindanao, however, believe in odd numbering of steps. They also require an odd number of bedrooms.
Yakans
__, on the other hand, count their steps by fours.
Chinese Filipinos
It is advised that doors should not face each other. The people in the north associates this with the __ 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.
easy passage of a coffin
In __, 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.
Sta. Maria and San Miguel, Bulacan
__, 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.
Sunken rooms
Some __ do not want basements altogether because of the belief that only coffins should be found under the ground.
Ilocanos
Old folks of __ advise that the floors of the living and dining rooms must be of the same level. They say the imaginary “ball of fortune” must be able to freely roll across both floors.
Sta. Maria, Bulacan
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 “__” or flat type of roof invented at the turn of the century are avoided as it reminds people of a coffin.
mansard
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 __. 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 the foot nor head of the bed
Neither should you put any bed under a __, 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. Overly strict homeowners do not have exposed beams at all even if these are veneered with different materials.
cross 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 __ associated with bad energies which may affect the good spirits of the people sleeping over these pipes.
unclean fluids
Do not place bedrooms in the __ portion of the house. It is always preferred (luck-wise) that the bedroom floor is higher than the living room. Non-sleeping rooms like library, den, foyer, storage, etc. can be at a lower level than that of the living room.
basement
As anyone who knows Filipino cuisine, __ love to cook (and eat), so most of their dining rooms are situated in the sunniest and brightest locations of the house.
Pampangos
__, on the other hand, prefer subdued lighting because they consider eating a solemn occasion.
Ilocanos
As in other areas of their existence, Filipinos nurture certain superstitions when It comes to building their abodes. These __ 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.
house-building beliefs
Applicable to both house owner and tenant, if the former is not residing in it this superstition is attributed to __ in Central Luzon.
- __ 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 __ as it will bring the residents bad luck.
Pampangos
Palm fronds
cross
Doors should never face __.
west
__ should never face a house’s main door because it is believed that the __ will send out the blessings that are supposed to go inside the house.
Mirrors
During construction, residents or the carpenters working on the house should offer a __ through pouring it to the foundations or posts of the house.
pig or a chicken’s blood
Another thing which should be done during construction is twisting the posts __ before cementing it in its place.
clockwise
It is believed that a child will be lucky if his or her first ever extracted tooth is placed __.
under a house’s 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 “__” in Filipino is said to be full of bad luck for its residence. This also applies to buildings, apartments, and all other structures.
tumbok
An imperative ritual in building a house, perhaps the __ counterpart of the cornerstone laying ceremony, is to imbed the foundation posts with loose coins for good luck.
Ilocano
A house must face __, if it could be helped. Sunshine entering the
front door ushers in prosperity
east
Doors inside houses must not directly __ other doors that leads outside. Easy exits mean money earned may be quickly dissipated and never saved.
parallel
As for stairs, they should always turn __, that being the righteous path. This particular belief applies best to the marital bond. An opposite direction signifies infidelity.
right
Ilocanos of the northernmost part of the Philippines tend to cut down __ trees growing in front of their houses to prevent their daughters from being illicitly impregnated.
aratiles
To make a house typhoon resistant, the posts should be turned __ before being permanently cemented and secured. Allowing the shadow of a post to fall on you while erecting it is a bad omen.
clockwise
Erecting a house in front of a __ will bring bad luck to its occupants, whether it is the original owners or tenants.
dead-end street
Doors should always be on the __ side of the house and the stairs should always turn to the __ to keep a married couple loyal to each other for life.
right
__ must not be constructed higher than the ground for it would demand sacrifice in human life.
Septic tanks
The owner must transfer to the new house __ during the new moon to attract good luck and prosperity, and the first things that must be brought inside the house are salt, rice and coins.
not later than six in the morning
No part of the house should cover or hang over the stump of a __. Neither should a new house overlap any portion of an old house.
newly cut tree
A two-story building that is remodeled into a single story will __ the lives of its occupants.
shorten
A __ that enters the house brings good luck as long as it doesn’t bite any of the occupants. This is probably based on the practice of Filipinos during the Spanish colonial times to keep pythons in the partition between the roof and the ceiling to reduce the rodent population the house.
snake
While number __ bring good luck, number __ is never used as an address number or the number of a story in a building.
7 and 11
13
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 __ and sacrificing its blood to the spirits.
killing a pig or a white chicken
A __ is considered to be haunted and must not be cut down when building a house or else the spirits will attack the construction workers as well as the owner of a house.
Balete tree
