After collecting the keys for our new HDB BTO, we were quite unsure about how to go about the door opening rituals and ceremony. We managed to find out more about the procedures after doing some research. Our auspicious date to open the door was calculated by a Feng shui master. You can read about our experience with Master David Tong here. If you are not particular, you can simply choose a date using this online almanac.
1. Roll a Pineapple!
On opening day, we went up to our new house and knocked three times on the door before opening it. As I entered the house, I rolled a pineapple to the middle of the living room and shouted HUAT AH. This symbolizes ushering in of prosperity and wealth. For the fun of it, I rolled the pineapple to all corners of the house (except the toilet) while shouting HUAT AH. As we walked around the house, we said many auspicious phrases loudly too. Below are eight popular phrases you can use.
大吉大利!
甜甜蜜蜜!
幸福美满!
身体健康!
招財進宝!
龙马精神!
财源广进!
HUAT AH!
2. Open all the Doors and Windows
Next, we quickly opened all the doors and windows. This brought much needed wind and fresh air into the house. It also symbolizes the renewal and cleansing of Qi energies in the house. Make sure you bring along a door stopper for your main door so that you can let wind in, if not it will be very hot!
3. Sprinkle Salt at All Corners of the House
After that, we sprinkled salt at all corners of the house. This is because salt is believed to be able to chase away spirits and ghosts, which hide in corners. We threw the final remaining salt out of the house to symbolize getting rid of all the “unclean” things.
4. Sprinkle Green Beans and Rice All Over the House
Next, we sprinkled a mixture of rice and green beans all over the house, including the toilet and service yard. Rice represents abundance of food.
As for the green beans, the sprouting of the beans is supposed to symbolize many offspring. I believe that this was a practice in the old days when the beans could sprout in the Kampong houses. However, since this is not possible in the HDB context, we brought a plastic container with wet cotton wool instead and planted the beans on top (in addition to sprinkling on the floor). We placed the container in the middle of the living room beside the fruits.
5. Put Fruits in the Centre of the Living Room
We also put plenty of fresh fruits in the middle of our living room! Below are the fruits we brought. There is no strict rule to this and you can put any fruits you want except for pears.
5 Apples (symbolizes safety)
5 Oranges (symbolizes prosperity)
5 Pomegranates (symbolizes opportunities)
One bunch of Grapes
One bunch of Bananas
6. Religious Rituals
Our parents performed some religious rituals as well. We will not go into details for this because it varies based on different people and types of religions.
7. Clear all the Items 3 Days Later
We left the house feeling happy that we had gotten to a good start for our home journey. About one week later, we went back to clear all the items. We were very happy to see that the green beans had sprouted beautifully!
Do take note that you must wait for a minimum of three days after your door opening date to clear the items. And you can only clear the green beans after they have sprouted. After opening the door for the first time, you can go in with anyone anytime after that day; there is no need to wait till three days later. This is according to our Feng shui master.
8. Logistics
Below is a consolidated list of things to bring for your door opening day:
One pineapple
List of auspicious phrases saved on your phone for reference
Door stopper for main door (important to let wind in)
One container of salt
One container with mixture of green beans and rice
Bottles of water (for drinking in the hot weather, and for the green beans)
One container with cotton wool (for the green beans)
Five Apples
Five Oranges
Five Pomegranates
One bunch of grapes
One bunch of bananas
Newspaper or mat for laying the fruits
Small stools for resting (optional but very useful)
Conclusion
And that’s it! Please take note there are actually no strict rules to the rituals and procedures above. You will find many variations across different websites. For us, the most important thing was to bring positive energy into the house as we entered it for the first time. Therefore, we said many auspicious phrases and basically just had a fun time. There is no need to feel stressed out if you forgot any of of the items or procedures. I hope you found this article useful for your HDB BTO door opening!