A new home means a fresh start for you and your family and what better way to kick off that new start than with a little luck? Check out some of the ways that people from around the world invite good luck (or prevent bad luck) in their home.
In China, purchasing a home with a ‘4’ in the address is considered back luck because the word ‘four’ sounds similar to the word ‘death’ in Cantonese and Mandarin. Instead, opt for a home with the number ‘8,’ in either the address or asking price, which is a sign of good luck.
According to Irish folklore, the first time you exit your new home, you should leave through the same door through which you originally entered. After you have entered and exited once, you can use any door.
In Russia, it is considered good luck to let a cat enter the house ahead of the owners for the first time. In fact, the largest bank in Russia offered a cat (temporarily, of course) to customers who took out mortgages with them.
Never bring a garden hoe into your home. If you accidently do, immediately walk backwards out the same door through which you entered.
Right here in the USA, tradition says that an old broom will bring along your previous bad luck and misfortune, so leave it behind and pick up a new one. Hanging an evergreen branch in the rafters of your home is also thought to bring good luck as well as a pleasant scent.
You can also sprinkle salt in the doorway and throughout the house to prevent bad karma and ward off evil spirits. As an added bonus, sprinkling salt in your doorway is also a great way to deter ants from crawling in and making themselves at home. (Side note: In the Philippines, black ants are seen as a sign that the owner of the home will become rich.)
A southern legend states that painting your front porch blue will help ward off ghosts because they will mistake it for water, which they are not able to cross.
Although a lot of these ideas sound kind of silly, the fact that they have stuck around for so long must mean something. And it never hurts to hold onto the idea of a little good luck heading your way.
