CULTURAL
HOUS ING 1 A | FE RNANDO, KHEA M I COLE MAY B.
BELIEFS IN
HOUSING
different cultural aspects and regional characteristics
affecting the design or development of housing
The experienced Filipino architect is
familiar with the common folk beliefs and
usually follows them or applies these age-
Things old guidelines in the planning of one’s
to discuss
dream house.
Many of these beliefs are based on sound
planning practices that do not have to be
overly emphasized.
Different cultural
beliefs applied
On choosing a lot, Other regional
On construction
planning spaces characteristics
Filipinos have gone a long way from the single- Besides the padugo, ritual sacrifice for the land is Different applications of beliefs that vary with regions
roomed bahay kubo, and with design logic partly necessary to please the spirits and entities who might in the country
practical and partly based on superstition has be displaced, or who might become our “neighbors.”
developed to determine the best ways to layout and All over the archipelago, there are variations as to
partition our homes. what constitute proper alay to ensure a successful
project
It is more advantageous if two
faces of the house take in the
morning sun.
This can be achieved if:
• A corner of the house receives the morning sun by having
it face east.
In fact, most Filipinos believe that the more windows your
residence has (or the larger they are), the better the chances of
your house absorbing natural and spiritual graces.
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Go for square or rectangular lots
Building a house on a dead-end lot must be avoided as much as possible.
Building next to family members
Either a financial misfortune, or worse, a death in the family will befall its
If one is building a house within a family compound or between two
occupants. Applicable to both house owner and tenant, if the former is not
residing in it, this superstition is attributed to Pampangos in Central Luzon. relatives, make sure that the roof is not higher than theirs, otherwise,
their lives will never progress or will always be worse. A sibling’s
Squares, as shapes in perfect proportion, are revered. Lots with equally house must not be built so close to that of his parents such that
long sides (rectangles) are believed to be the most ideal in ensuring a rainwater from the eaves of the main house pours onto the roof of the
balanced and harmonious home. sibling.
Trapezoidal lots could mean great wealth or poverty depending on their
orientation. Purse-shaped lots, with a small frontage and a wider back, recall
the pouches our elders used to carry money in, and naturally collected wealth
and fortune. Conversely, the dustpan-shaped lot (or the pun tao with a larger
entrance) recalls the shape of a broom sweeping away riches.
Avoid getting a triangular lot (aside from the fact that its shape poses a
huge challenge to architects and designers) as its sharp corners are believed
to invite accidents and conflict to the household.
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WHELTON SC HOOL OF M ARKETI NG | S ES S ION 1 Examples.png
DOORS
With an agricultural country like ours, the east and the sunrise are particularly important.
Main doors of homes would be oriented toward the rising sun, because it is believes that
with the sunrise, warmth and prosperity will enter the home.
It is advised that doors should not face each other. The people in the north associates this
with the easy passage of a coffin 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.
In Bontoc, the front door of the house must face against the flow of a nearby river
according to ancient folk beliefs
In Sta. Maria and San Miguel, Bulacan, 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.
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WHELTON S CHOOL OF M ARKETI NG | S ES S ION 1
In Romblon, the roof of the house must slope following the
direction of the incline of the nearby mountains. In the Cordilleras,
Padugo
it is different. The ridge of the roof is always positioned at right During construction, residents or the carpenters working on the house offer a pig or a
angles to the ridge of the mountain on which the house stands. chicken’s blood through pouring it to the foundations or posts of the house. This is an ancient
pagan Filipino belief that is done to prevent spirits living in the area from being upset with
Among the Ibalois, a Benguet ethnic group in the Cordilleras, it is the family and the construction workers.
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.
Go with the moon
In most construction beliefs, the moon is your friend. The lunar cycles are as essential in
housebuilding as they are in agriculture. With that being said, it is believed to be the most
auspicious to pour the concrete as the moon approaches or during a full moon.
It is believed that St. Benedict’s Medals mixed in with each foundation can guard against
Bury medals or coins
misfortune. Still, others swear by burying medallions of St. Joseph (he was by biblical
accounts, a carpenter for success in construction). Coins, both old and new, of any currency
and denomination ensure that the family would always have wealth.
The old folks of Bataan caution against having a solitary post in the middle of a room. It is
In Southern Tagalog, posts are erected following this procedure: 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).
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
The Yakans do not use crooked wooden posts especially the ones with knotholes in them
is the first to be raised. because they are said to symbolize death.
The same procedure is followed for the other posts, one after the In the older communities of Bayambang, Pangasinan, it is commonly believed that termites
other in a clockwise direction as one reads the plan. This same (anay) will not enter the house if the bottoms of all wooden posts are first charred. Informed
clockwise manner of raising the posts is practiced on the island of master carpenters, however, suggest that these bottoms not just be charred but tarred as well.
Romblon and the belief is that it will make the house windproof.
Others swear by the potency of rock salt sprinkled generously in all footing excavations as
preventive measures against anay infestation.
The 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 Old people also cautions against cutting old posts for reuse so as not to lose one’s wealth.
the navel. Hence, the first post to be erected should be the main
post within the interior of the house.
In the Cagayan Valley, 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.
Stairs
An orientation towards the east is also required for stairs. 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. But
builders in Pandi, Bulacan, 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.
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 facing upstream. This is so in order that
good luck from the house would never be washed away with the
river’s flow. 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 Locally, one should not make a passageway any area under the stairs.
they run parallel with the shore. If the stairs are perpendicular to the Tagalogs never use the space beneath the stairs as a sleeping quarters.
shoreline, luck may flow in but also flow out with the tides. The underside of wooden stairs of Ilonggo houses are usually completed
Also, it is not advised to place a large window in the wall directly covered not because of peeping Toms but because the old folks say so.
facing the stairs so that good fortune will not easily go out that
When planning a structure with two or more storeys, the stairway should
window. not be positioned at the center of the structure so as not to divide the
building into two equal parts.
It is believed that the dried umbilical cord of a son or daughter of the
house owner inserted in the staircase will strongly bind the stringer with
its supporting girder.
Oro, Plata, Mata
There are guidelines, too, governing the number of steps in one’s
stairs. Starting with the first landing, count the steps using the words
oro (gold), plata (silver), and mata (death). The perfect last step
should be oro. Ending up plata is not too bad either but,
understandably, do not ever end up with mata. This ruling is strictly
observed especially if it involves the first steps going into the house.
If your home has a slight elevation, choose four steps but never three.
This building belief is not limited to stairs alone. It also applies to
walkways that are made of individual flagstones or the popular
circular or square slabs of pebbled concrete or even an entire
concrete walkway or ramp that is divided into sections by lines
drawn onto the pavement itself, especially if they lead to the main
entrance of the house.
The Yakans of Mindanao, however, believe in odd numbering of
steps. They also require an odd number of bedrooms. Chinese
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Living rooms Bedrooms
Sunken rooms, like basements are looked at as
pockets of caves where evil spirits can hide. It is It is advised that one must plan the doors of one’s
balanced off only when an exit lower than the said bedrooms in such a way that when it is opened,
room is provided. one would face neither the foot nor head of the
bed. There should always be ample space between
Some Ilocanos do not want basements altogether the door and the bed itself. Position the bed such
because of the belief that only coffins should be that the headboard does not rest against a window
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found under the ground. opening. Neither should you put any bed under a
cross beam, regardless of whether the beam is of
Old folks of Sta. Maria, Bulacan advise that the wood or concrete, and position the bed so that the For houses with second floors, it should be observed that no
floors of the living and dining rooms must be of occupant will not be lying perpendicular to the drainage pipe runs inside or under the floor where the bed is
the same level. They say the imaginary “ball of beam. Overly strict homeowners do not have located. Drainage pipes contain unclean fluids associated with
exposed beams at all even if these are veneered bad energies which may affect the good spirits of the people
fortune” must be able to freely roll across both
sleeping over these pipes.
floors. Overly ornate living and dining room with different materials.
ceilings, especially those with cornices, moldings, Do not place bedrooms in the basement portion of the house. It
and other superficial decorations are avoided as it is always preferred (luck-wise) that the bedroom floor is higher
tends to make the ceiling look like a coffin. Even than the living room. Non-sleeping rooms like library, den,
the “mansard” or flat type of roof invented at the foyer, storage, etc. can be at a lower level than that of the
living room.
turn of the century are avoided as it reminds
people of a coffin.
Bright dining rooms
As anyone who knows Filipino cuisine, Pampangos love to
cook (and eat), so most of their dining rooms are situated in
the sunniest and brightest locations of the house. Ilocanos, on
the other hand, prefer subdued lighting because they consider
eating a solemn occasion.
Other cultural beliefs Septic tanks must not be constructed higher than the ground for it
would demand sacrifice in human life.
The owner must transfer to the new house not later than six in the
morning during the new moon to attract good luck and prosperity, and
Ilocanos of the northernmost part of the Philippines tend
the first things that must be brought inside the house are salt, rice and
to cut down aratiles trees growing in front of their houses to prevent
coins.
their daughters from being illicitly
impregnated.
No part of the house should cover or hang over the stump of a newly
cut tree. Neither should a new house overlap any portion of an old
To make a house typhoon-resistant, the posts should
house.
be turned clockwise before being permanently cemented and
secured.
A two-story building that is remodeled into a single story will shorten
the lives of its occupants.
Allowing the shadow of a post to fall on you while erecting it is a
bad omen.
A snake that enters the house brings good luck as long as it doesn’t bite
Doors should always be on the right side of the house and the stairs any of the occupants. This is probably based on the practice of
should always turn to the right to keep a Filipinos during the Spanish colonial times to keep pythons in the
married couple loyal to each other for life. partition between the roof and the ceiling to reduce the rodent
population the house.
END OF PR ESENTATI ON
