[Housewarming Ritual]: Simple Four Corners Ritual, offerings, auspicious timing and taboos at a glance

Moving into a new home is certainly exciting, but there are also many things to arrange, such as clearing out the old home and organising the move. Many people also choose, for peace of mind, to carry out the “bai sei ngor” ritual before officially moving in, in the hope of bringing peace and safety to the household. What offerings are needed for “bai sei ngor”? When should it be performed? What are the steps involved? Besides “bai sei ngor”, what other rituals are there for moving into a new home? This time, 10Life has put together the offerings required, the auspicious time, and a simplified step-by-step guide for “bai sei ngor”, as well as sharing other new home move-in rituals and taboos to help you prepare with ease.

What is “Bai Sei Kok”?

“Bai Sei Kok” is one of the traditional Chinese rituals performed when moving into a new home, with the aim of warding off evil spirits and bad luck, and praying for peace and safety in the household. It is said that spirits like to linger in houses that have been unoccupied for a long time or newly built homes. The “Bai Sei Kok” ritual is to ask all gods, spirits and demons to leave, drive away negative energy, and greet the deity of the land in the new home, seeking divine blessing to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Which four corners does “Bai Sei Kok” refer to?

The so-called “four corners” refer to the four directions of the unit: east, south, west and north. The four corners respectively symbolise the Heavenly Gate, Earth Gate, Human Gate and Ghost Gate. “Bai Sei Kok” is mainly practised in two ways:

• First: focusing on the four corners of the living room, worshipping the four corners of the living area.
• Second: focusing on the four corners of the entire home, worshipping the four furthest corners of the unit.

Although the exact practice varies slightly among different feng shui masters, it usually centres on either the four corners of the living room or the four corners of the overall space, plus the centre of the home, making a total of five places to worship.

Auspicious timing for “Bai Sei Kok”

The best approach is to choose an auspicious date and time. If the new home requires renovation, it is advisable to carry out the ritual on an auspicious day before work begins. If you are only renting, you may perform “Bai Sei Kok” after collecting the keys. Ideally, you should ask a feng shui master to select an auspicious date, or consult the Tong Shu yourself. Days marked “Cheng” (成日), “Ding” (定日), “Man” (滿日), “Yi Yi Tu” (宜移徒) and “Yi Ru Zhai” (宜入宅) are suitable for worship, while days such as “Sui Po” (歲破), “Yue Po” (月破), “Si Li” (四離) and “Si Jue” (四絕) should be avoided. In addition, it is best to avoid moving or performing “Bai Sei Kok” during the Lunar New Year period and the seventh lunar month.

As for the auspicious time, simply avoid any period marked as “inauspicious” in the Tong Shu, start before noon, and complete the ritual before sunset. Try not to perform “Bai Sei Kok” at night, so as to avoid attracting unfavourable energy.

Offerings required for “Bai Sei Kok”

Once an auspicious date and time have been selected, you can begin preparing the offerings needed for “Bai Sei Kok”. The offerings are usually prepared in “five sets”, with the basic list as follows:

• 1 set of special joss paper for “Bai Sei Kok” (“Four Corners Clothing”) 
• 1 large bundle of incense (at least 15 sticks) 
• 5 pairs of red candles 
• 1 bottle of baijiu or tea 
• 3 offering cups for worship 
• 5 sets of three-coloured fruit (such as apples, bananas, pears and oranges) 
• 5 sets of pork with the skin on, or roast pork 
• 5 sets of sweets 
• A little white rice, 5 portions 
• 5 sets of peanuts in their shells 
• Five-coloured beans (red, green, brown, black and yellow beans), a little of each, 5 portions 
• Carrots (cut into thick slices for inserting incense sticks)
• 1 incense-burning tray

To make things easier for those performing “Bai Sei Kok”, many incense and joss paper shops now offer ready-made “Bai Sei Kok” sets, which include items such as the incense-burning tray, joss paper and candles, together with simple instructions. You only need to separately buy fruit, pork, carrots, sweets, baijiu or tea, and other food items. Different feng shui masters may have different views on the offerings, but sincerity is the most important thing in worship, so there is no need to be too concerned about the quantity of offerings.

Arranging the offerings for “Bai Sei Kok”

First, place a sheet of red paper in the centre of the new home. Arrange the food and other offerings already placed on paper plates or in paper cups (land deity joss paper, one set of offerings, and three cups of baijiu) neatly on the red paper. Then place one set of offerings at each of the four corners. This arrangement symbolises energy from all directions converging in the home, protecting the household’s peace and safety. It is worth noting that the quantity of offerings at the centre should be greater than those at the other four corners.

Simple steps for “Bai Sei Kok”

1.    Fill in the “Da Baak Gaai” (大百解): The special joss paper set for “Bai Sei Kok” includes a “Gwai Yan Tip” (貴人帖), which contains a “Da Baak Gaai” (大百解). Write the address of the new home and the names of the household members on the “Da Baak Gaai” to inform the deities that you are about to move in and to seek their protection. However, as the saying goes, “elders before the young”, the names must be written starting with the homeowner and ending with the youngest member.
2.    Arrange the offerings from the centre of the home: Lay red paper in the centre of the new home, place the offerings there, and then place identical offerings in the four corners. To avoid wax drips and incense ash burning the floor, it is recommended to lay a layer of cardboard underneath.
3.    Light the incense and candles from the centre: Once the offerings are in place, you may begin lighting the incense and candles. First light the candles and incense at the centre. Note that the candles must be lit before the incense. You may use any corner’s incense and candles first, then light the others in a clockwise direction.
4.    Start “Bai Sei Kok” from the main entrance: First, begin at the main entrance and proceed to worship each of the four corners in turn. If the main entrance is on the right side, proceed clockwise; if it is on the left side, proceed anticlockwise. After completing the worship of the four corners, return to the centre and pray sincerely.
5.    Burn the joss paper: When the incense has burned down to halfway, collect all the joss paper in the order in which it was placed and begin burning it. While doing so, you may silently recite blessings such as “peace in the home, and everything going smoothly”. Finally, extinguish the flames with water and clear away all the offerings, completing the entire “Bai Sei Kok” ritual.

 Taboos for “Bai Sei Kok”

Although the steps for “Bai Sei Kok” are becoming simpler, there are still some taboos to note:

1.    During “Bai Sei Kok”, remain calm and avoid quarrelling or arguing.
2.    Do not step over the offerings, as a sign of respect.
3.    Do not blow out the incense and candles with your mouth, as this is highly disrespectful to the deities. Wait for them to go out naturally, or gently fan them out by hand.
4.    Pregnant women, children, women during their menstrual period, and elderly people should not take part in the ritual. If the worship date clashes with the zodiac sign of a household member, another family member may perform the ritual on their behalf.
5.    It is recommended to wear bright-coloured clothing and avoid linen clothing, overly revealing clothing or white clothing, as a sign of respect to the deities.
6.    Follow the principle of elders before the young when entering the home: elders should enter first, and children last.

Once the “Bai Sei Gok” ritual has been completed, you can officially move in. According to traditional custom, it is advisable to choose an auspicious day for moving house. We recommend referring to a perpetual calendar and selecting a day marked “favourable for relocation” or “favourable for moving into a new home”. At the same time, avoid moving house at night and, if possible, complete the move before noon, so as not to bring any unfavourable energy into your new home.

If there is an altar deity at home, the deity statue or ancestral tablet should be properly installed first. Before moving in, the homeowner should purchase a new altar table and prepare decorative red tassels, pomelo leaves, a new bucket and a new towel for cleaning the deity statue and ancestral tablet. Remember to first replace the old decorative red tassels with new ones, then use pomelo leaf water to clean the altar table before placing the deity statue or ancestral tablet. When arranging them, the order should also be followed: first place the main deity, then the ancestors, and lastly the Earth God. 

In addition to “cleansing the corners”, new home moving-in rituals also include “setting the bed” and “placing the rice jar”. The “setting the bed” ritual includes assembling the bed frame, laying the mattress, arranging the bedsheets, and placing two red packets on the bed. It is recommended that you first choose an auspicious date before arranging for a master craftsman to deliver them. As for “placing the rice jar”, this refers to bringing a rice jar filled with white rice and one red packet into the new home, in the hope of ensuring abundance and sufficient food. Once completed, you may move in the new broom, new bowls and chopsticks, and other items in sequence.

On the day of moving into a new home, there are also some matters that require special attention. For example, avoid quarrelling and speak auspicious words; wear bright, vivid clothing and avoid anything overly revealing or white clothing; and enter the house in order of seniority. In addition, when stepping through the doorway, you may prepare some coins and, while saying, “Step in with both feet, bring wealth and prosperity in,” scatter the coins on the floor to pray for a home full of gold and silver.

Before officially moving in, you may also carry out a simple “feng shui prosperity” ritual to pray for good fortune and prosperity. First, switch on the hob in the new home and boil some water, open all the windows, and turn on all electrical appliances such as the air conditioning, lights and fans. That completes the ritual.

Whether it is “Pak Sei Kok” or any other new-home moving-in ceremony, the aim is simply to pray for peace and safety at home, and for the whole family to live happily. In addition to traditional customs, do not forget to purchase home insurance to provide practical protection for your new home. There are many home insurance products on the market, each with different coverage items. Readers may refer to 10Life’s comparison of more than 30 home insurance products available in the market, rated by our in-house actuaries, with the coverage details and corresponding premiums of each policy clearly set out at a glance. If you would like to know more about home insurance products, you may also read the articles below to make full preparations for your new home.

Further reading:
【Home Insurance Comparison 2025】Which home insurance is best? A complete guide for homeowners and tenants (with exclusive actuary ratings)
【Tenant Home Insurance】How should tenants choose home insurance? Check out highly rated home insurance plans
【What does home insurance cover?】It is not just about protecting your home — moving and travel belongings are also covered!
As typhoon season begins: An analysis of home insurance coverage — how can it protect both indoor and outdoor areas?

Sources:
1.    Centaline Property. “A Simple Guide to Pak Sei Kok │ Essential Reading for New Home Renovation and Moving In: Do’s, Don’ts and Things to Know”
2.    Ulifestyle. “Pak Sei Kok New Home Moving-in Ceremony | Essential Items, Simple Method and Auspicious Times at a Glance + 3 Key Taboos”
3.    Designpedia.“6 New Home Moving-in Ceremonies You Need to Know”
 

Last updated: 25 October 2024

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.