The start of building a house is also called "breaking ground" and "laying the foundation". Once the house location is selected, you can ask a Feng Shui master to choose an auspicious day to worship the gods and prepare to start construction.
The groundbreaking ceremonies vary slightly from place to place. However, the ritual of "repaying the soil" is generally performed. "Reporting the land" means that the building craftsmen report the start time to the "land official". Because digging the foundation for building a house may disturb the landowner, so we greet the landowner first for good luck. When reporting the soil, "three animals" (mostly pig heads, chickens, ducks) and some fruits, cakes and candies must be placed. Nanjing people worship with tea, refreshments and paper money. In Fuzhou, pig heads and crabs are placed to honor the Emperor of Heaven; people in Putian hold plain tea to worship the Earth God, the Emperor of Heaven, and the God of Houses, and they also put incense in the morning and evening. After Longhai people "repay the soil", they ask craftsmen to use a tile knife to knock on the four corners of the house foundation, and bury 12 paper foils with "Shou Noodles" in the ground, saying "repaying the land". After paying homage to the Lord of the Earth, They also burn about 200 "longevity papers" and set off firecrackers. In addition to worshiping the Lord of the Earth, Xiamen, Tong'an and other places also invite "local Buddhas" (that is, the Buddhas believed by the villagers, such as "San Zhonggong") to their homes. , and put up talismans such as "Phoenix is ??here" and "Qilin is here" at home.
When paying homage to the land, some places also offer sacrifices to "Master Lu Ban" and "Master Yang" (legend has it). When starting work on an auspicious day, people in western Fujian should place a memorial tablet of "Master Yang Gong" and slaughter a rooster when opening the foundation of the wall. People in Datian should ask a Feng Shui master before starting work. Paste 5 red and yellow characters with written prayers on the bamboo pieces, and then insert the bamboo pieces on the rear edge line of the house foundation (that is, the outer edge line of the ditch on the side of the house); the side with the characters on it faces Sit facing the house. It is customary in Shanghang to drive a small wooden stake on the homestead, with a red cloth tied on the top and a tablet bearing the name of "Tu Gong", which is commonly known as "Qipu". When the construction begins, carpenters and masons are invited. Burn incense before "composing". The etiquette in Yongding is to worship Master Yang Gong before breaking the ground. The "Yang Gongfu" is affixed to a bamboo piece about 1 meter long, erected at the end of the longitudinal axis, and appropriately moved away from the construction position to make it play the designated vertical role. The role of the axis. At the same time, when the carpenter worships the "Master Lu Ban" and the masonry master worships the "Lotus Leaf Immortal Master", the owner must worship each ancestor with three sacrifices, incense paper and red candles (Master Yang is in the middle). , and then asked the Feng Shui master to use the compass to calibrate the position again. The Feng Shui master used proverbs such as "the difference between points is a thin line, and wealth cannot meet" to express the profound and mysterious nature of his skills and the importance of his work. After the calibration, the stakes are set up, and then the cannon can be fired to break ground.
The groundbreaking ceremony is relatively simple. Generally, the cannon is fired first according to the time and location selected by the Feng Shui master, and then the owner or craftsman. Hoeing (shoveling) the soil a few times is considered a ceremony. In areas like Fuzhou and Nanping, it is usually done by craftsmen. Digging the soil three times means "breaking the soil". In southern Fujian and western Fujian, one or two shovels should be chosen as an auspicious day. People think that the Chou and Yin times are better, and they think that light rain is more auspicious. In Putian, Hui'an and other places, they must wear red clothes to symbolize the joy of digging up the first few baskets of soil. Stacking is to bring prosperity. It is forbidden to say unlucky words or have quarrels when breaking the ground. People in Fu'an believe that there will be unrest in the new house in the future and there will be more quarrels among the family members.
It is more complicated. Laying the foundation is also called "laying the foundation stone". As the saying goes, "laying the foundation firmly will bring prosperity to the people for thousands of years." In Luoyuan area, the ground is dug several feet and filled with mud. In order to prevent offending the earth god, after the event is completed, a "puppet" (that is, a sign with the name of the householder written on it on red paper) is made, offered with incense, candles, and fruits, and covered with a broken umbrella. Sacrifice and apology. When the wall foundation is officially laid in Puxian area, a "moving together" ceremony is held (that is, three animals and fruits are sacrificed to the earth god). After the foundation is laid, a "laying together" ceremony is performed. The wall base is covered with red cloth, and the flat basket and Put hammers, etc. into red bags, and avoid throwing tools around. Yongding people dig stone foot pits. When laying stones, they first place "five-star stones" (five small stones symbolizing stars) at the end of the vertical axis and arrange them in a certain direction. To present the auspicious image of the unity of heaven and earth. When laying foundations in Hua'an and other places in southern Fujian, "taiwan stones" were built. Depending on the size of the house, 3 stones are laid for 3 houses, and 5 stones are laid for 5 houses (that is, 3 or 3 cone-shaped stones with pointed ends pointed upward are placed in the center of the hall. The stones are of different heights, and in the middle The highest, with lower sides on both sides, forming a "mountain" shape). After the foundation is completed, local people also use long strips of marble as the base. However, the stone strips cannot be covered on the platform stones, because 3 or 5 platform stones represent a prosperous population. If it is covered by the stone strips, it is called "covering the ding", which is a taboo for farmers. In addition to laying stone foundations and digging wall foundations, the foundation of the entire house must be compacted.
In northern and western Fujian, a round piece of hardwood is often used to pass through the tree stump for tamping. The tool is simple but very practical.
In counties such as Daejeon, it is an old custom that if a new house is built on an old homestead, the carpenter should pray to God and put amulets on his body when demolishing the old house to drive away ghosts and gods from the old house and prevent them from harming the owner. . In Pingtan, some families planned to build houses next year. Because they listen to the advice of Feng Shui masters and believe that the next year will be unfavorable for "laying the foundation stone," they often have to lay the foundation stone a year in advance and build the house the following year. This situation is common everywhere.
After the foundation is dug, people usually ask fortune tellers to choose an auspicious day and time to officially start building a house, in order to pray for the safety and good fortune of the homeowner. After the construction started, in addition to a few skilled carpenters, clay masons, and bricklayers, more relatives, friends, and tribesmen were invited to help. When Fujian folk build houses, relatives and friends often "help" them. On the opening day, in addition to giving red envelopes to craftsmen, relatives and craftsmen are also invited to a banquet. During the construction process, craftsmen and helpers would also be entertained on the second and sixteenth day of the lunar month, the "tooth-making" days.