Hinduism—Shivalee Babani
Shivalee came to the United States from India in 2001 and recently purchased a house here. She showed us pictures from the griha pravesh (house-warming ceremony) that she held to safeguard her home and keep it a place of harmony and peace. She explained that at a griha pravesh, a priest invites the gods to be part of the home. Included in the ritual are various items—a coconut, a pot filled with water, nine piles of rice—that have symbolic significance based on Hindu scripture. Finally comes a ceremony of fire to remove negative vibrations from the house, prevent harmful planetary influences from entering it, and create a peaceful environment within it. The priest is then offered a feast.
Only after all rituals are completed, as set forth in the scripture, should you consider living in a house. If this is not done, troubles or miseries may come to the dwellers. Hindus believe that purchasing and moving into a new house, like any major step in life, require proper prayer and ceremony for a peaceful life.
Islam—Danya Wellmon
Muslim have no particular ritual for a new house, Danya said. For everything that a Muslim does, however, there are supplications that actions be taken for good, not for evil, and that they be done in remembrance of God. Before purchasing a house, a Muslim would pray the Prayer of Decision for guidance as to whether the purchase is good for him or her. When entering a new home, Muslims give salaams, or greetings, to convey a feeling of peace. It is traditional for Muslims to bring food or a gift when they go into any home for the first time.
Christianity (Roman Catholic)—Peggy Thompson
There is a tradition in the Catholic faith of not just making people holy, but also making places and objects holy. It was important to Peggy when she bought her new house that she make it a place where God was welcome. She wanted it blessed not only by God but also by her friends. Because she comes from a Jewish tradition, she installed a mezuzah (see “Judaism” below) by her front door as a way of welcoming her Jewish relatives. Shortly after moving in, she had a house blessing, which was a mass celebrated by a friend of hers, a priest; several other friends also took part. She used as the centerpiece of this mass the candle that had been present at her baptism. She also used wine that she had purchased in Israel. Later she held a women’s prayer ritual in the house. Sometimes a house blessing in the Catholic tradition involves sprinkling holy water in each of the rooms. Peggy sees the blessing of a home as an ongoing process, as the home continues to be blessed by experiences and friends.
Shinto—Nana Uetake
Nana is a graduate student from Kyoto, Japan. Nowadays, said Nana, Japan has no specific religion. People have their own ethics and values. Nevertheless, Japanese people traditionally turn to Shinto for their house blessings and for other rituals and ceremonies. Shinto is as old as the history of the Japanese. The word Shinto is used by the Japanese people as a general term referring to their worship of the deities of heaven and earth. Shinto is not a religion that controls favors or behavior according to doctrine or commandment; rather, it allows people to have direct contact with deities through worship.
The Shinto “house blessing” is actually a “land blessing” seeking permission from the deities to build a house on the deities’ land. The new homeowner puts bamboo on each corner of the land, then invites the deities to the land and serves them rice cakes and sake as a way of seeking their divine protection against any disasters. The homeowner also involves the new neighbors and the carpenters in the house blessing in order to have good relations with them. Nowadays, many people who hold a house blessing do so because they are adhering to custom, not because they understand the meaning behind the ceremony. Nana said that she herself did not know its meaning until she did research in preparation for this talk. She also said that when Japanese people visit shrines, they bow and clap their hands together. Nana just learned through her research that a person does this to get the gods’ attention, to let the gods know that he or she has arrived! It is a communication tool for talking with the gods.
Judaism—Jeanette Powell
Jeanette said that the basis for the Jewish house blessing is in the Torah. She read a section from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, which commands Jews to hang the mezuzah as a reminder of God’s presence: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. You shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. … You shall inscribe [these words] upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.”
Accordingly, a Jewish home has a mezuzah, which is a rolled parchment inscribed with that reading from the Torah. The mezuzah is inserted into a protective, usually decorative case and is affixed to the right side (as one enters the house) of the doorpost, usually within 30 days of moving into the house. Mezuzahs are also placed on the doorpost of every other room in house, except for the bathroom. (There is, however, a prayer to be recited upon leaving the bathroom.) The mezuzah is touched or kissed whenever one enters or leaves the house or the room.
The house blessing is not a one-time event. The installation of the mezuzah, which is accompanied by a prayer, is the start of an ongoing process. It signifies the keeping of a Jewish home, including the ceremonies and celebrations of all the holidays, especially the observance of the Sabbath. The emphasis is upon creating a holy atmosphere in the Jewish home, imparting the teachings of the Torah to the children and the rest of the family, and practicing a life of holiness and value.
Sharing
The presentations were followed by a sharing of stories and by questions from members of the audience. One of the questions to Nana concerned the significance of the bamboo used in the land blessing. After the meeting, Nana did some research and e-mailed the following explanation:
Bamboo grows rapid and straight, so that it has become the symbol of vitality. Besides, since it was material for bows and arrows that were traditionally used against evil, people believe that bamboo has a special holy power. That is the most widely held theory of why we use bamboo.