House and home in the world outlook of different cultures
When the logs are laid,
the roof is raised. Usually it has two pitch slopes. The upper part of the roof
is called the finial (in Russian – ‘konyok’, literally meaning ‘a horse’, as it
is a horse who takes men to gods after death).
During the whole period
of building strangers, pregnant women, widows and widowers are not allowed to
come to the building site as they bring negative energy. The end of the
construction works is celebrated by the family, their relatives and neighbours.
The Chinese also have
some methods to make the house happy. After the place is chosen, the family
prays gods and spirits for help. Then such objects as a mirror, some coins and
red ribbons are buried on the building site to provide the family with wealth
and happiness. When the construction is finished, there is a great celebration
with many guests invited.
Madagascarian traditions
of house building are more complicated. A wizard is invited to the building
site to do some magic actions scaring away bad luck and evil spirits. He uses
such objects as a broken knife, aloe leaves, some honey and white quartz. The
knife is going to cut the connection between the living and the dead, so that
the former could live in peace. Aloe leaves symbolize the bitterness of
misfortune, as aloe sap tastes very bitter. Honey is predestined to propitiate
the late ancestors, so that they do not return to this world to break the
peace. White quartz is called ‘the stone of life’. Like a ‘male stone’, it
protects the family from the strength of death. All these objects are buried
near the house. Then a hole is dug in the centre of the site and four more
holes for the supporting posts of the house. The a sacrificial hen is killed
and its blood is sprinkled into the holes. A bit of soil from the northern side
of the site is thrown southward for the bad to go to the South, as the South is
the direction of the bad luck.
The person who lays the
foundation should be a young and strong man, but not too young as he will be
unable to resist the power of the Earth which can take his life energy from
him. The most important condition is that this person`s father must be alive,
as on Madagascar there is a very strong cult of reverence of the father. People
whose fathers live long are considered to have a very good destiny and any
undertaking of theirs is said to be blessed.
4. A typical house, its orientation
and structure.
A Slavonic village is
oriented according to the Milky Way: the main street corresponds to it and lies
in the direction from East to West. The houses are placed perpendicularly to
the road, with their blind walls towards the North and windows towards the
South. There are usually two windows looking at the road and two or three
windows looking at the yard. The former two serve as the channels connecting
people living in the house with the Sun (because these windows are the closest
ones to the red corner), and the latter ones are said to connect people with
the Moon. The number of the windows looking at the yard is three because they
symbolize a traditional Slavonic family which consists of three generations of
people.
A typical house is one-storey.
The inner space of the house is divided into three parts, each of which has its
own predestination and determines the life of the lodgers and the behaviour of
the guests. The borders between the three zones are indicated by two tie-beams
holding the ceiling. The space from the first to the second beam is for the people
entering the house; here guests are received. The space from the second to the
third beam belongs to the lodgers; here they work, eat, sleep. The third zone
with the red corner is sacred. Here icons and other ritual objects are kept and
the family prays the God. This is the horizontal structure of the house
according to its length.
There is also the
division of the house according to its width. The house is diagonally divided
into the left and the right halves with the border passing from the hearth to
the red corner. In the Slavonic world outlook the left side is considered to be
the ‘female side’; here the hearth is situated. The right side is called the
‘male side’; this is the place for men.
Vertically the house has
three levels; it is considered to be a microlevel model of the Universe. The
upper level is for the gods; the lowest level – for the late ancestors; the
middle – for the family. The garret is the place where spirits live, that is
why there is a special window there for them to move in and out. The middle
part of the house is for people to live in. The lowest part, including the
threshold, the cellar and the place under the stove is the place for the dead
ancestors, that is why the umbilical cord of a new-born child should be buried
there (that of a girl – near the threshold, that of a boy – near the red
corner).
A typical Chinese house
is two-storey. The first floor is for the host and his wife; children live
upstairs. The best form for the house is rectangular (gives success and
constancy to the family) and square (gives stability). A house with more than
four angles, especially if it is unsymmetrical, accumulates negative energy; a
house in the form of a circle lacks stability and endangers the strength of the
family. The best form for the area around the house is a regular one: a circle,
a square or a rectangle. Unsymmetrical and angular forms are unfavourable as
negative energy accumulates in such places. The way to correct such a situation
is to hide the corners behind the fence. If the main entrance faces a sharp
angle it is best to use another door or to build a porch. The best position for
the house on the area around it is in the centre.
The direction in which
the door or a window looks may be different. The family is free to choose any
direction they prefer depending on what objects they pursue:
- the North – if they
want to live a very quiet and peaceful life;
- the South – if they
like an active way of life and often invite guests;
- the East is good for
young people, especially creative ones;
- the West is the best
direction for the families with children; it helps children grow happy and
creative;
- the North–West is good
for men – they will be highly respected in the family;
- the South–West is good
for women – it makes the marriage stronger and strengthens the role of the
mother in the family;
- the North-East helps
good education;
- the South-East helps
enrichment. [3; 38]
Thus we can see that
there is not a single forbidden direction for the door to look in. Neither
there is any for the windows: they may also look in any direction according to
the rules stated above.
A typical Madagascarin
house is two-storey and made of bricks. The roof is made of reed or flat tile.
The walls are covered with red clay. The floor is earthen and covered with
mats. On each floor there are two rooms: one larger and one smaller. One of the
larger rooms is used as both the bedroom and the sitting-room. In the other
room corn is stored.
The house is oriented
according to the parts of the world. It should be directed from North to South.
If it is directed from West to East, then the Nature will make the family leave
the house sooner or later. All the doors and windows must look westward. If
they look southward, the host is believed to become a wizard; if eastward, he
will lose his wife; if northward, the house will inevitably be struck by a
lightening.
The inner space of the
house is also divided in accordance with the parts of the world. The southern
part of the house is for the host; here he sleeps as it is believed to be the
best past of the house. In the south-eastern part the basket with talismans is
placed. In the eastern part the jar with drinking water is placed. In the
western corner poultry is kept. The southern part of the house is the part of
the material wealth; rice is kept there. The hearth is placed in the centre of
the house or closer to the southern wall. Guests are received in the south-eastern
part of the house.
5. The main zones of the
house.
5.1. The zone of
entrance.
The door is the place of
entrance and exit. On the one hand, it symbolizes a border between the house
and the yard, on the other hand, it ensures protection and access. The open
door connects people with the world, the closed door protects the family from
the outside invasion. Slavonic tradition pays great attention to this zone.
The closed position of
the door is considered right. The door can be left open only if some
extraordinary event has happened to the family – if one of the members has died
or has been born. In these cases the door is left open to give the way to the
soul of the dying or a newborn person. During the funeral procession the door
should be kept open until the body is carried out of the house. Then the door
should be closed or even locked for the soul not to return. Those who come to
take leave of the dead must leave through the same door they entered the house.
In the wedding ceremony the door the door also plays an important role. The
mother-in-law should close the door with her back after letting in the
new-married couple so that the daughter-in-law will never leave the family.
There is also a rule for
everyday life: litter should be from the remote wall to the door, i.e. from
‘your’ space to the ‘space of strangers’. Only at the funeral it should be
swept from the door to the centre of the house.
The door as a protector
can be decorated with a horseshoe, a knife, needles and other objects usually
used to protect oneself from negative energy. After a funeral, a wedding and a
christening the door should be washed with holy water to wash away the energy
of a large number of guests.
The threshold also
belongs to the zone of entrance. It symbolizes the border between the world of
living people (the house) and the world of the ancestors (under the house).
There are definite rules of behaviour concerning this zone:
- people should avoid
talking or giving something over the threshold so as not to worry the ancestors;
- unmarried people should
not stand or sit on the threshold, otherwise they will not get married;
- pregnant women should
not sit on the threshold for the delivery not to be difficult;
- after the christening
the baby is put on the threshold to be accepted to the family by the ancestors;
- the bridegroom carries
the bride over the threshold so that the ancestors do not object to the
entrance of a new person into the family;
- before leaving home for
some other place a person should take a seat on the threshold to get the
protection of the ancestors in his trip;
- strange and unusual
things that may appear near the threshold must not be touched, as they can have
been brought by people who wish to do something bad to the family. [2; 519]
According to the Chinese
tradition, the stream of positive energy Chi enters the house through the main
door. Any obstacle in front of the door prevents it from entering, so the space
here should be empty. If the obstacle cannot be removed away, the door should
be painted the colour corresponding the part of the world it looks at. The
colours are: black for the North, green for the East, red and orange for the
South, white for the West. The space before the door should be brightly lit.
The space behind the door
should be enclosed for Chi not to leave the house if the back door is directly
opposite the main entrance. There should not be other doors, leading to the
rooms, in the same wall as the main door or directly opposite to it. If there
are, they must be kept closed.
If there is a staircase
right behind the door, it is a bad sign. Such a situation needs correction. If
the staircase goes upwards, it can cause diseases to the family. The remedy is
to make a threshold to step over the line between the door and the first step.
If the staircase goes downwards, it does not let the family to become rich. In
such cases a mirror should be placed on the outer side of the house to reflect
the negative energy.
As for the Malagasies,
they say the door must be strong to protect the family from any unwanted
influence from outside. As stated above, it must look westward and should not
squeak as this sound can call the spirits to the house and they will disturb
the lodgers. In the daytime it is left open as a sign of hospitality and is
closed for the night.
5.2. The zone of cooking.
The zone of cooking is
represented by the stove. The structure of the stove repeats the structure of
the house which in its turn resembles the structure of the Universe: the place
under the stove symbolizes the past (cf. with the cellar), the stove itself –
the present (cf. with the house), the chimney symbolizes the future (cf. with
the garret).
The fire should not be
put out for the night. There is a special hollow in the stove where coals are
gathered for the night to be used again the next day. The fire is put out only
in two cases:
1) if somebody died in
the house; then the stove stays cold for three days;
2) during an epidemic; all
the stoves in a village should be put out. Then the life-giving fire – the one
got by rubbing - is passed from house to house.
The stove should be
closed with an oven-door when not used so that the wealth does not leave the
family. The chimney should be kept closed with a damper for the house not to be
struck by a lightening. When moving to a new house, some coals should be taken
from the old stove and put into the new one as they symbolize the happiness of
the family.
The Chinese use to choose
the western or the northern part of the house for the stove and the kitchen.
The stove should be seen very well from the door. The door should not set
against any furniture, there must be enough space for the door to open freely.
The stove and the sink should be placed as far from each other as possible
since they represent different kinds of energy – those of the fire and of the
water. Different energies in close contact cause distress to the lodgers. The
shelves in the kitchen should have doors and be kept closed. The window-sills
should be free of any objects and the curtains should be drawn back for the
energy to move freely.
On Madagascar the stove
is placed on three stones in the centre of the house. It can also be built in
the southern part of the house to neutralize negative energy coming from the
South as the South is considered to be the worst part of the world. The guests
sit northward to the stove. The first person to make fire in the hearth in a
new house is the host. He also prepares the first food which is considered
blessed.
5.3. The zone of
sleeping.
The place people use for
sleeping is subject to numerous regulations concerning its position and the
orientation of sleeping people according to the parts of the world. These rules
differ from one culture to another as they are dictated by the world outlook of
nations.
Slavs are free to choose
any place in the house they like except for the red corner which is sacred and
predestined to ritual use. Babies and old people should sleep on the stove as
it is believed to give them the vital energy they need. It is forbidden to
sleep with one`s feet towards the door as only the dead can be placed in such a
way. Sleeping in front of a mirror is considered harmful as the mirror takes
the strength away from the sleeping person. As for the direction of a person,
it is best to sleep with one`s head to the North and never to the East as the
dead are usually placed with their heads to the East (to the red corner).
The Chinese say that
different people should choose different places for sleeping. Calm people
should sleep in the northern part of the house; energetic ones – in the
southern part; the eastern part is the best for the young. People of any age
wishing to bring more romance into their life should choose the western part of
the house. Some places are said to be unfavourable for the purpose: any place
on the ground floor as the ground is connected with death; the place on the
first floor right above the kitchen; the room the door of which looks at the
main door or a staircase. The best form for the bedroom is square.
The place for the bed in
the room is chosen individually. The rules of the placement of the main door
are applied here. One more rule states that one should not sleep with his feet
towards the door or the window; the worst place for the bed is on the line
‘door – window’. Nevertheless, the door should be well seen from the bed. There
should be no mirrors against the bed and no shelves near the head of it.
Malagasies use to sleep
on mats instead of beds; still there are certain rules concerning the sleeping
place, too. Great importance is given to the direction of the head of a
sleeping person. Men sleep by the eastern wall with their head to the North or
East. Women and children sleep to the South from the stove with their heads to
the East. It is forbidden to sleep with the head to the South as only wizards
do so. Children can never sit or lie on the place the adults sleep on as they
show their disrespect to the elders if do so.
These are the zones
recognized in all the three cultures, but there are other zones, typical only
of some of them. One of such zones is the red corner in Slavonic culture, which
is not singled out in the Chinese and Madagascarian ones because of the
difference in their religious beliefs.
5.4. The zone of the
sacred.
This is the most
important part in a Slavonic house without which it cannot exist. The red
corner is one of the eastern corners of the house, namely the one placed
diagonally to the stove. It has the status of a church altar. Its space is
divided into two levels. On the upper level the icon is placed. The icon
connects two walls: a long wall, symbolizing the hosts, and a short one which
symbolizes the relatives of the wife and the daughter-in-law. Some sacred
things (first hair of the children, church candles, holy salt, an Easter egg,
etc.) are kept behind the icon and used in some extraordinary situations. The
lower level is used to keep the results of a person`s activity. The first or the
last sheaf is placed there and kept for a year as a symbol of a good crop.
Entering the house, every
person should cross himself and take a bow to the icon to show the respect to
the God and to the family. Only after that any talking to the hosts is permitted.
The place under the icon
is sacred and there are strict rules as to the possibility to sit there. At the
christening party the godparents sit there; at the wedding – the newly-married
couple with the godparents on both sides; at the funeral ceremony the place at
the table under the red corner is given to the oldest person present.
The icon must be handled
with special care. It must not be stolen, burnt or used for any non-ritual
aims. Old icons should be buried at the cemetery. It is preferable that every
member of the family has an icon in honour of the saint whose name he has.
6. The difference in the
attitude towards some objects.
Some objects used in a
house may get different attitude towards themselves as a result of the cultural
differences. Such commonly used things as a table and a mirror have acquired
the greatest ritual meaning of all the objects in a house and become subjects
to many regulations in Belarusian and Chinese cultures. In Madagascarian
culture, though, these objects are not so important as they are not used.
People eat on a mat near the stove instead of a table and do not have mirrors
in the house as they are said to have come from evil spirit who wants to make
people selfish and destroy close relationships which are characteristic of
Malagasies. That is why only two cultures will be compared in this respect,
Belarusian and Chinese ones.
6.1. A table.
For Belarusians the table
is the symbol of prosperity of the family. It should be covered with a white
table-cloth. People should never eat at an uncovered table, otherwise the family
will lose its wealth. It is forbidden to sit on the table as it is the place
for food which is considered sacred. The table should be cleaned after every
meal for evil spirit not to eat what is left. Still, on the remembrance days
the table should be left with the food for a night so that the souls of the
ancestors could come to eat. A wedding table should have Г- or П-form. The guests
should be placed facing each other. A funeral table should have the form of a
straight line. Nobody should sit at the far ends as this table symbolizes the
road leading the soul to the other world, so no one should be on its way. A
rule for everyday life is that one should not bang with the tableware. It is
believed that this sound worries the ancestors.
In Chinese culture the
table is one of the main places where Chi accumulates and if the rules are not
followed, then the positive energy Chi can turn into the negative energy Sha
Chi. The dining-table should be large. If it is oval or octagonal – then all
other furniture in the kitchen should be rectangular or square and vice versa.
The tableware should be round or octagonal. The colour of the table-cloth
depends on the part of the world; that is if the table is in the southern part
of the kitchen, the table-cloth should be red; if it is in the northern part –
blue; in the eastern – green; in the western – white. If any plants are placed
on the table, they should have round leaves. The colour of the flowers is
determined by the same rules as those used for choosing the colour of the
table-cloth.
6.2. A mirror.
In Belarusian culture
mirrors are thought to be the channels connecting people with the other world, that
is why they are often used in fortune-telling. A mirror is a strong protector
from evil eye, so small mirrors are hidden in the pockets for the sake of one`s
safety. Broken mirrors should not be looked in – they should be buried.
Children under a year should not be shown into the mirror. If there is a dead
person in the house, all the mirrors should be curtained for the death not to
look for another victim. When there is a party in the house, all the mirrors
should be washed after the guests leave. This is done to wash away bad energy.
In China mirrors are said
to have a property of doubling the qualities of the objects reflected, both
good and bad ones. So one should make sure that only useful objects are
reflected in the mirror. Mirrors should be placed in such a way that the bed
and the main door do not reflect in them. Mirrors should be large enough in
order not to ‘cut’ the top of the head of the tallest member of the family,
otherwise his health will be hampered. Mirrors composed of pieces should not be
used either for the same reason.
Thus one can see that
usual objects acquire ritual meaning in the popular culture. Moreover, their
meanings and predestination differ greatly depending on a certain culture.
In conclusion I would
like to say that though the rules of popular culture are not considered so
important in the modern world, they should not be disregarded. One never knows
what can happen in future. That is why these rules may be useful to a person:
they can be resorted to as a means to avoid any future troubles, because
everyone knows it is better to prevent problems than to handle the
after-effects. One can notice the tendency towards leading life in some exotic
way. More and more people nowadays furnish their houses according to Chinese,
Indian or other popular traditions. This is not bad if one knows the tradition
of one`s own culture, because one can notice not only differences but also some
points of opposition in the rules stated above. It is better not to risk and at
least avoid ambiguous situations especially if it concerns one`s house – the
place where a person spends the best part of life.
References
1. Корочанцев В.А. Мадагаскар –
остров загадок.// В.А. Корочанцев. – М., Дрофа, 2003. – 384с.
2. Котович О.В., Крук И.И. Золотые
правила народной культуры.// О.В.Котович, И.И. Крук. – Минск, Адукацыя i выхаванне, 2008. – 592с.
3. Hobson Wendy. Simply Feng-Shui for home, office and
garden.// Wendy Hobson. – London, Foulsham, 1998. – 288p.
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