Singaporebrides | Essentials

November 2018

Everything You Need To Know About Calculating An Auspicious Wedding Date

By Audrie Soh

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Here’s everything you need to know about auspicious dates, from why you need them to what you need to prepare for them and beyond.

Calculating an auspicious date for joyous events that will impact your future such as weddings or moving into a new home is a tradition well rooted not only in the Chinese culture, but in many other cultures worldwide as well. Tradition and superstition aside, the act of calculating an auspicious date simply boils down to one objective – to start your new beginning, be it a marriage or a new home, on a favourable day for both you and your partner for a smooth sailing future ahead.

Now, I know that not everyone looks at this in such a matter-of-fact manner. There are those who believe in the effectiveness of calculating an auspicious date for their wedding or new home while non-believers brush it off as mere superstition. Then, there are individuals like me who sit on the fence and choose to go with the flow. After all, if it is supposed to benefit me and it makes everyone in the family happy, then there’s no harm in seeking for an auspicious date.

To help you decide if you would like to approach an expert for an auspicious date for your wedding or moving into a new home, we speak to two renowned fengshui masters, Master David Tong from Chinese Metaphysics Global Consulting, and the team of experts at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy, on why you should seek out an auspicious date, what considerations you need to take into account when calculating an auspicious date and more.

Auspicious Date – Is It a Necessity?

An auspicious date for weddings, a new home or other joyous events refers to a good or lucky day to get married, move into a new home or carry out joyous celebrations. “Date selection for joyous occasions such as weddings, house-moving and business transactions is important because by doing the right thing at the right time, it creates the potential for success,” the experts at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy explains.

“An auspicious wedding date will help ensure that things flow more smoothly on the wedding day, as well as form a good start for the marriage,” Master David Tong reveals. “For a new home, a good move-in date will help usher in good luck for the occupants and minimise the impact of a bad Feng Shui house.”

How Is An Auspicious Date Calculated?

Typically, a Feng Shui master would calculate an auspicious date for your wedding or moving into a new home based on your birth dates and time of birth to pick a favourable day for you and your partner. Alternatively, he may also arrive at an auspicious date for you based on your zodiac signs. Some Feng Shui masters will even ask for your parents’ zodiac signs to ensure that the selected auspicious date is favourable for both sides.

“Many couples choose to consult the Chinese Almanac (Tong Shu) when selecting an auspicious date. But the dates recommended by the Tong Shu is only meant for general usage,” the team at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy reveals. “The selected auspicious date should be personalised according to the couple’s birth information and have specific auspicious stars shining for that specific activity such as a wedding or moving house ceremony. For weddings, especially, we also take into account the couple’s parents’ zodiac signs during our calculation to ensure that there are no clashes with the couple’s immediate family members to increase the blessings bestowed upon the couple.”

What Do I Need to Prepare Before A Meeting With a Feng Shui Master?

If you’ve decided to seek out a Feng Shui master to calculate an auspicious date for your wedding or moving into a new home, look through our list of 12 Feng Shui masters in Singapore and reach out to one whom you feel comfortable with.

Do note that different Feng Shui masters handle enquiries differently. Some Feng Shui masters, like Master David Tong, only require a meet-up with the couple if they are seeking for an auspicious date for moving into a new home. “Aside from the occupants’ details and addresses, I will require a meet-up at their new home so that I can measure the house direction to derive the dates.”

“For wedding dates, couples can email me their birth dates and time of birth, both parents’ animal zodiac signs, as well as the period they want to hold their wedding,” Master David Tong says. “After which, we will meet and I’ll go through the explanation of the wedding dates report, as well as all the Chinese Wedding Customs.”

Other Feng Shui masters may prefer a face-to-face appointment right from the start to gather the necessary information, like the team at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy.

Can An Auspicious Date Be Calculated Without Our or Our Parents’ Zodiac Signs or Birth Dates?

Most Feng Shui masters would require your birth dates and zodiac signs for an accurate calculation of an auspicious date for your wedding or house moving. For parents, most would only require their zodiac signs for the calculation.

“A good wedding date should not clash with the six important people – the bride and groom, and their parents – especially if they are attending the wedding,” the team at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy stresses. “Which is why the couple’s birth dates and their zodiac signs, as well as their parents’ zodiac signs are required for the most accurate and right auspicious date.”

“Although an auspicious date can still be calculated without the couple’s birth dates by using the Tong Shu, it may not accurately be a favourable date for them without factoring in their birth dates as calculation by the Tong Shu is a very generic method meant for mass consumption,” Master David Tong points out.

Who Needs To Be Present During An Appointment With a Feng Shui Master?

If you are seeking for an auspicious date for your wedding, it is best to have both you and your partner present during an appointment with a Feng Shui master. “When calculating an auspicious move-in date for a new home, only one owner of the new house needs to be present,” Master David Tong advises.

How Long Does It Take To Calculate An Auspicious Date?

There is no hard and fast rule on how long it takes to calculate an auspicious date. It all depends on the criteria set by you. “The lesser restrictions given by the couple, the easier and faster it is for our master to calculate and recommend the best date for their wedding or moving into a new home,” the team at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy explains.

Before you approach a Feng Shui master for an auspicious date, do take into consideration when you would like to have your wedding. Since most couples start planning their wedding a year or two ahead of time, it would ideal for you to contact a Feng Shui master within that time frame for an auspicious date to increase their chances of securing a venue that you want. You should also take into consideration the time required by the Feng Shui master to generate an auspicious date.

BONUS!

Wedding and Home Feng Shui Taboos – Which Ones Should I Follow?

In the same way that Chinese weddings are steeped in tradition passed down from our ancestors, it is also surrounded by a long list of wedding taboos couples are expected to abide by to avoid incurring any bad luck or negative impact on their relationship and marriage.

“According to Chinese superstition, you are not allowed to attend another solemnisation, wedding, funeral or baby full month celebration 100 days before and after your wedding,” Master David Tong says. “In doing so, the couple will get bad luck for their own marriage.”

Another well-known wedding taboo couples should pay attention to involves the matrimonial bed after it has been set up in the An Chuang (安床) ceremony. “After the matrimonial bed has been “installed”, it should not be tampered with, even by the couple’s family, before the couple sleeps on it on the wedding day,” the team at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy warns. “If someone else sits or sleeps on the bed before the couple, they will not be able to get the blessings.”

“Other wedding taboos include not getting married in the same lunar year as your siblings or your relationship with them will turn sour in the future after marriage, and not letting the fire on the Dragon and Phoenix candles be extinguished by the wind as it symbolises a bad omen to the marriage,” Master David Tong lists out.

For new home owners, one of the more popular home Feng Shui taboos you may have heard is that it is considered inauspicious to start renovations or move in during the seventh lunar month period, otherwise known as the Hungry Ghost Festival. “Couples may also not want to hang their wedding portrait at the head of the matrimonial bed as it is believed that doing so will lead to arguments and disharmony,” Master David Tong advises.

However, not all wedding or home Feng Shui taboos have truth in them, like the one on not wearing a pre-owned or secondhand wedding gown. “It is okay to wear a pre-owned or secondhand wedding gown as long as you feel that it is the piece for you,” the team at Yuan Zhong Siu Feng Shui Consultancy reassures. “After all, most brides choose to rent their gowns these days, which makes the gown they wear pre-owned anyway.”

“Also, some elders believe that the first and sixth lunar months are bad for marriage as it signifies a start with no end (有头没尾), and some even think that the even months are more auspicious for weddings,” Master David Tong reveals. “But, there is no logic in these beliefs. Every couple would have to marry in the 12th lunar month, which signifies togetherness (团团圆圆), or only during even months if that were the case.”

“When it comes to home Feng Shui, there is a popular myth that says that if the main door faces the windows directly, all the wealth Qi will leak out, and to prevent that from happening, you’ll have to place a divider or partition in front of the door to block the Qi from escaping through the windows,” Master David Tong explains. “But, if you think about it, the main door is like your mouth on the face. Building a partition right in front of it is similar to sealing your mouth with a tape. You will end up suffocating instead!”

There is no right or wrong when it comes to whether you should or should not seek out a Feng Shui master to calculate an auspicious date for your wedding or moving into a new home. At the end of the day, it boils down to you and your partner’s comfort level. Alternatively, you may consult our auspicious dates calendar for a brief look at the favourable dates for your wedding, Guo Da Li and An Chuang ceremonies, and even the start renovation and moving in dates for your new home.

Feature Image: Zhuoqun and Hendrian’s Intimate Clifftop Wedding in Bali by Donny from Axioo

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