On the evening of December 31st, 2025, Kyoto's New Year's Eve tradition of "Okera Mairi" took place at Yasaka Shrine in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City. Worshippers took home ropes carrying sacred flames lit in lanterns on the shrine grounds and prayed for good health and safety in the new year.
Okera Mairi is a traditional event held between the night of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, in which the medicinal herb "okera" is burned to ward off evil spirits. Worshippers can transfer the fire to ropes distributed within the shrine grounds. It is said that using the fire brought home to light a kettle for cooking New Year's soup or as a lamp for a household household altar will ensure good health throughout the year. After the fire has gone out, the ropes are customarily displayed in the kitchen as "fire prevention charms."
A little after 7 PM, a Shinto priest lit the three lanterns, and the okera and wooden plaques bearing wishes burst into flames, releasing a distinctive fragrance into the air. Worshippers lit fires on the ropes they held and spun them around as they walked, trying not to let the flames go out.
