On the night of December 31, 2024, the "Okera Mairi," a traditional New Year's tradition in Kyoto, took place at Yasaka Shrine in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City. Worshippers transferred the flames of lanterns to ropes and carried them home, praying for good health in the new year.
Okera Mairi is a traditional event in which worshippers carry "okera fire," made by burning okera, a medicinal herb that is said to ward off evil spirits, on a rope and carry it home. It is said that happiness will come if you use this as a starter to cook zoni or light a lamp on a Shinto altar. Sometimes the extinguished rope is displayed in the kitchen as a talisman to ward off fire.
After 7 p.m., a priest lit three lanterns, and the okera burst into flames with a crackling sound along with wooden tablets on which wishes were written, filling the shrine grounds with a unique fragrance. Worshippers formed long lines, lit the ropes, and then headed home, spinning them around to prevent the fire from going out.
