And in Japan the New Year’s Holiday period is the country’s most important break of the year. Many Japanese start the New Year’s break with the "ritual of purification," a ceremony performed by priests to remove evil spirits and bad luck.<br />This is Meiji Shrine in Tokyo one of the biggest in Japan.<br /><br />These priests are about to conduct the "Oharai"(O-HA-RA-EE), or the "ritual of purification" ceremony.<br /><br />This annual ritual performed on the last day of the year is believed to purify body and mind before the New Year.<br /><br />Shinto priests shake the branches of an evergreen tree to "brush-off" evil spirits, bad luck and disease.<br /><br />[Yasuhito Ono, Ceremony Attendee]: (Japanese, Male)<br />"I heard the brushing-off ritual gets rid of all the harmful energy from my body."<br /><br />[Huyuka Kikuchi, Ceremony Attendee]: (Japanese, female)<br />"I wish God brushes off all the evil spirits from me before New Year's day."<br /><br />More than three million people visited this shrine during last New Year's three-day holiday period.
