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Shimenawa and the New Year god
At the end of December, many Japanese households hang a しめ縄 or a decorated しめ飾り at the front door. The rope marks a pure space and is said to welcome the 年神様, the god of the New Year who brings the year's blessings, and to keep out misfortune. Paper streamers (紙垂) and seasonal items such as citrus fruit are often attached. Most people buy decorations now, but in farming areas some families still twist their own from the year's rice straw. Decorations go up after the 13th of December and before the 31st — the 29th is often avoided because 九 can be read as 苦 — and come down in early or mid-January. In many places they are then burned at a community bonfire, どんど焼き, around January 15th. The grammar of this lesson is the grammar of effort and judgment: てまで, わけでもない, かと思うと, ことだから and だけのことはある.