Great purification ceremony

About this event

The Oharae Great Purification ceremony at Yasaka Shrine is one of the most important Shinto rituals, performed on the last day of the year to cleanse accumulated impurities. Participants use special paper dolls called hitogata to symbolically transfer their sins and troubles before casting them away. This powerful rite of spiritual renewal prepares worshippers to enter the new year with a clean heart.