New Year's Eve Yasaka Shrine Okera Mairi's Auspicious Rope Okera Mairi A New Year's Eve tradition in Kyoto. After the New Year's Eve service, the "Okera fire" lit in the "Okera lantern" burns throughout the night. "Okera Mairi" is the custom of taking the "Okera fire" and lighting a fire rope (auspicious rope) with it, twirling the rope to keep the fire from going out, and bringing it home to pray for good health and to use as a fire starter for the New Year's New Year's soup and the lamp in front of the gods. The remaining fire rope is enshrined in the kitchen as a fire prevention (fire disaster prevention) amulet.