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Show I (NEW YEAR I itrZzi. I NEW YEAR'S DAY always has been a red letter day in Japan. Japanese bells ring out 108 times at midnight on New Yp- -'s Eve, ushering in the New Year and reminding re-minding the people of the 108 commandments com-mandments of Buddha. Among the ancient customs still observed, there is the practice of scattering parched beans about the house, supposedly driving away evil influences and inviting good luck to enter. Firemen always have been popular pop-ular heroes because the flimsy construction con-struction of Japanese homes involve tremendous fire hazards. So another an-other feature of New Year's Day is the annual dezomeshiki parade of the fire brigades. The people of Japan still observe many age-old customs, with regard to the New Year. |