In order to usher in the new year feeling fresh, families have to finish up cleaning their house and making preparations for the New Year holidays by omisoka .
Kids are in the middle of winter break, and they usually help out with the chores.
A lot of college students and working people who moved to big cities to attend school or take on a job return to their hometowns to spend New Year's with their families, friends, and relatives. New Year's Eve is the one day of the year when kids don't get scolded for staying up late. This practice is based on a belief that humans have 108 earthly passions they have to overcome in order to attain enlightenment, and each ring is thought to drive away one such passion. People wait until the reverberations have completely died down from each bell toll before making the next strike, and so it takes about an hour to complete the 108 strokes. T he tolling of the bell at some of the nation's most famous temples is broadcast live on television and radio.