It may be too late to talk about shimenawa, a sacred straw festoon with various auspicious symbols attached to it, typically hung over entrance or Shinto househols alters at the New Year (Keykyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, 5th edition), as they are supposed to have been taken away and burnt by mid Junuary. But, anyway, let me post some photographs I took during New Year days.

Turtle-shaped?

Nice and simple

Inside out?

Wider version

�禺画像]Double shimenawa

Triple shimenawa

looks very hand-made

Zoomed...Split ends...

can be attached anywhere