What is the topic of this passage? The Japanese New Year celebration is called the Shogatsu festival, and it has many traditions. It begins with the cleaning of the home. People who celebrate Shogatsu make sure their homes are clean by December 31. The cleaning represents their efforts to wipe away the clutter and dirt from the year before. The cleaning is done to welcome the coming year with a pure mind. Then people decorate their houses with bamboo, pine branches, and straw. Each decoration is meant to bring long life and success. Japanese beliefs and customs Japanese cleaning methods Japanese New Year Japanese home decoration