People work extra hard in preparation for the holiday. They cook special food and clean and decorate their houses.

The cleaning is called susuharai or soot-sweeping. The stains, both physical and spiritual, of the past year are rubbed out to purify the home and make it fresh for the New Year.

On New Year's Eve, toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles), which symbolises longevity, is served.

A pine decoration known as kadomatsu is set up on both sides of the front entrance to bring good luck.

An important food at New Year is omochi - steamed rice that has been pounded with a huge hammer and cut into pieces like cakes. This is eaten either grilled or in a soup known as ozoni.

Offerings are made to the household gods on a small table. These usually consist of omochi, dried persimmons, dried chestnuts, pine seeds, black peas, sardines, herring roe, a cray fish, a sea-bream, dried cuttlefish, mochibana (flowers made of rice and straw), mandarins and many other items which vary from district to district.

Families stay up to hear the joya-no-kane or ringing of the temple bells. At the stroke of midnight the tsuri-gane - the great bells or gongs at Japan's Buddhist temples - ring in the New Year. The joya-no-kane consists of 108 solemn tolls of the temple bells. According to Shintoism, man has 108 sins and, by hearing the bells, he can be relieved of all of them.

On the morning of New Year's Day, people drink three mouthfuls of spiced Japanese sake in traditional ceramic cups. Family members usually spend the morning at home, worshipping in front of miniature Buddhist and Shinto altars. It's a special day for children because they receive money from their relatives.

Colombia

Burning 'Mr Old Year' is a New Year's tradition in some cities of Colombia. It requires the participation of the entire family who create a big stuffed male doll that represents the old year. Sometimes they put fireworks inside the doll to make it more exciting when they burn it.

They also stuff objects that bring sadness or bad memories. These will burn, meaning that they want to forget all the bad things that happened during the past year.

The doll is dressed in old clothes from each member of the family. Then, at midnight on New Year's Eve, it is set on fire.

Spain

On December 31, people wait until midnight and start eating 12 grapes when the clock starts to chime. It is a tradition to listen to the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

When it is midnight, each time the clock chimes they put a grape in their mouth. By the time the clock stops chiming, everyone should have finished their grapes and the New Year starts.

This tradition started in Spain when there was a big grape harvest and the king of Spain decided to give fruits to everybody on New Year's Eve.