car purification; vehicle purification ritual
A Shinto ritual to purify a new or used car and pray for traffic safety. Often performed at shrines.
I bought a new car, so I had a car purification ritual done at a shrine.
Compound of 車 (kuruma, 'car') and 祓い (harai, 'purification, exorcism'), from the verb 祓う (harau). The reading くるまばらい shows rendaku (sequential voicing) on はらい.