The Megumi People - Fire Prevention

It felt nostalgic, or rather,
I saw a scene I had only ever seen on television in the past.

It was around 8:00 PM.
There was a procession of about 20 people, ranging from elementary school students to people in their 70s.
Some people were holding red glowing sticks that looked like lightsabers, the kind traffic controllers at construction sites use.
The person at the front had a megaphone.
Some people were also carrying wooden clappers.

What kind of group was it?

"Watch out for fire!!" Clack, clack.

It was a group calling for fire safety.

I had heard them occasionally, but this was the first time I had seen the actual march.
I always thought their voices carried well, but it turns out they were using a megaphone (lol).

What I used to see on TV was...

I had an image of them wearing costumes like this and carrying lanterns with "Fire Prevention" written on them,
calling out, "Watch out for fire! One match is the source of a fire!"
There was no one wearing costumes like that.
In this day and age, it would probably just end up being cosplay (lol).
Besides, it's rare to see anyone using matches these days.

In areas where people complain that the New Year's Eve bells are too noisy and should be stopped,
maybe they would also be told to stop the fire safety patrols.

I wonder if it's okay here since the temple bells ring every day.

I do wonder if it's okay to have elementary school students participating at this hour, but I've heard that children these days tend to stay up late, so maybe it's fine.

Even though the clerks at supermarkets and convenience stores are all foreigners,
it's a strange area where such old traditions still remain.

Today's story was about being careful with fire sources.

Thank you very much.