What are those zigzagged folded paper things you see in supernatural anime? In a lot of supernatural anime, like Shin Sekai Yori, or Tokyo Ravens there often appear these large ropes with folded paper things hanging from them:



As far as I can tell, they serve to seal or mark places that are sacred or in some way supernatural, like shinboku, or holy trees:



What are these folded paper things, and what purpose do they really serve?
The Zigzag-shaped paper streamers are called Shide and are used in Shinto rituals. They can be seen in many animes that are located near Shinto shrines. To create one you can cut out a piece of paper like the diagram below and fold the paper along the dotted lines.