Brazil Offering for Yemanja

Photos of the Week

Faithful push a boat filled with flowers into the waters of Copacabana beach as an offering for Yemanja, goddess of the sea, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday Dec. 29, 2011. On New Year's Eve, Brazilian worshippers of Yemanja celebrate the diety, offerings flowers and launching boats, large and small, into the ocean in exchange for blessings in the new year. The belief in the goddess comes from the African Yoruban religion brought to America by West African slaves. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

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NASA Moon In this undated image provided by NASA on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, shows two sides of the moon. Twin NASA probes traveling for the past 3 1/2 months are scheduled to arrive at the moon during the New Year's weekend to study lunar gravity. (AP Photo/NASA)
New Years Times ... Kelsey Budnick, second from left, and her high school friends visiting from Connecticut pose for a picture with a ball that was used on a previous New Year's Eve in Times Square in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Denmark Polar Be... The polar bear cub Siku (which means “Sea ice” in Greenlandic language) is seen with Frank Vigh-Larsen, the Director of the Zoo, at Skandinavisk Dyrepark, in Djursland, Denmark, in this photo taken on Friday Dec. 23. 2011. The month-old polar bear, born at the Danish wildlife park, is being bottle reared, because its mother Ilka had no milk. (AP Photo/POLFOTO, Rasmus Flindt Pedersen)
Germany Snow Chu... Visitors stand in front of a blue-lit church built of snow during its opening in Mitterfirmiansreut, southern Germany, Wednesday evening, Dec. 28, 2011. The church was opened in the Bavarian Forest two weeks later than planned. (AP Photo/dapd, Lukas Barth)
Italy Moon A quarter of the moon is seen through Christmas artificial lights in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec.27, 2011. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Germany Weather Hikers make their way to the peak of Wendelstein mountain in the German Alps, near Bayrischzell, southern Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/dapd/Lukas Barth)
Pakistan Bhutto ... Supporters of Pakistan's slain leader Benazir Bhutto hold her posters at a ceremony to mark the fourth anniversary of her death, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi on Dec. 27, 2007. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
Philippine Polic... Filipino police show their pistols after being taped on the nozzle by officers at police headquarters in Camp Crame, suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Tuesday Dec. 27, 2011. The Philippine National Police is working to thwart the traditional celebratory gunfire during New Year's revelry that injures or kills several Filipinos each year. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Sydney to Hobart... The hulls of competing boats are below the swell at the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. A fleet of 88 yachts sailed out of Sydney Harbour at the start of the 67th edition of the race. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Holiday Lights In this photo made using a long exposure and zooming the lens, hundreds of lights illuminate the home of Norm and Michele Rados in Olmsted Township, Ohio Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. Rados said it takes four to five weekends of work to finish his annual holiday display leading up to the Sunday after Thanksgiving. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Indiana Weather A runner goes for a morning run along the Monon Trail during a snow fall Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Beluga Whale A white whale, also known as beluga, puffs a ring at Kamogawa Sea World in Kamogawa, east of Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Russia Christmas... People walk near Red Square decorated for New Year celebrations in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
Nepal Elephant F... A Nepali mahout unloads grass collected from the jungle to feed elephants in Sauraha, Chitwan, 170 kilometers (106 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. An Elephant festival mainly held for tourism began here Monday. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Elephant Race Ev... A Tharu woman dressed in traditional attire smiles as she participates in a parade marking an Elephant Race event at Sauraha in Chitwan, about 170 km (106 miles) south of Kathmandu, Nepal, December 26, 2011. (REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)
Panama Parade People carry ballons during Christmas balloon parade in Panama City, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
Brazil Turtles R... In this photo taken Dec. 19, 2011, released on Dec. 26, 2011, by Brazil's environmental agency, Ibama, Amazon turtles are seen after being rescued from hunters in Cracarai, Brazil. An official in Brazil says federal police and environmental agents have rescued 327 Amazon turtles from hunters this month. (AP Photo/Ibama)
King Tides Pedestrians walk along a seawall during the peak of a "king tide" Tuesday morning, Dec. 27, 2011, in Seattle. King tides, the extremely high tides that happen once or twice a year that may temporarily flood roads, parking lots and beaches, are returning to the Puget Sound and will also occur Wednesday and Thursday morning in the area. King tides are a natural phenomenon that occur when the sun and moon's gravitational pulls reinforce one another and happen when the moon is closest to the earth. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Obama Hiking Hikers gather on and around a pillbox along the Lanikai Pillboxes trail, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011, in Lanikai, Hawaii. The Obamas spent about an hour hiking the Lanikai Pillboxes, which takes visitors to old military pillboxes, or bunkers. The picturesque hike offers views of Kailua Beach, where the Obamas are staying at a multimillion-dollar rental. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Georgia Christma... An illumination resembling a Christmas tree is set for New Year celebrations at the monument to St. George on Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Jewish Festival ... Ultra Orthodox Jewish men light candles on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. The Jewish festival of light, an eight-day commemoration of the Jewish uprising in the second century B.C. against the Greek-Syrian kingdom, which had tried to put statues of Greek gods in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, started last Tuesday. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
China's Upcoming... Red lanterns hang to celebrate an upcoming spring festival which falls in January in a back alley in Beijing, China, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Indonesia Tsunam... Acehnese children plant paper-made sakura flowers with messages of hopes written on them by Indonesian and Japanese children during the 7th commemoration since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Aceh Besar, Aceh province, Indonesia, Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)
North Korea Kim ... In this image made from KRT video, North Korean military personnel stand in lines as they bow during a funeral procession for late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in snowy Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/KRT via APTN)
New Years Times ... People post wishes and thoughts on scraps of paper that will be dropped over Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Bangladesh Daily... A Bangladeshi village girl bites a fruit as she walks through a mustard field with her mother at Savar district, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/ Pavel Rahman)
India Cyclone Th... A cyclist makes his way past waves breaking on the Bay of Bengal coast in Chennai, India, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. Tropical Cyclone Thane will continue to move westward toward southern India. The storm is forecast to make landfall early Friday near the Chennai region. (AP Photo)
Germany Cross Co... Athletes ski under a bridge during foggy weather at a training session of the Tour de Ski competition in Oberhof, central Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. The cross country tour starts in the Thuringian Forest on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
Indonesia New Ye... A vendor smokes a cigarette under paper-made horns for sale in preparation of New Year's eve celebration at a road-side stall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Dec. 28. 2011. The horns are sold for Rp. 10,000 - 85,000 (US$ 1-9) depends on the size and models. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Food and Farm Sc... In this photo made Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, gulls seeking scraps follow a fishing boat where sternman Josh Gatto shucks scallops on the trip back to shore off Harpswell, Maine. Scallop fishing in Maine can only take place between sunrise and sunset. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Morocco Mega Mal... In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, water shoots into the air accompanied by music as the musical fountain performs outside the new Morocco Mall near the coastal town of Casablanca. Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury. While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)
New White Cheeke... This Dec. 10, 2011 photo provided by the Chicago Zoological Society shows Indah, one of the Brookfield Zoo's White Cheeked Gibbons, with her infant son born Nov. 15, 2011, in Brookfield, Ill. All white-cheeked gibbons are born with a blond coat matching their mother’s coat, a form of camouflage. The new male gibbon will retain this light coloring until it begins to turn dusky when he is half a year old. By the time he reaches his first birthday, the young gibbon will be sporting a black coat with light cheek patches, like his dad and brother. He will retain this coloration for life. Females turn black and then back to blond again, with a small patch of black on their crown, when they reach sexual maturity at around 6 to 8 years of age. (AP Photo/Chicago Zoological Society, Jim Schulz)
Bolivia Alpacas In this photo taken Monday Dec. 26, 2011, a man herds his alpacas at the Ulla Ulla Biosphere Reserve, about 100 miles or 160 kms northwest of La Paz, Bolivia. According to the United Nations, the sole agricultural activity is the raising of alpacas, and to a lesser degree, llamas because of the persistent frosts and low temperatures in this mountain area, near the Peruvian border. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Nepal Elephants A sixteen day old baby elephant enjoys sun at an elephant breeding centre in Sauraha in Chitwan, about 170 kilometers (106 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. A three day elephant-themed festival aimed at attracting tourists wrapped up Wednesday in Chitwan. Tourism is picking up in Nepal as it slowly recovers from a 10-year Maoist insurgency that killed more than 13,000 people.(AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
India New Year Indian students of Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam sit near a formation they made with lighted candles to welcome the new year in Ahmadabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Germany Zoo Inve... Keeper Matthias Schmitz measures a tarantula at the zoo in Wuppertal, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. Keepers of the Wuppertal Zoo have to count, measure and weigh the 4500 animals with 500 species yearly to see if they grow correctly and get enough food. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
India Sikh Festi... A Sikh warrior blows fire from his mouth during a religious procession ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Jammu, India, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. The birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, will be marked on Dec. 31. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Indonesia Rhinos... Visitors examine the skeleton of a Javan rhino on display at the office of Indonesian Forestry Ministry in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. The latest survey of Javan rhinos has found at least 35 of the endangered species, including five calves remain in their original habitat at Ujung Kulon National Park in West Java. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Philippines Mark... Confetti falls as Filipino traders blow horns in front of the electronic board during the last day of trading this year at the Philippine Stock Exchange in the financial district of Makati, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday Dec. 29, 2011. The Philippine Stock Exchange index was up 0.82 percent or 35.33 points to close at 4,371.96. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Hong Kong New Ye... A model, wearing a hat with a sign 2012, poses during a promotional event for upcoming New Year celebrations at a shopping center in Hong Kong Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Myanmar Fire Smoke and blaze rise from a warehouse in Pazundaung township, eastern Yangon suburb, Myanmar early Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. Officials said the warehouse fire quickly spread to neighboring homes and buildings, killing at least more than a dozen. (AP/Khin Maung Win)
Rose Parade Prep... A group of volunteers decorate a float named "Preserving Paradise" in Irwindale, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, as volunteers and workers continue to work on the floats for the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 2 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
India Cold Weath... An Indian worker carries soil on his head at a construction site on a foggy morning in New Delhi, India, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. The dipping mercury has pushed the country-wide death toll to more than a hundred as north India continued to reel under biting cold and dense fog disrupting rail, road and air transport, according to news reports. (AP Photo/ Tsering Topgyal)
Russia Submarine... In this video image from Ru-RTR Russian state tv channel, firefighters spray water on the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine in a dock at the Roslyakovo shipyard in the Murmansk region, Russia, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. A fire that erupted while the Yekaterinburg was in drydock for repairs at the town of Roslyakovo near Murmansk has left seven crew members injured after they inhaled poisonous fumes from the blaze. (AP Photo/Ru-RTR Russian state channel/ Via APTN)
Brazil Offering ... Faithful push a boat filled with flowers into the waters of Copacabana beach as an offering for Yemanja, goddess of the sea, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday Dec. 29, 2011. On New Year's Eve, Brazilian worshippers of Yemanja celebrate the diety, offerings flowers and launching boats, large and small, into the ocean in exchange for blessings in the new year. The belief in the goddess comes from the African Yoruban religion brought to America by West African slaves. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Sept 11 Memorial... Visitors walk around the National September 11 Memorial, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 in New York. The memorial announced that it has had a million visitors since the site opened to the public in September. The museum entrance is at right. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Romania Ice Skat... Romanians skate on an artificial skating ring in Bucharest, Romania, taking advantage of the warmer than usual weather, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Brazil New Year A man takes photos from atop a building as balloons are released by members of Sao Paulo's Commerce Association to celebrate the New Year in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Russia New Year ... People walk in Red Square decorated for New Year and Christmas celebrations, with St. Basil Cathedral in the background, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
Nepal New Year F... A young girl from the Gurung community attired in festive clothing participates in a parade to mark Tamu Loshar, or New Year of the Gurung community, in Katmandu, Nepal, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)