Rio de Janeiro

A man sets afloat a small-scaled boat filled with flowers on Copacabana beach as an offering for Yemanja, goddess of the sea, in Rio de Janeiro Dec. 29, 2012. On New Year's Eve, Brazilian worshipers of Yemanja celebrate the deity, offerings flowers and launching boats, large and small, into the ocean in exchange for blessings in the coming year. The belief in the goddess comes from the African Yoruban religion, brought to the Americas by West African slaves.

Credit: AP Photo