Men ride on a “mikoshi” or portable shrine as local people carry it into the sea during a festival to wish peace in the ocean and good fortune in the new year in Oiso, west of Tokyo, January 1, 2015. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)
Bulgarian men dance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river during a celebration to commemorate Epiphany Day in the town of Kalofer January 6, 2015. It is believed that the ritual will bring good health to the participants throughout the new year. (Photo by Stoyan Nenov/Reuters)
A member of the Edo Firemanship Preservation Association displays his balancing skills atop bamboo ladder during a New Year presentation by the fire brigade in Tokyo January 6, 2015. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)
An Afghan refugee girl stands near her parents' makeshift shelter in a slum on the outskirts of Lahore January 12, 2015. (Photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)
A labourer packs incense in preparation for Tet, the traditional Vietnamese lunar new year, in Hong Chau village, outside Hanoi January 29, 2015. Tet is from February 14 till 24. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)
Vendors sell clothes on the roadside at a second-hand street side clothing market in Mumbai January 28, 2015. The market is open daily for three hours and hundreds of vendors gather to barter or sell used clothing. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)