A performer dressed in costumes of The Qing Dynasty 1644-1911 beats the drum during a rehearsal of a performance presenting The Ancient Royal Ritual to worship heaven at The Temple of Heaven in Beijing Capital of China Feb 5 2013. imago stock&people/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: imagostock458220
It’s the Year of the Snake! Falling on February 10 this year, Chinese Lunar New Year is one of the most important of Chinese holidays. Also called the Spring Festival, the holiday is a time for families to get together with decorations, presents, feasts and firecrackers. Wishing good fortune, happiness, wealth, and longevity, the Chinese New Year is all about reconciling with loved ones, forgetting grudges, and sincerely wishing peace and happiness for everyone.
Newscom gets between 30-60,000 images a day from our partners around the world, and it’s easy to miss some truly amazing images if you aren’t specifically looking for them. So each week, we’ll go through our collections and present to you our favorites. Our job is to pick whatever catches our eye. Your job is to simply enjoy them. Check out the entire lightbox of this week’s best pictures back at Newscom, and read on to see other stories from this past week.
Legend says Buddha asked all the animals to come meet him on Chinese New Year. Only twelve had come, so Buddha decided to name a year after each one. If you were born in the Year of the Snake, you are said to be wise, charming, gregarious, generous and smart. (well done you!). Well-known people born in the Year of the Snake: Audrey Hepburn, Oprah Winfrey, and Brad Pitt.
An ethnic Chinese Malaysian arrives at Thean Hock Keong temple, popularly known as Snake Temple, ahead of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Klang outside Kuala Lumpur February 5, 2013. BAZUKI MUHAMMAD/REUTERS/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rtrlfive721602
In Uganda, more than five hundred soldiers were trained for seven months in urban combat skills by the European Union Training Mission (EUTM). They graduated last Friday and are now ready for deployment back in their home country. And in Venezuela, soldiers commemorate a coup d’etat with bright face paint.
A female Somali government soldier, trained by the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) team, is pictured during her passing out ceremony at Bihanga army training camp, 368 km (230 miles) west of Uganda’s capital Kampala, February 1, 2013. JAMES AKENA/REUTERS/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rtrlfive715360
A Venezuelan soldier, with his face painted with colours of the national flag, attends a military parade to commemorate the 21st anniversary of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s attempted coup d’etat in Caracas February 4, 2013. Chavez is still in Cuba recovering from a cancer surgery and has not been seen in public since December 8 last year. JORGE SILVA/REUTERS/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rtrlfive720737
In Kuala Lampur the Thaipusam Festival at Batu Caves honored the birthday of Lord Murugan while some devotees carried Kavadi (burdens) up 272 steps to the Temple Cave. (Did we mention carried by hooks in their backs? Talk about pain tolerance!)
A Hindu devotee with hooks embedded into his back during the Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, January 27, 2013. F.L Wong/EPN EPN/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: eyepress072663
Although it may oddly look like flesh piercing, this crimson anemone is home to this striking clown shrimp, also called a candy striped shrimp.
Canada, British Columbia, Clown Shrimp (Lebbeus Grandimanus) On A Crimson Anemone (Cribrinopsis Fernaldi). Design Pics / Dave Fleetham/Dave Fleetham/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: deppacific012033
Drills are one of Africa’s most endangered mammals, and are currently listed as the highest conservation priority in Africa by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Picture shows one hand of the one week young Drill baby which is held by its mother Kaduna in the primate enclosure in the zoo of Munich Hellabrunn, southern Germany, on January 31, 2013. The Drill monkey baby was born in the zoo on January 24, 2013. CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: afplivefour915265
Sadly, populations all over the world are still being threatened today by another endangered animal, the tiger. India’s Save our Tigers initiative is striving to create more awareness, and spark a curiosity about these magnificent creatures. See even more standout tigers back at Newscom.
Indian School children faces painted like a Tiger take part in the ‘Save our Tiger’ campaign, in Southern Indian city of Bangalore, 31 January 2013. The event is organised to encourage children to go through ‘edutainment’ workshops and create awareness among kids. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to conduct an annual tiger annual census in all 39 tiger reserves of the country which including six in Madhya Pradesh, namely Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Panna and Sanjay Dubri tiger reserves. JAGADEESH NV/EPA/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: epaphotos729921
Amidst national talks and hearings about gun control in Washington D.C., violence continues on a daily basis. We’re digging the creativity of the young Ronnie Chambers Jr., but also heartbroken at the loss of his father to gun-related violence in Chicago, along with his aunt and two uncles.
Ronnie Chambers Jr. puts his head on the shoulder of his mother Tahitah Myles during the funeral for his father Ronnie Chambers, 33, a victim of gun violence, in Chicago February 4, 2013. Shirley Chambers of Chicago had four children – three boys and a girl. Now they’re all gone. Her son, Ronnie Chambers, was the last of the single mother’s children – all victims of gun violence in Chicago over a period of 18 years. JOHN GRESS/REUTERS/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: rtrlfive720740
Scooping up the Best Actress Award for her work in Shadow Dancer, British actress Andrea Riseborough lit up the Evening Standard Film Awards in London, while the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, took home Film of the Year.
British actress Andrea Riseborough poses for photographers ahead of the Evening Standard Film Awards in central London on February 4, 2013. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: afplivefour922206
Check out this picture-perfect moment on a beautiful Hawaiian beach! Get even more Hawaiian beach scenes from our latest incoming photos of the Aloha State back at Newscom.
Rainbow Over Shore Break Beach Foreground, Horizon And Blue Sky With Clouds. License this image from Newscom.com: deppacific010668
And we’ll leave you this week with a moment from Superbowl XLVII, where the Balitmore Ravens earned the highly coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, beating out the San Francisco 49ers 34-31. Congratulations to John Harbaugh and his Ravens team, and we’re super glad you didn’t lose that beauty in New Orleans Sunday night …
Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens holds aloft the Vince Lombardi Trophy following their 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. License this image from Newscom.com: afplivefour921285
Be sure to check back next week for more Editors’ Picks, and don’t miss other great posts from FocalPoint:
Editors’ Picks: Africa Cup, McNamara’s Record Waves & Indonesian Zombie Club
Baltimore Ravens Take Superbowl Win Over ‘Niners
Tags: african drills, andrea riseborough, anemone, Baltimore Ravens, batu caves, british awards, candy striped shrimp, chinese new year, chinese zodiac, european union training mission, face paint, gun violence, Hawaii, hindu, india, John Harbaugh, lunar new year, monkeys, ronnie chambers jr., save the tigers, skyfall, soldiers, somali, spring festival, superbowl XLVII, thaipusam festival, venezuela, winners, year of the snake
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