01 JANUARY 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: People rub a statue of the Buddha for luck during the annual New Year's mass merit making ceremony on at Sanam Luang in Bangkok. The ceremony is sponsored by the Bangkok city government. More than 500 Buddhist monks participated in the ceremony this year. Thais usually go to temples and religious observances to meditate and make merit on New Year's Day. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ