-- AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2017 -- In this picture taken on February 18, 2017, worshippers wait for the priest to throw the sacred batons during the annual Naked Man Festival or 'Hadaka Matsuri' at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, western Japan. With only a skimpy loincloth to protect their modesty, thousands of men brave freezing temperatures to fight for lucky charms thrown by a priest at Japan's annual Naked Man Festival. - / AFP / Behrouz MEHRI