Golden umbrellas draped in beads and flowers provide shade for boys as young as seven riding on their fathers' shoulders in a procession through the mountain town of Mae Hong Son on Thailand's northern border. Dressed in clothes dominated by neon pinks and greens with elaborate headgear, their lips and cheeks brightly rouged for the most important day of their short lives, about 50 boys advance to the lively beat of drums, cymbals and gongs. The event is a rite of passage to initiate the boys as Buddhist novices, the highlight of an annual celebration by the Shan ethnic group that lives mainly in neighbouring Myanmar, but is also spread through China, Laos and Thailand. To fulfil the dream of a son's participation in the prestigious event, parents willingly scrimp for a long time, others accept relatives' donations to defray costs, and the poorest may even send offspring to live with wealthier families. The rite of Poy Sang Long, as the celebration is known, represents the early childhood of the founder of Buddhism, Siddharta Gautama, who was born a prince about 2,600 years ago. He is said to have given up a life of royal splendour to live as a holy man after witnessing sickness and death outside the palace. Here: Boys have their hair cut in preparation for an annual Poy Sang Long celebration, a traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 2, 2018. Their shorn hair is wrapped in lotus leaves and saved as a keepsake by their mothers. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Boys have their hair shaved by monks in preparation for an annual Poy Sang Long celebration, a traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 2, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Boys are bathed with scented water in preparation for an annual Poy Sang Long celebration, a traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand April 2, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Boys with their heads smeared with thanaka bark wait to pray inside a temple after being shaved in preparation for an annual Poy Sang Long celebration, a traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 2, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Boys walks for almsgiving early morning after entering the Buddhist novicehood at a temple where they live for one or two months during their school holidays, studying Buddhist scripture, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 15, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Boys stay inside a temple during an annual Poy Sang Long procession, part of the traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 3, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Children are carried on shoulders during an annual Poy Sang Long procession, a traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 3, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Mr. Kasem rides a tuk-tuk carrying his new ordained sons Apiwvit and Phusit after their heads were shaved at Wat Klang Thung temple in preparation for an annual Poy Sang Long celebration, part of the traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 2, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Boys stay inside a temple during an annual Poy Sang Long procession, part of the traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 3, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





August, 8, is dressed up for an annual Poy Sang Long procession, part of the traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 3, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Phuwadol Kong Tawan (L), 11, Gorsak Kong Tawan (C), 13, and Danusorn Sdisaithaworn, 10, pray for a merchant at a market while being carried on shoulders during an annual Poy Sang Long celebration, a traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 4, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





Danusorn Sdisaithaworn, 10, poses for a portrait during an annual Poy Sang Long celebration, a traditional rite of passage for boys to be initiated as Buddhist novices, while he visits a relative's house outside Mae Hong Son, Thailand, April 4, 2018. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)