In this photo taken on May 25, 2017, Buddhist monk novices line up before heading out through Bagan to collect daily alms from devotees seeking to make merit. Buddhist tradition in Myanmar requires everyone to spend some time in a monastery or nunnery before the age of 18 in what is viewed as an important coming of age ritual. Others, however, are there for the long-term, destined for a monastic life. / AFP PHOTO / Ye Aung THU