From the agencies: Poy Sang Long festival

Waking up before dawn, this boy is ready to be dressed and made up for the festivities Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

Tai Yai boys are dressed elaborately and adorned with make-up Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

The finishing touches are applied to one Tai Yai boy Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

Strike the pose - the final look! Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

Tai Yai boys at the Poy Sang Long festival in Thailand. Young boys aged between 7 and 14 from the Tai Yai, an ethnic group in Burma and northern Thailand are ordained as novices to learn the Buddhist doctrines. Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

The boys gather for a group portrait Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

Praying at Wat Don Chedi Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

A Tai Yai boy prays at Wat Don Chedi Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

Boys are carried shoulder high in a procession by their relatives Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

Two Tai Yai boys wait in a truck as the procession of novices passes Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images

Tai Yai boys are driven to the homes of their friends and relatives Photograph: Taylor Weidman/Getty Images