Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of northern Laos, is a World Heritage site. When the sun rises over the city, "alms-giving," a traditional event that began in the 14th century, is held.

Begging for alms is a part of Buddhist practice, in which monks wear bright orange robes and walk through the streets carrying bowls, and believers express their devotion to Buddhism by giving food to the monks. The alms giving ceremony in Luang Prabang is a large scale affair involving about 200 monks. This ceremony is held every day, even on rainy days.

During the ceremony, small children are sometimes seen worshipping the monks or walking around with baskets mixed with the monks. The monks redistribute the offerings they receive to the children. One of the purposes of this ceremony is not only to show devotion, but also to distribute the offerings to children whose families are poor so that they can bring food back home to their families.

Learn more about Laos →.Laos: the most bombed country in the world.

(Photo: llee_wu/Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0))