For a boy in Myanmar it is customary to enter a monastery between the age 10 and 20 as a Buddhist novice for at least one week. Sometimes the boys are even younger, and in rare cases they are only 5 or 6 years old. For Burmese people, the novice hood initiation is a very important ceremony and a big event as a family. The novitiation ceremony is called "Shinbyu" in Burmese language. Shinbyu ceremonies are held throughout the whole country, in villages as well as in big cities. Often families send their sons at the same time to the monastery and celebrate the Shinbyu ceremony together. Celebrating together saves costs, because the event with music and traditional dresses is expensive. But it is also a wonderful opportunity for the families to organize a procession through the village as a kind of village festival.
Young Kayan student in a local school. Kayah State, Myanmar. 2017
These Burmese fishermen have mastered an unusual technique when it comes to paddling their boats. Carefully balancing on one leg, wrapping their second leg around the oar to guide the vessel through the freshwater lake. The skilled technique means the fishermen can stand and look out for reeds in the water and keep both hands free to handle the cumbersome nets. Inle Lake, Myanmar. 2017
