On Location - Gathering Alms, Luang Prabang, Laos

Every morning in the UNESCO Heritage town of Luang Prabang in Laos, Buddhist monks dressed in their vivid saffron-coloured robes quietly line up and collect offerings from devout Buddhists along the streets. The alms giving ceremony, or Tak Bat, is a longstanding tradition in Laos Buddhist culture and a sacred ceremony for the locals and the monks, who depend on these offerings (often homemade sticky rice) for sustenance during the day.    The monks in turn give whatever is excess to their needs for the day to the children that gather at the end of the procession.