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We happened by a wat where the ordination of three young monks was taking place. In Laos, a male of any age can enter the monkhood but it's most commonly young men in their teens and early 20's who do - it's a kind of rite of passage.

You will often see very young boys dressed in orange robes, these may be orphans, or children of poor families who want to insure their boys (not girls) get some kind of education. Some women, usually when they're well on in years, become nuns, or mae khao. They live an ascetic life but without all the privileges of the men.

Gaining merit is a big deal in Theravada Buddhism and ordination brings great merit and good karma, not to the monks themselves, but to their families, present and past. The most popular season for ordination runs from July to October, during the rainy lenten period called bun khao phansa, but it can be anytime of year.