Saffron Monks

Myanmar is a very Buddhist country with almost everyone spending time as a monk at some point in their lives. Theravada Buddism is their belief with 90% following this with a big cross over to something known as the "nat" which is a pagan style belief in elves and spirits of flowers/trees/etc. Most children after the age of seven have their head shaved and spend a year learning about Buddhism like a monk, so you see lots of children dressed in the saffron robes too. In later life some return for a further years teaching or become full time monks. They have a huge influence on the society here and were the leaders of the recent campaigns and marches against the government. Because of their robes it was declared as the saffron revolution. It didn't get as far as toppling the government but certainly influenced recent changes.