Kevin Frayer / AP

Hindu holy man Baba Sanjay poses before and after he had his head and face shaved as part of an initiation ritual where he was to become a Naga Sadhu.

Kevin Frayer, a photographer with The Associated Press, took a series of photos of Hindu holy men before and after they had their beards and hair shaved off as part of the initiation ritual to become Naga Sadhus — naked holy men — at the Maha Kumbh Festival in Allahabad, India.

The initiation of new Naga Sadhus can only be performed at the Kumbh Mela, which occurs once every 12 years and sees millions of devotees converging at the confluence of three holy rivers: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

Editor's note: Photos taken on Feb. 13, 2013 and made available to NBC News today.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Baba Ramshwal.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Brihaspst Giri.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Baba Vinod.

Kevin Frayer / AP

Baba Giri.

Kevin Frayer / AP

A barber gives a Hindu boy his first haircut before going for a holy dip in the Yamuna river on Sharad Purnima, an auspicious day for the new moon in the fall, in New Delhi, India on Oct. 29, 2012.

Kevin Frayer / AP

A boatman feeds birds on the Yamuna River in New Delhi on Oct. 29, 2012.

Kevin Frayer / AP

A barber gives Hindu boy Vanshu, 5 months, his first haircut as he is held by father Amit, second right, as his mother Rakhi Bansal, right, looks on before a holy dip in the Yamuna River on Oct. 29, 2012.

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AFP - Getty Images

Six-year-old quadruplets from Shenzhen in southern China had their hair shaved into various numbers before they went to school for the first time, Agence France Presse reports.

Their parents decided to mark them with 1, 2, 3, 4 on their heads — in the order that they were born — to make it easier for teachers and classmates to tell them apart.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This picture was taken on Sept. 3, 2012 and made available to NBC News on Sept. 6.

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Daniel Berehulak / AP

Mayor of London Boris Johnson attends the 124th IOC Session at The Royal Opera House in London on July 23, 2012.

A snip of the scissors has lengthened the betting odds on shaggy haired London Mayor Boris Johnson setting his platinum locks alight with the Olympic torch.

Johnson has pulled out all the stops to ensure the British capital looks its best for the 2012 Olympic Games and had his familiar mop chopped this week in favor of a sleek, more photogenic hairdo in time for the opening ceremony on Friday.

Bookmaker William Hill said it changed its odds to 100-1 from 66-1 on bets that Johnson - who is famous for his shambolic style and bumbling manner - would accidentally set his wild hair on fire with the Olympic torch.

"I didn't know he had gone and got a sneaky hair cut. It's not so wavy now so it's less likely to catch fire," William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said.

Neither Johnson's office nor the Olympic organizing committee would be drawn on whether the mayor is actually scheduled to carry the torch during the London 2012 opening ceremony despite media speculation.

The betting firm is also offering odds at 20-1 that the flame will go out as the last person runs with it.

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