Wayne Eastep

Besikke Salu, or "Putting in the Cradle," is a ceremony for blessing a new baby. This entails placing the infant in its cradle and, to ensure blessings, putting a small mirror or brush under the pillow for a baby girl or a whip and knife for a boy. A burning sprig of sage or a flame, as pictured here, is passed over the cradle as a symbol of cleansing, life and protection. A grandmother then pinches the baby's nose to make it cry, which assures a calm, deep sleep afterwards. Arailym Sametova is the baby being blessed here. Her mother, Gulmarzhan Ikhanova, is at left, and the Godmother, Galiya Usenbaeva, is the young woman behind the cradle.