National Bank of Kazakhstan has released "Kyrkynan shygaru" commemorative coins under Tales of the People of Kazakhstan coin series on November 25th 2016.

 

100 tenge nickel silver coin.

Face value: 100 tenge;
Diameter – 31 mm, thickness – 2 mm, weight – 11,17 gram;
Mintage: 100 000 pcs.

500 tenge silver coin.

Face value: 500 tenge;
Quality: proof, metal - silver 0.925;
Diameter – 37 mm, weight – 24 gram;
Mintage: 3000 pcs.

KYRKYNAN SHYGARU (fortieth day celebration). After birth, the child was not shown to strangers until a forty-day period had passed, because the first forty days were considered to be critical for the life of a baby.

 

The ceremony took place on the fortieth day after the birth of the child. Especially for this occasion, the dastarkhan was prepared, and women relatives and neighbors from the village were invited. The ceremony started by placing forty stones and silver rings into a bathing bowl. Then every woman would pour forty spoons of water into the bowl, expressing her wishes to the baby. The most respected female relative was honored to use this water for bathing the child, saying, “Otyz omirtkan bekisin, kyryk kabyrgan zhyldam katsyn! ” (Let your 30 vertebrae and 40 ribs strengthen fast).

 

The ritual to cut the baby’s first hair and nails was entrusted to the same woman. The first cut hair was rolled up on a palm in a form of a ball and put in a piece of fabric which was either sewn up to the child’s clothes on the right shoulder or stored in the trunkt, while the first cut nails were buried in a clean place in the ground. The water in which the baby had been bathed was poured in the cattle shed by one of the daughters-in-law. It was believed that this would make the baby wealthy. Valuable items remained on the bottom of the bowl were taken by the women who took part in the baby’s bathing.

 

Source of information: The National bank of Kazakhstan www.nationalbank.kz