Topic: A baby being born into a family is one of the most special moments of our lives. Many of us have special things we do to welcome babies into this world. Some parents hold religious ceremonies, like a naming, bris (Jewish circumcision ceremony), christening, or haqueeka (Muslim ceremony of shaving the baby’s hair). Others take a purely spiritual approach by showing a baby his first sunrise or introducing him to the beauty of nature.

Beliefnet is putting together a gallery of baby welcoming traditions, and we need your help.

What to do: 

1. Send us a photo of what you did to welcome a baby into your family. 
2. Write a short description about that ceremony, what it entailed, and what it meant to your faith or your sense of spirituality.
3. Email both to the below address

Send to: beliefnetbabywelcome@gmail.com. Subject line should say: "Baby Welcoming."

* If you have only a print photo, please mail it to Beliefnet, Attn. "Baby Welcoming," P.O. Box 1062, 330 Park Ave., New York, NY 10010. Please only send duplicates of photos, as these will not be returned.

Deadline: March 23, 2007

Please note:

•  Include your name, your occupation, your city/state of residency.
• All images and writing must be original to you. If you are submitting a work that has been previously published elsewhere, please make sure there will be no conflict before submitting to us. We just want to remind you that, per our terms of service Beliefnet trusts that you only send material you actually own (i.e. not other people's copyrighted materials) and by sending it to us, you grant us and our editorial partners the right to use it in any form.