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Al ‘azi, élégie, marche processionnelle et poésie
Al ‘azi is a genre of sung poetry performed in the northern regions of the Sultanate of Oman. It constitutes one of the major expressions of Omani cultural and musical identity. It takes the form of a poetry contest punctuated by sword and step movements and poetic exchanges between a singer poet and a choir. It may involve a large...
Middle EastOmanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Al-Zajal, poésie déclamée ou chantée
Al-Zajal is a form of Lebanese folk poetry declaimed or sung at social and family celebrations and in daily life. The performers, both men and women, express themselves either individually or collectively on a variety of themes including life, love, nostalgia, death, politics and daily events. During poetic jousts, troupes of poets and...
Middle EastLebanonNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Saison d’alpage
In Switzerland, alpine pasture season refers to the period between May and October, when cattle, sheep and goats are driven to high-altitude pastures to take advantage of the extra forage. During this time, alpine farmers of all genders care for the animals, maintain the pastures, fences and buildings, process the milk into cheese and...
EuropeSwitzerlandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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L'art du pizzaiolo napolitain
The art of the Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’ is a culinary practice comprising four different phases relating to the preparation of the dough and its baking in a wood-fired oven, involving a rotatory movement by the baker. The element originates in Naples, the capital of the Campania Region, where about 3,000 Pizzaiuoli now live and perform....
EuropeItalyNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les savoir-faire artisanaux et la culture de la baguette de pain
The baguette is the most popular kind of bread enjoyed and consumed in France throughout the year. The traditional production process entails weighing and mixing the ingredients, kneading, fermentation, dividing, relaxing, manually shaping, second fermentation, marking the dough with shallow cuts (the baker’s signature) and baking....
EuropeFranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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L’askiya, l’art de la plaisanterie
Askiya is a genre of Uzbek verbal folk art that takes the form of a dialogue between two or more participants, who eloquently debate and exchange witticisms around a particular theme. Bearers and practitioners, mainly men, must master the peculiarities of Uzbek language, and be able to improvise and reason quickly and skilfully, using...
Central AsiaUzbekistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La culture asturienne du cidre
Asturian cider culture refers to the spaces and processes for producing, serving and enjoying natural cider in the Spanish region of Asturias. A symbol of local identity, the drink is created by fermenting the must of native apple varieties. In Asturias, the taste for cider is seen as the embodiment of the relationship between rural...
EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le mugham azerbaïdjanais
The Azerbaijani Mugham is a traditional musical form, characterized by a large degree of improvisation. The Mugham, though a classical and academic art, draws upon popular bard melodies, rhythms and performance techniques and is performed in many venues throughout the country. Contemporary representations of the Azerbaijani Mugham...
Middle EastAzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Betashar, rituel traditionnel de mariage
In Kazakhstan, the Betashar ritual is the ceremony of revealing the bride’s face during a wedding ceremony. It originated in medieval times, when the groom rarely saw his future bride before the wedding. At the beginning of the ceremony, the bride’s mother dresses her in the traditional Kazakh headdress and a veil. She is escorted into...
Central AsiaKazakhstanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le chant Ca trù
Ca trù is a complex form of sung poetry found in the north of Viet Nam using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms. Ca trù groups comprise three performers: a female singer who uses breathing techniques and vibrato to create unique ornamented sounds, while playing the clappers or striking a wooden box, and two...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le zhusuan chinois, connaissances et pratiques du calcul mathématique au boulier
Chinese Zhusuan is a time-honoured traditional method of performing mathematical calculations with an abacus. Practitioners can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponential multiplication, root and more complicated equations by moving beads along the abacus rods according to defined formulas. Chinese Zhusuan has...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La préparation et la consommation du Mulgi puder, purée de pommes de terre traditionnelle à l’orge dans la région de Mulgimaa, Estonie
Mulgi puder is a traditional dish that is consumed daily in the Mulgimaa region of Estonia. The dish entails placing sliced potatoes in a pot and pouring pre-soaked barley on top. After adding a bit of salt, the ingredients are boiled until soft and then mashed. Mulgi puder is accompanied by pan-fried pork knuckle, which can be added to...
EuropeEstoniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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L’espace culturel du yaaral et du degal
The cultural space of the Yaaral and the Degal encompasses the vast pastoral lands of the Peul of the inner Niger Delta. The Yaaral and the Degal festivities mark the crossing of the river at the time of the transhumance. Twice a year, herds of cattle cross the arid land of the Sahel and the flood plains of the inner Niger River. The...
AfricaMaliNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La dabkeh, danse traditionnelle en Palestine
Dabkeh is a popular group dance in Palestine that is accompanied by traditional wind instruments and popular singing. A social activity, it is performed in several regions during festivals, celebrations and events such as weddings and graduations. Dabkeh is performed by eleven dancers, regardless of gender. The dancers stand in a...
Middle EastPalestine, State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les parrandas, fêtes du centre de Cuba
Held for the first time in 1820 in the town of Remedios, the Festivity of Las Parrandas is now celebrated by eighteen communities in the centre of Cuba, mostly taking place towards the final months of the year. The Parrandas is a cultural competition between the two neighbourhoods or parties into which each town is divided, with ‘spies’...
Latin America and CaribbeanCubaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La fête de la Virgen de la Candelaria de Puno
The Festivity of Virgen de la Candelaria, celebrated each February in the city of Puno, includes activities of religious, festive and cultural character that draw on Catholic traditions and symbolic elements of the Andean worldview. The main festival commences at the beginning of the month with a daybreak mass, followed by an ancient...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La harissa, savoirs, savoir-faire et pratiques culinaires et sociales
Harissa, a seasoning made with chilli pepper paste, is an integral part of domestic provisions and the daily culinary and food traditions of Tunisian society. It is usually prepared by women in a convivial and festive family or neighbourhood setting. It is prepared by drying the chilli peppers in the sun, and splitting the peppers,...
AfricaTunisiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les tours humaines
''Castells'' are human towers built by members of amateur groups, usually as part of annual festivities in Catalonian towns and cities. The traditional setting is the square in front of the town hall balcony. The human towers are formed by ''castellers'' standing on the shoulders of one another in a succession of stages (between six and...
EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La danse kalela
The Kalela dance originated during colonial times in the Luapula Province of Zambia. It was adopted by mine workers and used for entertainment at the Chief's Palace during traditional ceremonies, funerals, harvest celebrations and other important occasions. Kalela is a kind of dance drill formation in which the dancers form two or three...
AfricaZambiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les jeux traditionnels d’assyks kazakhs
Kazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. The community...
Central AsiaKazakhstanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le kolo, danse traditionnelle
Kolo is a traditional, collective folk dance performed by dancers who are interlinked to form a chain, usually moving in a circular line holding hands with their arms down. It is performed to the accompaniment of music at private and public gatherings and involves all members of the local community. Cultural-artistic societies and folk...
EuropeSerbiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le bateau moliceiro : un art de la charpenterie navale de la région d’Aveiro
The Moliceiro boat is a traditional wooden vessel originally designed for harvesting aquatic plants, an important economic activity for the practising community. Built using pine wood, these boats follow time-honoured shipbuilding techniques that have been passed down through generations. The shipbuilders use a special tool called the...
EuropePortugalNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le tir aux osselets mongol
Mongolians revere certain parts of bones of their domestic livestock and use them in religious rites, plays and traditional games. One such popular team-based game is knuckle-bone shooting. Teams of six to eight players flick thirty domino-like marble tablets on a smooth wooden surface towards a target of sheep knuckle-bones, aiming to...
East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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L’atā thingyan, la fête traditionnelle du Nouvel An au Myanmar
Atā Thingyan is a five-day festival that is observed in Myanmar to celebrate the traditional new year. The Myanmar Calendar Advisory Board determines the date on which Thingyan falls each year (typically in mid-April). Each community celebrates the festival in accordance with its traditions and customs, but common activities include...
Southeast AsiaMyanmarNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le Ngondo, culte des oracles de l'eau et traditions culturelles associées chez les Sawa
The Ngondo traditions are based on the worship of water oracles. Practised by the Sawa community of Cameroon, they take place annually from September to the first Sunday of December. The popular and festive part of the practice is marked by a caravan touring the traditional Sawa districts with artistic performances, traditional...
AfricaCameroonNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
Les jeux nomades, redécouverte du patrimoine, célébration de la diversité
Kyrgyz people’s cultural heritage is intrinsically linked to the nomadic lifestyle. However, during the Soviet era, which came with forced sedentation, many elements became endangered, including traditional games. After gaining independence in 1991, the local communities in Kyrgyzstan started working on revitalizing and celebrating...
Central AsiaKyrgyzstanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les traditions pastorales et les chars à bœufs du Costa Rica
The traditional oxcart, or carreta, is the product of Costa Rica’s most famous craft. Dating from the mid-nineteenth century, oxcarts were used to transport coffee beans from Costa Rica’s central valley over the mountains to Puntarenas on the Pacific coast, a journey requiring ten to fifteen days. The oxcarts used spokeless wheels, a...
Latin America and CaribbeanCosta RicaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La coutume du raengmyon de Pyongyang
Pyongyang Raengmyon (cold noodles made primarily from buckwheat) is a customary social and cultural dish in North Korea. It is served in a brass bowl and topped with trimmings of meat, Kimchi, vegetables, fruits and garnish. Cool meat stock or watery radish Kimchi juice is poured over the noodle strips to finish the preparation. A...
East AsiaKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La danse Saman
The Saman dance is part of the cultural heritage of the Gayo people of Aceh province in Sumatra. Boys and young men perform the Saman sitting on their heels or kneeling in tight rows. Each wears a black costume embroidered with colourful Gayo motifs symbolizing nature and noble values. The leader sits in the middle of the row and leads...
Southeast AsiaIndonesiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La danse des ciseaux
The scissors dance is performed by inhabitants of Quechua villages and communities in the south-central Andes of Peru, and now in urban settings. This competitive ritual dance is performed during dry months coinciding with the main phases of the agricultural calendar. The scissors dance takes its name from the pair of polished iron...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le séga tambour de Rodrigues
Sega Tambour of Rodrigues Island is a vibrant rhythmic performance of music, song and dance with its origins in slave communities. The leading percussion, the tambour, is banged energetically, while a triyang is hit from the side and the bwat and mayos are clapped. Sega Tambour is performed all over Rodrigues Island in the home and on...
AfricaMauritiusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La sevdalinka, chant folklorique urbain traditionnel
Sevdalinka is a form of traditional urban singing that is practised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It originated as the result of a long process of acculturation that occurred when the traditional oral poetry of the South-Slavic population merged with the musical influences of the Ottoman Empire. Performed a capella or with the...
EuropeBosnia and HerzegovinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La Shakespeare Mas’, une composante traditionnelle du Carnaval annuel à Carriacou
In Grenada, Shakespeare Mas’ combines elements of speechmaking, costume design and public theatre. Practitioners, called ‘kings’, compete against each other, reciting passages from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, historical texts, Bible verses and rhetorical boasts meant to show their prowess with words and language. Incorrect recitations...
Latin America and CaribbeanGrenadaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Slovácko Verbuňk, la danse des recrues
The Slovácko verbŭnk is an improvised dance performed by boys and men living in the South Moravia and Zlín districts of the Czech Republic. The name of the dance is derived from the German term Werbung (changed into verbŭnk), meaning “recruitment”, reflecting its historical origins in the recruitment of dancers and soldiers for the...
EuropeCzechiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La technique de fabrication des cerfs-volants géants de Santiago Sacatepéquez et Sumpango au Guatemala
The tradition of making and flying kites in Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, Guatemala dates back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The kites are made over several months and exhibited during the fairs of the Day of the Saints and the Dead, with the aim to communicate with the ancestors. There are five steps to...
Latin America and CaribbeanGuatemalaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les connaissances, méthodes et pratiques traditionnelles associées à la culture de l’olive
In Türkiye, olive cultivation refers to grafting, pruning and fertilizing wild olive trees, called delice, and to picking, harvesting and processing the olives. The methods used are based on traditional knowledge and practices concerning nature, such as ideal soil characteristics, climate and manure. The olive trees are grafted and...
Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les techniques traditionnelles de transformation du thé et les pratiques sociales associées en Chine
China’s traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices entail the knowledge, skills and practices around tea plantation management, tea-leaf picking, manual processing, drinking and sharing. Based on natural conditions and local customs, tea producers have developed six categories of tea: green, yellow, dark,...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La musique traditionnelle vallenato de la région du Magdalena Grande
Traditional Vallenato music fuses cultural expressions from northern Colombia, the songs of cow-herders of the Greater Magdalena region and the chants of African slaves with the traditional dance rhythms of the indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. These expressions are also blended with Spanish poetry and musical...
Latin America and CaribbeanColombiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les modes traditionnels de fabrication du fromage artisanal minas dans le Minas Gerais
The process of making artisanal Minas cheese involves knowledge and techniques developed by small rural producers in the State of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Local cheesemakers are proud of the tradition of using raw milk and the ‘pingo’ (drop), a natural yeast composed of region-specific bacteria which, along with the maturation period...
Latin America and CaribbeanBrazilNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La Transhumance, déplacement saisonnier de troupeaux
Transhumance refers to the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between geographical or climatic regions. Each year, in spring and autumn, men and women herders organise the movement of thousands of animals along traditional pastoral paths. They move on foot or horseback, leading with their dogs and sometimes accompanied by...
EuropeAlbania / AndorraNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les Tsiattista, joutes poétiques
The lively, impromptu oral poetry known as Tsiattista is often performed to the accompaniment of violin or lute in ‘jousts’ in which one poet-singer attempts to outdo another with clever verses made up of rhyming couplets. It has long been a popular component of wedding feasts, fairs and other public celebrations, where eager crowds...
Middle EastCyprusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La Fête des vignerons de Vevey
In Vevey, Switzerland there is a tradition that recognizes the community’s winegrowers involving not only those in the industry but also members of the public and local artists. Originally a single pageant, The Winegrowers’ Festival now features 15 events over three weeks and 5,000 contributors. Every festival is based on the recreation...
EuropeSwitzerlandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La danse Wititi de la vallée du Colca
The Wititi dance of the Colca Valley is a traditional folk dance associated with the beginning of adult life. It takes the form of a courtship ritual and is typically performed by young people during religious festivities celebrated throughout the rainy season. It is danced in troupes with rows of male and female couples performing a...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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