UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’« hatajo de negritos » et l’« hatajo de pallitas » de la côte sud-centrale du Pérou
‘Hatajo de Negritos’ and the ‘Hatajo de Pallitas’ from the Peruvian south-central coastline are two complementary expressions featuring music and singing as part of Christmas celebrations, hailing from the central department of Ica in Peru. The expressions are biblical representations of the story of the visit of a group of shepherds to...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le 'ie Samoa, ou natte fine, et sa valeur culturelle
The ‘Ie Samoa is a special finely hand-woven mat fastened at the hem with two rows of green and red feathers, and a loose fringe on one end. Traditionally woven with fine strippings of the pandanus plant, the final product is silk-like. Its shiny coppery colour adds to its value as it is a testament to its age and the natural bleaching...
PacificSamoaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Les connaissances et les savoir-faire musicaux ancestraux d’Aboxan Musik ǀŌb ǂÂns tsî ǁKhasigu
Aboxan Musik ǀŌb ǂÂns tsî ǁKhasigu, ancestral musical sound knowledge and skills relates to the specific traditional music of the Nama people, one of Namibia’s tribal minority groups. It involves the use of traditional musical instruments: the khab (musical bow) and !guitsib (traditional guitar), usually played by men or women, and the...
AfricaNamibiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’Ahellil du Gourara
Performed during collective ceremonies, the Ahellil is a poetic and musical genre emblematic of the Zenete population of Gourara. This region in southwest Algeria includes some one hundred oases populated by over 50,000 inhabitants of Berber, Arab and Sudanese origin. The Ahellil, which is specific to the Berber-speaking part of...
AfricaAlgeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Al-Ayyala, un art traditionnel du spectacle dans le Sultanat d’Oman et aux Émirats arabes unis
Al-Ayyala is a popular and expressive cultural performance practised in north-western Oman and throughout the United Arab Emirates. Al-Ayyala involves chanted poetry, drum music and dance, and simulates a battle scene. Two rows of about twenty men face each other, carrying thin bamboo sticks to signify spears or swords. Between the rows...
Middle EastOman / United Arab EmiratesNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Al-Bar’ah, musique et danse des vallées du Dhofar d’Oman
Al-Bar’ah is a Bedouin musical tradition from the Dhofar mountains in southern Oman. It takes the form of a warlike dance performed to drums and the chanting of poetry in a local tribal dialect. Al-Bar’ah is performed in a half circle formed by ten to thirty men and women. As they chant and clap, two male dancers holding ''khanjars''...
Middle EastOmanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’al-Qudoud al-Halabiya
Al-Qudoud al-Halabiya is a form of traditional music from Aleppo with a fixed melody. Sung for religious and entertainment purposes, the lyrics vary according to the type of event. Well-versed singers can improvise lyrics according to what is happening around them. They are known to use deep vocals and to reach a peak while holding a...
Middle EastSyrian Arab RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’Al-Razfa, un art traditionnel du spectacle
Al-Razfa is a traditional performing art practised throughout the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. It is performed by men of all ages and classes during social occasions, such as weddings and national festivals. Male performers form two facing lines with dancers filling the space between. Led by the main singer, the two...
Middle EastUnited Arab Emirates / OmanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Alardah Alnajdiyah, danse, tambours et poésie d’Arabie saoudite
Alardah is a traditional performance combining dance, drumming and chanting poetry that signifies the start and end of notable occasions, such as religious holidays, weddings, births, graduation ceremonies, or events of national or local significance. It is considered a fundamental component of the cultural expressions of the practicing...
Middle EastSaudi ArabiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L'Almezmar, danse du bâton au son des tambours
Almezmar is a traditional group performance practised by members of the Hijazi community in Saudi Arabia for festive occasions, such as family and national celebrations, religious holidays or government events. It involves about 15 to 100 practitioners dressed in long white garments who begin by standing in two rows opposite each other....
Middle EastSaudi ArabiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le système ancestral de connaissances des quatre peuples autochtones arhuaco, kankuamo, kogi et wiwa de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Ancestral System of Knowledge of the Arhuaco, Kankuamo, Kogui and Wiwa peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is comprised of sacred mandates that keep the existence of the four peoples in harmony with the physical and spiritual universe. Through many years of dedication, the knowledgeable men (Mamos) and women (Sagas) acquire...
Latin America and CaribbeanColombiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La marche des sonneurs de cloches du carnaval annuel de la région de Kastav
During the January carnival period, bell ringers march through the villages that dot the Kastav region in north-west Croatia. Clothed in sheepskin throws with bells around their waists and sporting distinctive hats embellished with sprigs of evergreen, two to more than thirty ringers swagger in groups behind a guide carrying a small...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le pèlerinage annuel au mausolée de Sidi ‘Abd el-Qader Ben Mohammed dit « Sidi Cheikh »
Every year, nomadic and settled Sufi communities undertake a pilgrimage to the mausoleum of the Muslim mystic, Sidi ‘Abd el-Qader Ben Mohammed (Sidi Cheikh), located in El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh. Beginning on the last Thursday of June, three days of religious rituals and secular festive events honour the founder of the brotherhood. The...
AfricaAlgeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Festival international de la culture et de la pêche d'Argungu
Every year in the north-west of Nigeria, communities gather to participate in the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival near the Matan Fada River. The four day festival, which runs between late February and March, features kabanci – a series of water competitions including hand fishing, canoe racing, wild duck catching –...
AfricaNigeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chant traditionnel Arirang dans la République populaire démocratique de Corée
Arirang is a popular lyrical singing genre transmitted and recreated orally. It exists in multiple traditional forms as well as symphonic and modern arrangements. Arirang typically contains a gentle and lyrical melody, accompanied by the refrain: ‘Arirang, arirang, arariyo, Over the Arirang hill you go’. Arirang songs speak about...
East AsiaKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’Arirang, chant lyrique traditionnel en République de Corée
Arirang is a popular form of Korean folk song and the outcome of collective contributions made by ordinary Koreans throughout generations. Essentially a simple song, it consists of the refrain ‘Arirang, arirang, arariyo’ and two simple lines, which differ from region to region. While dealing with diverse universal themes, the simple...
East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’art des Ashiqs d’Azerbaïdjan
The art of Azerbaijani Ashiqs combines poetry, storytelling, dance and vocal and instrumental music into a traditional performance art that stands as a symbol of Azerbaijani culture. Characterized by the accompaniment of the ''saz,'' a stringed musical instrument, the classical repertoire includes 200 songs, 150 literary-musical...
Middle EastAzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’art de la danse xòe du peuple tai au Viet Nam
Xòe is a form of Vietnamese dancing with movements that symbolize human activities in ritual, culture, life and work. It is performed at rituals, weddings, village festivals and community events. There are three main types of xòe: ritual, circle and presentational. The ritual and presentational xòe dances are named after props used...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’As-Samer en Jordanie
Practised across many areas of Jordan, As-Samer consists mainly of dancing and singing and is performed on various occasions, most commonly during marriage ceremonies. Practitioners range from young to older individuals, with children being encouraged to take part during performances. On the wedding day, the father of the groom...
Middle EastJordanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les fêtes du 15 août (Dekapentavgoustos) dans deux communautés montagnardes du nord de la Grèce : Tranos Choros (la grande danse) à Vlásti et le Festival de Syrráko
The Tranos Choros (Grand Dance) and Syrrako festival are celebrated nationwide in Greece to commemorate the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Historically, these Orthodox festivities originating in Vlasti and Syrrako marked the annual reunion of pastoral communities before the sheep or cattle farmers moved to their winter pastures. Although...
EuropeGreeceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La culture de la cornemuse
Bagpipe culture consists of a wide range of expressions and knowledge associated with bagpipes and their use, including music repertoire, style and ornamentation, songs, dances, instrument-making, folk customs and traditions and special verbal expressions. The bagpipe tradition exists throughout Slovakia, with regional differences...
EuropeSlovakiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le baile chino
Bailes Chinos are brotherhoods of musicians who express their faith through music, dance and singing in the context of commemoration festivities. The practice stretches mainly from the area known as the Norte Chico to the central region of Chile and comprises five fully differentiated styles, each named after the valley or basin where...
Latin America and CaribbeanChileNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les célébrations de chants et danses baltes
Both a repository and a showcase for the region’s tradition of performing folk art, this cultural expression culminates in large-scale festivals every fifth year in Estonia and Latvia and every fourth year in Lithuania.These grand events, held over several days, assemble as many as 40,000 singers and dancers. For the most part, the...
EuropeEstonia / LatviaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les chants des Baul
The Bauls are mystic minstrels living in rural Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. The Baul movement, at its peak in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, has now regained popularity among the rural population of Bangladesh. Their music and way of life have influenced a large segment of Bengali culture, and particularly the...
South AsiaBangladeshNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les fêtes de l’Ours dans les Pyrénées
The Bear festivities take place every winter in five villages in the Pyrenees mountain range located in Andorra and France. During the event, young men dress up as bears and run through the streets trying to catch participants. The festivities are punctuated by dances, speeches in Catalan and music. The entire local population takes...
EuropeAndorra / FranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le geetgawai, chants populaires en bhojpuri à Maurice
Geet-Gawai is a pre-wedding ceremony that combines rituals, prayer, songs, music and dance. It is performed mainly by Bhojpuri-speaking communities in Mauritius who have Indian descent. The traditional practice takes place at the home of the bride or groom and involves female family members and neighbours. It begins with five married...
AfricaMauritiusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le bigwala, musique de trompes en calebasse et danse du royaume du Busoga en Ouganda
Bigwala music and dance is a cultural practice of the Basoga people of Uganda, performed during royal celebrations such as coronations and funerals and, in recent decades, on social occasions. Bigwala describes a set of five or more monotone gourd trumpets blown in hocket to produce a melody, accompanied by a specific dance. A typical...
AfricaUgandaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les Babi de Bistritsa, polyphonie, danses et pratiques rituelles archaïques de la région de Shoplouk
The traditional dances and polyphonic singing found in the Shoplouk region of Bulgaria are still performed by a group of elderly women, the Bistritsa Babi. This tradition includes diaphony, or what is known as shoppe polyphony, ancient forms of the horo chain dance and the ritual practice of lazarouvane, an initiation ceremony for young...
EuropeBulgariaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le boléro, identité, émotion et poésie en chanson
Bolero is an indispensable part of the Latin American sentimental song, with a strong lyrical character deeply rooted in Cuba and Mexico. A cultural amalgam, it combines the language used in European poetry, with African rhythms of enslaved peoples and the sentiments of the native peoples of the Americas. Bolero lyrics allude to daily...
Latin America and CaribbeanCuba / MexicoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chant bouddhique du Ladakh : récitation de textes sacrés bouddhiques dans la région transhimalayenne du Ladakh, Jammu-et-Cachemire, Inde
In the monasteries and villages of the Ladakh region, Buddhist lamas (priests) chant sacred texts representing the spirit, philosophy and teachings of the Buddha. Two forms of Buddhism are practised in Ladakh – Mahayana and Vajrayana – and there are four major sects, namely Nyngma, Kagyud, Shakya and Geluk. Each sect has several forms...
South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le Buklog, système de rituels de gratitude des Subanen
Buklog is an elaborate thanksgiving ritual system of the Subanen, an indigenous people in the southern Philippines. The head of a host family, usually a village chief called ‘timuay’, plans the ritual system to express gratitude to the spirits. The rituals ensure harmony among family, clan and community members, as well as among the...
Southeast AsiaPhilippinesNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
La chitalishte bulgare (centre culturel communautaire), expérience pratique de préservation de la vitalité du patrimoine culturel immatériel
Bulgarian chitalishta (cultural community centres) are uniformly distributed across the whole territory of Bulgaria. They are established by communities themselves and are open to everyone irrespective of age, gender, political and religious views. The first chitalishta were established in 1856, and they have been recognized as a key...
EuropeBulgariaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Candombe et son espace socioculturel : une pratique communautaire
Every Sunday and on many holidays, the ''llamadas'' ''de'' ''tambores'' ''de'' ''candombe'' or candombe drum calls enliven the Sur, Palermo and Cordón districts in southern Montevideo, Uruguay, home to a population of African descent. The practice of the candombe begins around communal fires as people gather to tune their drums and...
Latin America and CaribbeanUruguayNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Canto a tenore, chant pastoral sarde
Canto a tenore has developed within the pastoral culture of Sardinia. It represents a form of polyphonic singing performed by a group of four men using four different voices called bassu, contra, boche and mesu boche. One of its characteristics is the deep and guttural timbre of the bassu and contra voices. It is performed standing in a...
EuropeItalyNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le cercle de capoeira
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian cultural practice – simultaneously a fight and a dance – that can be interpreted as a tradition, a sport and even an art form. Capoeira players form a circle at the centre of which two players engage with one another. The movements require great bodily dexterity. The other players around the circle sing,...
Latin America and CaribbeanBrazilNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le carnaval de Barranquilla
Every year during the four days before Lent, the Carnival de Barranquilla offers a repertory of dances and musical expressions originating from different Colombian sub-cultures. Because of its geographical location situated on the Caribbean coast and the commercial development during the colonial period, the city of Barranquilla became...
Latin America and CaribbeanColombiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le carnaval de Binche
The town of Binche is situated south of Brussels in Belgium’s Hainaut province. Each year, during the three days preceding Lent, it is host to carnival festivities that mobilize the historic centre and attract throngs of foreign visitors. With roots dating back to the Middle Ages, Binche’s famed celebration ranks as one of Europe’s...
EuropeBelgiumNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le carnaval d’El Callao, représentation festive d’une mémoire et d’une identité culturelle
The Carnival of El Callao, practised in communities of Venezuela, is associated with cannes brulées emancipation celebrations in French-speaking islands of the Caribbean. Running from January to March, the traditional practice features parades of people dressed as characters from history and fantasy, as well as calypso music, dancing...
Latin America and CaribbeanVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le carnaval de Granville
The Carnival of Granville is a four-day celebration that takes place in the lead up to Shrove Tuesday involving members of the community and nearby communes. Opening with the mayor handing the keys to King Carnival (a papier mache figure), it begins with a series of float processions interspersed with marching bands. The floats, about...
EuropeFranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le carnaval d’Oruro
The town of Oruro, situated at an altitude of 3,700 metres in the mountains of western Bolivia and once a pre-Columbian ceremonial site, was an important mining area in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Resettled by the Spanish in 1606, it continued to be a sacred site for the Uru people, who would often travel long distances to...
Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Ch’utillos, la fête de Saint Barthélemy et de Saint Ignace de Loyola : la rencontre des cultures à Potosí
Ch’utillos, or the Festival of San Bartolomé and San Ignacio de Loyola, is celebrated in Potosí, Bolivia in the month of August. An integral part of the local cultural identity, the festival is characterised by gastronomic fairs, dance performances and a procession to the sanctuary located in the Mullu Punku gorge, a natural site with...
Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chamamé
Chamamé is a form of popular cultural expression that is mainly practised in the Corrientes province. Its key components include a style of ‘close embrace’ dancing where participants hold each other chest to chest and follow the music without set choreography. Other elements include musiqueada, a celebratory act that includes a party,...
Latin America and CaribbeanArgentinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Charrería, tradition équestre au Mexique
Charrería is a traditional practice of livestock herding communities in Mexico. It was initially used to help herders managing livestock from different estates better coexist. Techniques were then passed on to younger generations within families. These days, purpose-built charrería associations and schools assist in continuing...
Latin America and CaribbeanMexicoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le festival des cerises de Sefrou
For three days in June each year, the local population of Sefrou celebrates the natural and cultural beauty of the region, symbolized by the cherry fruit and that year’s newly chosen Cherry Queen, selected during a pageant that draws competitors from the region and entire country. The highlight of the festival is a parade with...
AfricaMoroccoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La danse Chhau
Chhau dance is a tradition from eastern India that enacts episodes from epics including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, local folklore and abstract themes. Its three distinct styles hail from the regions of Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj, the first two using masks. Chhau dance is intimately connected to regional festivals, notably the...
South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chidaoba, lutte en Géorgie
Chidaoba (wrestling) is an ancient form of martial art practised by a large proportion of the male population throughout all the regions, villages and communities of Georgia. Bearers of the tradition include young people, city residents, sports clubs, educational institutions and amateur organizations. The practice is a complex...
Middle EastGeorgiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chogan, jeu équestre accompagné de musique et de contes
Chogān is a traditional horse-riding game accompanied by music and storytelling; it has a history of over 2,000 years in Iran and has mostly been played in royal courts and urban fields. In Chogān, two rider teams compete and the aim is to pass the ball through the opposing team’s goal posts using a wooden stick. Chogān includes the...
South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Chopi Timbila
The Chopi communities live mainly in the southern part of Inhambane province in southern Mozambique and are famous for their orchestra music. Their orchestras consist of five to thirty wooden xylophones, called timbila, of varying sizes and ranges of pitch. The timbila are finely manufactured and tuned wooden instruments made from the...
AfricaMozambiqueNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le bram de Noël et le sambai de Gales Point Manatee au Belize
The Christmas Bram and Sambai are annual cultural celebrations held on 25 and 26 December in the Gales Point Manatee Village, located on a peninsula inside Southern Lagoon on the central coast of Belize. Deeply rooted in African heritage, these festivities promote unity and a shared sense of identity within the practising community. The...
Latin America and CaribbeanBelizeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La tradition du théâtre dansé Cocolo
The Cocolo dancing drama tradition developed among descendants of British Caribbean slaves who had come to the Dominican Republic in the mid-nineteenth century to work in the sugar fields. This linguistically and culturally distinct community set up their own churches, schools, benevolent societies and mutual assistance lodges. Their...
Latin America and CaribbeanDominican RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
La sauvegarde et la documentation de la coutume du carnaval « Lastovo Poklad » par la communauté
The annual ‘Lastovo Poklad’ carnival is a social event that takes place between 17 January and Ash Wednesday. It features a circle dance performance and a procession, which is led by a carnival crew member steering a donkey with a straw effigy, called the Poklad, on its back. The carnival culminates in the descent of the effigy down a...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La rumba congolaise
Congolese rumba is a musical genre and a dance common in urban areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. Generally danced by a male-female couple, it is a multicultural form of expression originating from an ancient dance called nkumba (meaning ‘waist’ in Kikongo). The rumba is used for celebration and...
AfricaCongo, Democratic Republic of the / CongoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La danse traditionnelle csárdás
The csárdás is a Hungarian dance that is performed by couples consisting of a man and a woman, or, in some regions, of two women. Multiple couples participate in the dance at the same time, forming one large or several smaller circles. Each region has its own themes, gestures and figures, which are improvised according to well-known,...
EuropeHungaryNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le cuarteto : musique, danse et paroles dans la ville de Córdoba, Argentine
Cuarteto is a lively dance music genre that blends local criollo musical styles with influences from European immigrants. Early cuarteto orchestras featured instruments such as the piano, violin, accordion and double bass, with a singer leading the performance. Over time, the genre has incorporated Caribbean rhythms, Afro-Latin...
Latin America and CaribbeanArgentinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le patrimoine culturel de la Marine des Bouches de Kotor, représentation festive d’une mémoire et d'une identité culturelle
Boka Navy is a traditional, non-governmental maritime organization founded in Kotor, Montenegro in 809. Its origin is linked to the arrival of the relics of St. Tryphon, the patron saint of the city of Kotor. Comprised of a community of seafarers with military, economic, educational and humanitarian functions, Boka Navy has played a...
EuropeMontenegroNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Les pratiques et expressions culturelles liées au "M'bolon", instrument de musique traditionnel à percussion
The M’Bolon is a musical instrument with a large calabash sound box covered with cowhide and a bow-shaped wooden neck with strings. To amplify the sound vibrations, the player often wears a bell-like device made of metal plates with small oval-shaped lobes. This device is fitted with small iron rings and attached to the player’s hand by...
AfricaMaliNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’espace culturel et la culture orale des Semeiskie
The Semeiskie communities are formed by a group of so-called “Old Believers”, a confessional community originating from the time of the Instigation of the Russian Orthodox Church in the seventeenth century.Their history is marked by repression and exile. During the reign of Catherine the Great, believers in the “old system” from various...
EuropeRussian FederationNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’espace culturel du district de Boysun
The Boysun District located in south-eastern Uzbekistan on the route from Asia Minor to India, is one of the oldest inhabited areas of Central Asia. With the diminishing importance of the Silk Road and the political changes in Central Asia, the region became quite isolated, which favoured the preservation of ancient traditions that show...
Central AsiaUzbekistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’espace culturel de la place Jemaa el-Fna
The Jemaa el-Fna Square is one of the main cultural spaces in Marrakesh and has become one of the symbols of the city since its foundation in the eleventh century. It represents a unique concentration of popular Moroccan cultural traditions performed through musical, religious and artistic expressions. Located at the entrance of the...
AfricaMoroccoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’espace culturel de Palenque de San Basilio
The village of Palenque de San Basilio, with a population of about 3,500 inhabitants, is located in the foothills of the Montes de María, southeast of the regional capital, Cartagena. Palenque de San Basilio was one of the walled communities called palenques, which were founded by escaped slaves as a refuge in the seventeenth century....
Latin America and CaribbeanColombiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’espace culturel de la Fraternité du Saint-Esprit des congos de Villa Mella
The Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella is distinguished in the fields of music, dance and popular festivities. The Brotherhood musicians play instruments called congos. These congos, the origin of which is attributed to the Holy Spirit, are hand-drums. The Brotherhood, which is nowadays open to all without...
Latin America and CaribbeanDominican RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La culture de la préparation du sumanak/sumalak
Sumanak is a special dish traditionally prepared during the Navruz festival. It is made from sprouted wheat, butter and flour, symbolizing the awakening of nature and rebirth. The wheat sprouts, called ‘sabza’, represent new life in spring. The process involves washing, roasting and crushing the wheat, and then boiling the juice for up...
Central AsiaTajikistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les danses et expressions associées à la Fête-Dieu
The Corpus Christi festival is a religious festival in Panama that celebrates the body and blood of Christ. The festival combines Catholic tradition with popular practices and festivities and is characterized by theatre, music, burlesque dances and colourful costumes and masks. A day before the festival, a theatrical and musical...
Latin America and CaribbeanPanamaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le dikopelo, musique traditionnelle des Bakgatla ba Kgafela dans le district de Kgatleng
The Dikopelo music practice involves vocal singing and dancing in a patterned choreography without musical instruments in which people from a particular area join together to sing as a choir. The element is practised by men, women and children but is mostly dominated by Elders who, forming an informal Council of Advisors, transmit their...
AfricaBotswanaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Doïna
Known by various names throughout Romania, the ''doina'' is a lyrical, solemn chant that is improvised and spontaneous. As the essence of Romanian folklore, until 1900 it was the only musical genre in many regions of the country. Technically, the doina can be sung in any context (outdoors, at home, at work or during wakes), and is...
EuropeRomaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Dondang Sayang
Dondang Sayang is a traditional Malay art still practised in Melaka by four communities: the Malay, Baba Nyonya, Chitty and Portuguese communities. The practice combines elements of music (violins, gongs and tambourines or the tambour), songs and chants, and features beautiful melodious strains of poetry. Also known as love ballads, the...
Southeast AsiaMalaysiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Duduk et sa musique
The duduk, the Armenian oboe, is a double-reed wind instrument characterized by a warm, soft, slightly nasal timbre. It belongs to the category of aerophones, which also includes the balaban played in Azerbaijan and Iran, the duduki common in Georgia and the ney in Turkey.The soft wood of the apricot tree is the ideal material for the...
Middle EastArmeniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
El Güegüense
A forceful expression of protest against colonial rule, El Güegüense is a satirical drama well known throughout Nicaragua. It is performed during the feast of San Sebastián, patron saint of the city of Diriamba in Nicaragua’s Carazo province. El Güegüense, a synthesis of Spanish and indigenous cultures combining theatre, dance and...
Latin America and CaribbeanNicaraguaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
L’Enkipaata, l’Eunoto et l’Olng’esherr, trois rites de passage masculins de la communauté masaï
Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng’esherr are three interrelated male rites of passage of the Maasai community: Enkipaata is the induction of boys leading to initiation; Eunoto is the shaving of the morans paving the way to adulthood; and Olng’esherr is the meat-eating ceremony that marks the end of moranism and the beginning of eldership. The...
AfricaKenyaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Fado, chant populaire urbain du Portugal
Fado is a performance genre incorporating music and poetry widely practised by various communities in Lisbon. It represents a Portuguese multicultural synthesis of Afro-Brazilian sung dances, local traditional genres of song and dance, musical traditions from rural areas of the country brought by successive waves of internal...
EuropePortugalNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le falak
Falak, meaning ‘heaven’, ‘fortune’ and ‘universe’, is the traditional folklore music of the mountain people of Tajikistan. The expressive and philosophical musical genre may be performed by a male or female soloist, either acappella, or with a single instrumental accompaniment or an ensemble and dancers. Characterized by their high...
Central AsiaTajikistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
Le musée vivant du Fandango
Fandango is a popular music and dance expression in coastal communities in southern and south-eastern Brazil. Fandango songs are called ''modas'' and are played with handmade instruments – viola, fiddle and frame drum. Traditionally, fandangos were offered as payment for collective activities, such as planting, harvesting and fishing....
Latin America and CaribbeanBrazilNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le fest-noz, rassemblement festif basé sur la pratique collective des danses traditionnelles de Bretagne
Fest-Noz is a festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional Breton dances, accompanied by singing or instrumental music. The strong Breton cultural movement has preserved this expression of a living and constantly renewed practice of inherited dance repertoires with several hundred variations, and thousands of tunes....
EuropeFranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le festival de la déesse Bà Chúa Xứ au Mont Sam
The festival of Bà Chúa Xứ Goddess at Sam Mountain takes place from the 22nd to the 27th day of the fourth lunar month. Observed by the Kinh, Khmer, Cham and Hoa communities in Châu Đốc city, it entails performing religious ceremonies and music and dance to express gratitude to the Mother Earth goddess, who is believed to grant...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
Le festival de folklore à Koprivshtitsa, ensemble de pratiques pour présenter et transmettre le patrimoine
The concept for the Festival of Folklore in Koprivshtitsa, where thousands of Bulgarians of all ages and the diaspora meet in August to present and share their intangible cultural heritage practices ranging from dance and storytelling, to games and craftsmanship, originated when local musicians saw a need to protect traditions...
EuropeBulgariaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les festivités associées au voyage de la Sainte Famille en Égypte
The festivals related to the Journey of the Holy Family in Egypt commemorate the Holy Family’s voyage from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape King Herod’s oppression. Every year, the event is memorialized by two festivals in which Egyptians, including Muslims and Coptic Christians of all ages and genders, participate in large numbers. The...
AfricaEgyptNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le cycle des festivités autour de la vénération et du culte de Saint Jean-Baptiste
The Venezuelan Saint John the Baptist celebrations feature practices and knowledge that originated in the eighteenth century in Afro-Venezuelan communities associated with former colonial estates. From the beginning, the festivities have been heavily influenced by Catholicism, but they are also rich in verbal, musical and physical...
Latin America and CaribbeanVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La fête de « la Mare de Déu de la Salut » d’Algemesí
The Festivity of ‘la Mare de Déu de la Salut’ is celebrated in Algemesí in the Province of Valencia, Spain. Every 7 and 8 September almost 1,400 people participate in theatre, music, dance and performances organized in the historical areas of the city: Valencia, La Muntanya, Santa Barbara and La Capella. Processions run from the...
EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les fêtes de la Saint-Tryphon et le kolo (danse en cercle) de la Saint-Tryphon, traditions des Croates de la Boka Kotorska (baie de Kotor) vivant en République de Croatie
The Festivity of Saint Tryphon and the Kolo (chain dance) of Saint Tryphon are centred around two main annual events: the Feast Day of St. Tryphon (3 February) and the Boka Nights. The Kolo, performed by members of the Boka Navy dressed in traditional uniform, is the most visible cultural aspect of the festivity. Bearers of this...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Fête de la Vierge de Guadalupe, patronne de Sucre
The Festivity of the Virgin of Guadalupe is a religious and cultural event held each year in Sucre. It honours the Virgin of Guadalupe, seen by many as a spiritual protector. Coordinated by the Catholic Church and the Association of Folkloric Groups, the celebration combines faith with music, dance and traditional art. It begins with...
Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Fichee-Chambalaalla, festival du Nouvel an des Sidamas
Fichee-Chambalaalla is a New Year festival celebrated among the Sidama people. According to the oral tradition, Fichee commemorates a Sidama woman who visited her parents and relatives once a year after her marriage, bringing ''buurisame'', a meal prepared from false banana, milk and butter, which was shared with neighbours. Fichee has...
AfricaEthiopiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La fête des patios de Cordoue
For twelve days at the beginning of May, the city of Cordova celebrates the Fiesta of the Patios. The patio houses are communal, family or multi-family dwellings or sets of individual houses with a shared patio, located in the city’s historical quarter. This characteristic cultural space boasts an abundant array of plants, and during...
EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Flamenco
Flamenco is an artistic expression fusing song ''(cante),'' dance ''(baile)'' and musicianship ''(toque).'' Andalusia in southern Spain is the heartland of Flamenco, although it also has roots in regions such as Murcia and Extremadura. ''Cante'' is the vocal expression of flamenco, sung by men and women, preferably seated, with no...
EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’art populaire des Matyó, la broderie d’une communauté traditionnelle
The folk art of the Roman Catholic Matyó community in and around the town of Mezőkövesd in north-eastern Hungary is characterized by floral motifs that are found in flat-stitch embroidery and ornamented objects. Matyó embroidery decorates the traditional dress of the region, worn by local people in celebratory events and in folk dancing...
EuropeHungaryNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Fonelamvonglao (lamvonglao)
The fonelamvonglao is a celebratory dance practiced widely by Lao communities. It involves couples of men and women. To start the dance, the man typically invites the woman onto the dance floor. The men perform in an inner circle and the women perform in an outer circle, dancing in a counterclockwise direction. The dance consists of...
Southeast AsiaLao People's Democratic RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le frevo, arts du spectacle du Carnaval de Recife
Frevo is a Brazilian artistic expression comprising music and dance, performed mainly during the Carnival of Recife. Its quick frenetic and vigorous rhythm draws upon the fusion of musical genres such as marching music, Brazilian tango, square dance, polka and pieces of classical repertoire, performed by martial bands and fanfares. The...
Latin America and CaribbeanBrazilNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Gagaku
Gagaku, characterized by long, slow songs and dance-like movements, is the oldest of the Japanese traditional performing arts. It is performed at banquets and ceremonies in the Imperial Palace and in theatres throughout the country, and encompasses three distinct arts. The first, Kuniburi no Utamai, features ancient Japanese songs,...
East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le garba du Gujarat
Garba is a ritualistic and devotional dance that is performed on the occasion of the Hindu festival of Navaratri, which is dedicated to the worship of the feminine energy or ‘Shakti’. The dance takes place around a perforated earthenware pot lit with an oil lamp, or an image of the mother goddess Amba. The dancers move around the centre...
South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Gbofe d’Afounkaha, la musique des trompes traversières de la communauté Tagbana
The Gbofe is mainly performed in the village of Afounkaha in the Tagbana community. The term Gbofe is used both for the transverse horns and for the performance as a whole, which encompasses music, song and dance. The Gbofe horns are made of roots covered by cowhide. Six of these horns are used together, ranging in length from 50 to 70...
AfricaCôte d'IvoireNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La tradition épique du Gesar
The ethnic Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu communities in western and northern China share the story of the ancient hero King Gesar, sent to heaven to vanquish monsters, depose the powerful, and aid the weak while unifying disparate tribes. The singers and storytellers who preserve the Gesar epic tradition perform episodes of the vast oral...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les fêtes de Gióng des temples de Phù Ðông et de Sóc
The Gióng festival of Phù Đổng and Sóc temples is celebrated annually in outlying districts of Hanoi, the capital of Viet Nam. Each spring, before the rice harvest, the Việt people honour the mythical hero, god and saint, Thánh Gióng, who is credited with defending the country from foreign enemies, and is worshipped as the patron god of...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Gnaoua
Gnawa refers to a set of musical events, performances, fraternal practices and therapeutic rituals mixing the secular with the sacred. Gnawa is first and foremost a Sufi brotherhood music combined with lyrics with a generally religious content, invoking ancestors and spirits. Originally practised by groups and individuals from slavery...
AfricaMoroccoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La grande fête de Tarija
The Grand Festival of Tarija takes place in the city of Tarija, in the southeast of Bolivia. Celebrated every year in August and September, it involves devotional processions, music festivals, competitions and fireworks dedicated to Saint Roch. The festival has its origins in the colonial period, when the inhabitants of the city...
Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le grand chant du groupe ethnique Dong
A popular saying among the Dong people in Guizhou Province in southern China has it that ‘rice nourishes the body and songs nourish the soul’. Their tradition of passing on culture and knowledge in music is exemplified in the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group, multi-part singing performed without instrumental accompaniment or a...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La tradition du concours de fauchage d’herbe à Kupres
The most important social event in the Kupres municipality is the annual mowing competition that takes place in July at a specific meadow called Strljanica, which is also the local name for the custom. The contest involves the manual mowing of grass using a scythe and is judged by the time, effort and amount mown as cutting grass at...
EuropeBosnia and HerzegovinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Guruna, pratique des retraites pastorale, socioculturelle et artistique autour du bétail chez les Massa
Guruna is a cultural retreat that acts as a school of life for members of the Massa community, located on both sides of the Logone River in Chad and Cameroon. The term refers to both the participants and the retreat itself, which takes place once a year. During this time, young boys and men move with their cattle to a camp located some...
AfricaChad / CameroonNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le gwoka : musique, chants, danses et pratique culturelle représentatifs de l’identité guadeloupéenne
Gwoka is found among all ethnic and religious groups of Guadeloupean society. It combines responsorial singing in Guadeloupean Creole, rhythms played on the Ka drums and dancing. In its traditional form, Gwoka unites these three areas of expression and emphasizes individual qualities of improvisation. The participants and public form a...
EuropeFranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Kagura d’Hayachine
In the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the people of Iwate Prefecture in the northern part of mainland Japan worshipped Mt. Hayachine as a deity, they began a tradition of folk performance that continues to enliven the Great Festival of the Hayachine Shrine held in Hanamaki City on the first day of August. The Hayachine Kagura is...
East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La musique et la danse highlife
Highlife music and dance is a popular form of musical expression and storytelling known for its lively rhythms, lyrics and strong connection to everyday life. It features a mix of instruments, including guitars, horns, drums, xylophones and percussion. The music is often built around call-and-response singing, with the lead singer...
AfricaGhanaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Hiragasy, art du spectacle des Hautes terres Centrales de Madagascar
Hiragasy is a performing art composed of song, dance and speech. Originating in the central highlands of Madagascar, the performance takes place in public spaces. It generally involves two troupes and lasts about one hour and thirty minutes, following a standard structure, including drumming, greetings, storytelling, dance and folk...
AfricaMadagascarNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La procession dansante d’Echternach
Each year, on the Tuesday of Pentecost (a Christian religious festival), the hopping procession of Echternach ''(Iechternacher Sprangprëssioun)'' takes place in the medieval town centre of Echternach, the oldest city in Luxembourg. Documented since the year 1100, the procession is founded on the cult of Saint Willibrord, a monk and...
EuropeLuxembourgNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’Alardhah du cheval et du chameau
Horse and camel Ardhah is practised across many regions of Oman. On Alardhah day (meaning the ‘day of the festival’ in Arabic), people gather around the racecourse to watch shows by horse and camel riders that reflect Omani people’s skill in dealing with and taming the animals. Traditional arts (such as the reciting of traditional...
Middle EastOmanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Huaconada, danse rituelle de Mito
Huaconada is a ritual dance performed in the village of Mito in the province of Concepción in the central Peruvian Andes. Every year, on the first three days of January, masked men known as ''huacones'' perform a choreographed series of dances in the centre of the town. The ''huacones'' represent the former council of elders, and for...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La tradition de l’ensemble à cordes hongrois
The Hungarian string band tradition is one of the country’s defining ensembles and one of the most common representatives of folk music culture. The basic fiddle-viola-bass line-up takes many forms across regions and eras and can be expanded to include additional string players or reed instruments. Up until the middle of the twentieth...
EuropeHungaryNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
Le programme de pratiques de sauvegarde du PCI pour le Festival culturel et écologique des tortues marines d’Armila
For centuries, the people of Armila, Panama have lived in harmony with their natural environment and local fauna, a relationship that is embodied in oral traditions. In response to the decreasing transmission of these oral traditions, and to strengthen the artisanal practices and ritual expressions, dances and music associated with...
Latin America and CaribbeanPanamaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le masque Ijele
In many communities in the state of Anambra in south-eastern Nigeria, celebrations, burial ceremonies and other special occasions during the dry season to evoke fertility and a bountiful harvest feature the performance of the Ijele masquerade. The mask is about four metres tall – so large that it takes a hundred men six months of work...
AfricaNigeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
L'Ingoma Ya Mapiko
The mapiko dance is a celebratory dance practiced by the Makonde people of Mozambique. A part of the traditional rite of passage from puberty to adulthood, the dance is performed in an enclosure, usually under mango trees, with dancers, musicians and the public coming together to celebrate the initiation rite. The dance may also be...
AfricaMozambiqueNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Intore
Intore is a Rwandan dance performed by a troupe. The dancers are arranged in lines representing the ranks of warriors on a battlefield. Through their movements, they mimic a battle with an invisible adversary, leaping and wielding their spears and shields to the rhythm of the traditional drums and horns. They are supported by songs and...
AfricaRwandaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chant et la danse du tambour des Inuits
Drum dancing and drum singing are indigenous forms of Inuit artistic expression and music in Greenland. Drum dances and songs are frequently performed during national holidays, festive celebrations and social events, by a single person or a group. A single drum dancer may also perform with a choir. During a drum dance, the performer...
EuropeDenmarkNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
La danse Isukuti des communautés Isukha et Idakho de l’ouest du Kenya
The Isukuti dance is a traditional celebratory performance practised among the Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya. It takes the form of a fast-paced, energetic and passionate dance accompanied by drumming and singing. An integral tool for cultural transmission and harmonious coexistence between families and communities, it...
AfricaKenyaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le rite Yeongdeunggut de Chilmeoridang à Cheju
The Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut is a ritual held in the second lunar month to pray for calm seas, an abundant harvest and a plentiful sea catch. The rites held at Chilmeoridang in the village of Gun-rip are representative of similar ceremonies held throughout the island of Jeju in the Republic of Korea. Village shamans perform a...
East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le joropo au Venezuela
Joropo is a lively festive tradition resulting from the encounter between Indigenous People, Africans and Europeans. Its practice varies according to the regions: East, Guayana, The Andes, West Central, Central and The Plains. It combines music, poetry, singing and dancing, and involves various instruments such as the harp, cuatro,...
Latin America and CaribbeanVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Jultagi, marche sur corde raide
Tightrope walking is a widespread form of entertainment that in most countries focuses purely on acrobatic skill. The traditional Korean performing art of Jultagi is distinctive in that it is accompanied by music and witty dialogue between the tightrope walker and an earthbound clown. Jultagi is performed outside. The tightrope walker...
East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Junkanoo
Junkanoo is the national cultural festival of The Bahamas. Dating back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was brought to The Bahamas by enslaved Africans who used their three-day holiday to recreate festivals from home. An outlet for creative expression, today Junkanoo is mainly celebrated through parades that retain many...
Latin America and CaribbeanBahamasNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La pratique de la danse k’cimi de Tropojë
In Albania, the k’cimi dance is a popular, festive dance performed in spontaneous gatherings or during traditional ceremonies such as weddings, birthdays, initiations and village celebrations. Typically accompanied by drums, k’cimi is performed by men, women and children of all ages, and usually in couples, with partners changing...
EuropeAlbaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les chants et danses populaires Kalbelia du Rajasthan
Songs and dances are an expression of the Kalbelia community’s traditional way of life. Once professional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways. Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men...
South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La pratique du violon à Kaustinen et les pratiques et expressions connexes
Kaustinen folk music is a Finnish tradition where the fiddle (violin), although not the only instrument, is the main melodic instrument. It is in fact the violin (with or without other instruments) that cadences the dances or the songs. Based on playing by ear, it is characterized by syncopated and accented rhythms that are easy for...
EuropeFinlandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La musique du khène du peuple lao
The khaen music of the Lao people is played with a mouth organ that resembles panpipes but made with bamboo tubes of varying lengths, each with a metal reed. The player blows into the instrument through an air chamber and the sound produced depends on the size of the tube. Khaen music is popular in all regions of the Lao People’s...
Southeast AsiaLao People's Democratic RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La fête de Khidr Elias et l'expression des vœux
Every year in February communities in Iraq honour Alkhidr, a holy figure who, according to ancient beliefs, grants worshippers their wishes particularly those in need. In northern Iraq, during the last three days of the month, families gather on a hill where the sanctuary of Alkhidr is thought to be. Dressed in traditional clothes they...
Middle EastIraqNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le khon, théâtre masqué et dansé en Thaïlande
Khon, the Khon Masked Dance Drama in Thailand, is a performing art that combines musical, vocal, literary, dance, ritual and handicraft elements. Khon performances – which involve graceful dance movements, instrumental and vocal renditions and glittering costumes – depict the glory of Rama, the hero and incarnation of the god Vishnu,...
Southeast AsiaThailandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le lazgi, danse de Khorezm
The movements of Khorazm dance, Lazgi encapsulate human creativity by reflecting the sounds and phenomena of surrounding nature, feelings of love and happiness. Initially associated with the Khorazm Region, Khorazm dance, Lazgi has since become widespread in Uzbekistan. Paintings of the dance can be found in the archaeological site of...
Central AsiaUzbekistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’espace culturel de Kihnu
Lying off Estonia’s Baltic coast, the small islands of Kihnu and Manija are home to a community of 600 people whose cultural expressions and agricultural traditions have been kept alive over the centuries largely through the island’s female population. The men of the Kihnu community have taken to sea to hunt seals and fish, while the...
EuropeEstoniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le savoir-faire des maîtres du rhum léger
Cuban light rum emerges in 1862 in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Since then, there has been an uninterrupted transmission of the Cuban light rum masters' knowledge, which is put into practice in aging cellars, mixture areas and laboratories. The Cuban light rum masters' knowledge is a set of traditional, scientific, sensory knowledge...
Latin America and CaribbeanCubaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les connaissances, savoir-faire et rituels liés à la rénovation annuelle du pont Q’eswachaka
The Q’eswachaka bridge is a rope suspension bridge over a gorge of the Apurimac River in the southern Andes. It is renewed every year, using traditional Inca techniques and raw materials. The Quechua-speaking peasant communities of Huinchiri, Chaupibanda, Choccayhua and Ccollana Quehue see it as a means of strengthening their social...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le kochari, danse collective traditionnelle
Kochari is a traditional dance that is widely performed throughout Armenia during holidays, festive celebrations, family ceremonies and other social events. It is open to all participants, irrespective of age, gender or social status. Kochari provides a sense of shared identity and solidarity, contributes to the continuity of...
Middle EastArmeniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La kopatchkata, danse communautaire du village de Dramtche, Pianets
Kopachkata is a dynamic and energetic social dance performed by local residents of the village of Dramche in the region of Pijanec. It is danced at weddings, public gatherings and religious holidays by the village’s best male dancers. The dance is performed in a semicircle accompanied by drummers, a fiddle, and sometimes a tamboura lute...
EuropeNorth MacedoniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les Krakelingen et le Tonnekensbrand, fête du feu et du pain de la fin de l’hiver à Grammont
The city of Geraardsbergen holds its annual market on the first Monday in March and celebrates the end of winter on Sunday eight days earlier, with the festival of Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrad. In the days before, shopkeepers decorate their windows, bakers bake special ring-shaped breads called krakelingen, and schoolteachers recount a...
EuropeBelgiumNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Kumiodori, théâtre traditionnel musical d’Okinawa
Kumiodori is a Japanese performing art found on the Okinawa islands. It is based upon traditional Okinawan music and dance, but also incorporates elements from mainland Japan, such as Nogaku or Kabuki, as well as from China. Kumiodori dramas recount local historical events or legends, accompanied by a traditional three-stringed...
East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’opéra Kun Qu
Kun Qu Opera developed under the Ming dynasty (fourteenth to seventeenth centuries) in the city of Kunshan, situated in the region of Suzhou in southeast China. With its roots in popular theatre, the repertory of songs evolved into a major theatrical form. Kun Qu is one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera still performed today. It is...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le rite chanté et dansé de Kushtdepdi
The Kushtdepdi rite of singing and dancing is a performing art involving creative poeticizing focused on good feelings and wishes. It involves singing with vocal improvisation and dancing with movements of the hands, gestures and footsteps in accordance with the tune of the song. The rite serves as a tool for conveying good wishes and...
Central AsiaTurkmenistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le théâtre sanscrit, Kutiyattam
Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre, which is practised in the province of Kerala, is one of India’s oldest living theatrical traditions. Originating more than 2,000 years ago, Kutiyattam represents a synthesis of Sanskrit classicism and reflects the local traditions of Kerala. In its stylized and codified theatrical language, neta abhinaya...
South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le kwagh-hir, représentation théâtrale
Kwagh-Hir theatrical performance is a composite art form encompassing a spectacle that is both visually stimulating and culturally edifying. Kwagh-hir has its roots in the story-telling tradition of the Tiv people called ‘kwagh-alom’, a practice where the family was treated to a storytelling session by creative storytellers, usually in...
AfricaNigeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La parranda de San Pedro de Guarenas et Guatire
Every year in the small towns of Guarenas and Guatire, devotees of San Pedro the Apostle celebrate his saint’s day with a series of popular festivities and rituals. An image of San Pedro is stored in all the town’s churches while the saint is celebrated with popular songs. Then, at midnight, a mass is held and the images are taken out...
Latin America and CaribbeanVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La romería, cycle rituel de pèlerinage de la Vierge de Zapopan portée en procession
The annual celebration of La Romería on 12 October, honouring the image of the Virgin of Zapopan, is a tradition that dates back to 1734. The day marks the final phase of the annual ritual cycle popularly known as ‘The Carrying of the Virgin’, which begins in May and encompasses many community and liturgical activities. The cycle ends...
Latin America and CaribbeanMexicoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Tumba Francesa
The dance, song and drumming style known as Tumba Francesa (French Drum) was brought to Cuba by Haitian slaves who were resettled in the island’s eastern regions following the unrest in Haiti during the 1790s. It embodies one of the oldest and most tangible links to the Afro-Haitian heritage of Cuba’s Oriente province and developed from...
Latin America and CaribbeanCubaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les danses des garçons en Roumanie
Lad’s dances are a genre of men’s folk dance in Romania practised in community life on festive occasions, such as weddings and holidays, as well as during stage performances. Each community has its own variants, all of which display virtuosity and harmonious combinations of movement and rhythm. A special role is assigned to the dance...
EuropeRomaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Lakalaka, danses et discours chantés du Tonga
The Tonga archipelago lies in the South Pacific approximately 2,000 kilometres north-east of New Zealand. It is the only constitutional monarchy in the Pacific region. Often considered Tonga’s national dance, Lakalaka is a blend of choreography, oratory, and vocal and instrumental polyphony. This cultural expression is practised by...
PacificTongaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La langue, la danse et la musique des Garifuna
A population of mixed origin incorporating cultural elements of indigenous Caribbean and African groups, the Garifuna settled along the Atlantic coast of Central America after being forced to flee from the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent in the eighteenth century. Today, Garifuna communities mainly live in Honduras, Guatemala,...
Latin America and CaribbeanBelize / GuatemalaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
La danse et musique de lyre arquée ma’di
The Ma’di bowl lyre music and dance is a cultural practice of the Madi people of Uganda. Passed on by the community’s ancestors, the songs and dances involved in the tradition are performed for various purposes, including weddings, political rallies, to celebrate good harvests, educate children, resolve conflict or mourn the passing of...
AfricaUgandaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le théâtre Mak Yong
This ancient theatre form created by Malaysia’s Malay communities combines acting, vocal and instrumental music, gestures and elaborate costumes. Specific to the villages of Kelantan in northwest Malaysia, where the tradition originated, Mak Yong is performed mainly as entertainment or for ritual purposes related to healing practices....
Southeast AsiaMalaysiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La mascarade Makishi
The Makishi masquerade is performed at the end of the mukanda, an annual initiation ritual for boys between the ages of eight and twelve. This ritual is celebrated by the Vaka Chiyama Cha Mukwamayi communities, which include the Luvale, Chokwe, Luchazi and Mbunda peoples, who live in the northwestern and western provinces of Zambia....
AfricaZambiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
La cérémonie de purification des garçons chez les Lango du centre-nord de l’Ouganda
The male-child cleansing ceremony, performed among the Lango people of central northern Uganda, is a healing ritual for a male child believed to have lost his manhood. During the ceremony, the mother and male child spend three days inside the house and eat unsweetened millet porridge. The child is treated as a baby for the duration of...
AfricaUgandaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Maloya
Maloya is a form of music, song and dance native to Réunion Island. Of mixed racial origins since its outset, maloya was created by Malagasy and African slaves on the sugar plantations and was eventually appropriated by the whole of the island’s population. Initially conceived as a dialogue between a soloist and a choir accompanied by...
EuropeFranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La danse mangwengwe
The Mangwengwe is a traditional dance that is performed by the Mambwe and Namwanga people of Zambia. Dating to pre-colonial times, it is characterized by circular movements of the shoulders and sometimes waist. The performance involves a lead singer or dancer, supporting singers and dancers, hand-clappers and musicians. The rhythm is...
AfricaZambiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les musiques de marimba, les chants et les danses traditionnels de la région du Pacifique Sud colombien et de la province d'Esmeraldas d'Équateur
Marimba music and traditional chants and dances are musical expressions integral to the family and community fabric of people of African descent in the Colombian South Pacific region and Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador. Chanted stories and poems are performed by men and women at ritual, religious and festive events as a celebration of...
Latin America and CaribbeanColombia / EcuadorNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les traditions des Marrons de Moore Town
Situated in the highlands of eastern Jamaica, Moore Town is home to the descendants of independent communities of former runaway slaves known as Maroons. The African ancestors of the Moore Town Maroons were forcibly removed from their native lands to the Caribbean by Spanish slave traders in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The...
Latin America and CaribbeanJamaicaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le culte et les rituels de Mazu
As the most influential goddess of the sea in China, Mazu is at the centre of a host of beliefs and customs, including oral traditions, religious ceremonies and folk practices, throughout the country’s coastal areas. Mazu is believed to have lived in the tenth century on Meizhou Island, where she dedicated herself to helping her fellow...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La međimurska popevka, chanson populaire traditionnelle de Međimurje
Međimurska popevka, a folksong from the Međimurje region, in the north-western part of Croatia, was historically predominantly a soloist vocal genre practised by women. Nowadays, it is performed by individuals and groups, men and women, in vocal, vocal-instrumental, instrumental, monophonic and multipart renditions, as a musical genre...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le Mek Mulung
Mek Mulung is a traditional Malaysian performance involving acting, dialogue, singing and dancing. Originating in the village of Wang Tepus, it is performed by a group of fifteen to twenty people, accompanied by a music ensemble consisting of traditional percussion and wind instruments such as drums, clappers and a gong. Mek Mulung...
Southeast AsiaMalaysiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le colindat de groupe d’hommes, rituel de Noël
Each year before Christmas, groups of young men gather in villages throughout Romania and the Republic of Moldova to prepare for the ritual of Colindat. On Christmas Eve, they go from house to house performing festive songs. Afterwards, the hosts offer the singers ritual gifts and money. The songs have an epic content, which is adapted...
EuropeMoldova, Republic of / RomaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le Meshrep
Found among the Uygur people concentrated largely in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Meshrep constitutes the most important cultural carrier of Uygur traditions. A complete Meshrep event includes a rich collection of traditions and performance arts, such as music, dance, drama, folk arts, acrobatics, oral literature, foodways...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les festivités du Mesir Macunu
The Mesir Macunu festival of Manisa, Turkey, commemorates the recovery of Hafsa Sultan, mother of Suleiman the Magnificent, who was cured of a disease by the invention of a paste known as mesir macunu. The Sultan then ordered that the paste be disseminated to the public. So, every year from 21 to 24 March, the paste is prepared by a...
Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
Méthodologie pour l’inventaire du patrimoine culturel immatériel dans les réserves de biosphère : l’expérience du Montseny
Initiated by the UNESCO Centre in Catalonia, a non-governmental organization, the project focuses on the identification of intangible cultural heritage in a biosphere reserve and the drawing up of inventories. The project was undertaken in an area covering the Montseny Biosphere Reserve and National Park in the Autonomous Community of...
EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Momoeria, fêtes du Nouvel An dans huit villages de la région de Kozani, en Macédoine occidentale (Grèce)
From December 25 to January 5 in Kozani (north-western Greece), dancers, actors and musicians can be seen performing in village streets and visiting people’s homes to celebrate the coming of the new year. The Momoeria dancers, a group made up of 30 male performers, are a special focus. They represent the priests of Momos (god of...
EuropeGreeceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le Biyelgee mongol, danse populaire traditionnelle mongole
The Mongol Biyelgee – Mongolian Traditional Folk Dance is performed by dancers from different ethnic groups in the Khovd and Uvs provinces of Mongolia. Regarded as the original forebear of Mongolian national dances, Biyelgee dances embody and originate from the nomadic way of life. Biyelgee dances are typically confined to the small...
East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Les pratiques traditionnelles mongoles de vénération de sites sacrés
Mongolian practices of worshipping sacred sites have developed in the cultural space that is home to the nomadic lifestyle, which is characterized by its close harmony with nature and the environment. According to ancient shamanism, these practices are based on the belief in the existence of invisible deities of the sky, earth,...
East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La morna, pratique musicale de Cabo Verde
Morna, musical practice of Cabo Verde is a traditional Cape Verdean musical and choreographic practice with instrumental accompaniment that incorporates voice, music, poetry, and dance. Morna can be either sung or played only with instruments, mainly chordophones, including the guitar, violin, ten-string guitar, replaced with a...
AfricaCabo VerdeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le moutya
Moutya was brought to Seychelles by the enslaved Africans who arrived with the French settlers in the early eighteenth century. They used to practise this dance at night in the forest, at a distance from the plantation house where their masters lived. Historically, Moutya was a psychological comfort against hardship and poverty and a...
AfricaSeychellesNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Mudiyettu, théâtre rituel et drame dansé du Kerala
Mudiyettu is a ritual dance drama from Kerala based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika. It is a community ritual in which the entire village participates. After the summer crops have been harvested, the villagers reach the temple in the early morning on an appointed day. Mudiyettu...
South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La musique et la danse de la bachata dominicaine
The music and dance of Dominican Bachata is a danceable musical expression, deriving from a fusion of rhythmic bolero with other Afro-Antillean genres such as Son, the Cha-cha-cha, Merengue, etc. The Dominican people consider the music and dance of Bachata as a vernacular cultural manifestation, omnipresent in community celebrations and...
Latin America and CaribbeanDominican RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La musique et la danse du merengue en République dominicaine
The merengue is considered part of the national identity of the Dominican community. It plays an active role in various aspects of people’s daily lives – from their education to social gatherings and celebrations, even political campaigning. In 2005, the traditional practice was recognised by presidential decree with November 26...
Latin America and CaribbeanDominican RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La musique de Terchová
The village of Terchová in north-west Slovakia is renowned for its collective vocal and instrumental music, performed by three-, four- or five-member string ensembles with a small two-string bass or diatonic button accordion. It is often accompanied by polyphonic singing and combined with folk dances. The musical tradition of Terchová...
EuropeSlovakiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le mwinoghe, danse joyeuse
Mwinoghe is an instrumental dance performed among three ethnic communities – Sukwa, Ndali and Bandya – in the northern region of Malawi. In the Chisukwa dialect, the word ‘Mwinoghe’ literally means ‘Let us enjoy ourselves’: the dance is therefore performed to express joy and happiness. Derived from a ceremonial dance of the neighbouring...
AfricaMalawiNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Naadam, festival traditionnel mongol
Naadam is a national festival celebrated every year from 11 to 13 July across Mongolia that focuses on three traditional games: horseracing, wrestling and archery. Mongolian Naadam is inseparably connected to the nomadic civilization of the Mongols, who have long practiced pastoralism on Central Asia’s vast steppe. Oral traditions,...
East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Namsadang Nori
Namsadang Nori, literally the ‘all-male vagabond clown theatre’, is a multifaceted folk performance tradition originally practised widely by travelling entertainers and now kept alive by professional troupes in the Republic of Korea. The performance is made up of six components: a segment of ‘farmers’ music’ emphasizes the percussive...
East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
La cérémonie de la Nan Pa’ch
The Paach ceremony is a corn-veneration ritual celebrated in San Pedro Sacatepéquez. The ceremony gives thanks for good harvests in a ritual that highlights the close connection between humans and nature and features prayers in the Mam language. The participants are mostly older farmers, both men and women, with extensive ties to the...
Latin America and CaribbeanGuatemalaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, Navruz
Nauryz is a traditional folk spring festival based on the worship of nature, the sun and the universe. Observed in several countries in Asia and the Middle East, it is associated with a love of nature and all living things, a respect for human beings, and the spread of good. In Mongolia, it is one of the most important holidays of the...
Global DiasporasAfghanistan / AzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Nha Nhac, musique de cour vietnamienne
Nha Nhac, meaning “elegant music”, refers to a broad range of musical and dance styles performed at the Vietnamese royal court from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Nha Nhac was generally featured at the opening and closing of ceremonies associated with anniversaries, religious holidays, coronations, funerals and official...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Nijemo Kolo, ronde dansée silencieuse de l’arrière-pays dalmate
The Nijemo Kolo is practised by communities in the Dalmatian hinterland, in southern Croatia. Nijemo Kolo is performed in a closed circle with male dancers leading female partners in energetic, spontaneous steps – the male dancer publicly testing the skills of his female partner, seemingly without defined rules. The steps and figures,...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le théâtre Nôgaku
Nôgaku theatre had its heyday in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but actually originated in the eighth century when the Sangaku was transmitted from China to Japan. At the time, the term Sangaku referred to various types of performance featuring acrobats, song and dance as well as comic sketches. Its subsequent adaption to...
East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le nongak, groupes de musique, danse et rituels communautaires de la République de Corée
Nongak is a popular performing art derived from communal rites and rustic entertainments. It has evolved into a representative performing art of the Republic of Korea, combining a percussion ensemble and sometimes wind instruments, parading, dancing, drama and acrobatic feats. Local Nongak performers clad in colourful costumes perform...
East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le nora, drame dansé dans le sud de la Thaïlande
Nora is a lively and acrobatic form of dance theatre and improvisational singing from southern Thailand. Performances normally include a long oral invocation, followed by a presentation by a lead character who dances with vigorous and elaborate movements of the legs, arms and fingers. The performances are usually based on stories about...
Southeast AsiaThailandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
Le réseau dédié au nyckelharpa, diffusion innovante d’une tradition musicale et de lutherie ayant ses racines en Suède
The nyckelharpa is a bowed instrument, originally built and played by farmers and craftspeople in northern Uppland in Sweden. Dating back to the seventeenth century, it was the most common instrument in this region, played at dances and in various ceremonies and rituals. In the early twentieth century, interest in the nyckelharpa waned...
EuropeSwedenNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le chant Ojkanje
Ojkanje two-part singing, found in the Croatian regions of the Dalmatian hinterland, is performed by two or more singers (male or female) using a distinctive voice-shaking technique created by the throat. Each song lasts as long as the lead singer can hold his or her breath. Melodies are based on limited, mostly chromatic, tonal scales,...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L'Ommegang de Bruxelles, cortège historique et fête populaire annuels
Ommegang of Brussels, an annual historical procession and popular festival takes place annually over two evenings in July in the historic centre of Brussels. The celebration begins with a crossbow competition and a ceremony in Sablon Church. In the surrounding streets, various groups form a large procession. The procession follows a 1.5...
EuropeBelgiumNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le patrimoine oral Gèlèdé
The Gelede is performed by the Yoruba-Nago community that is spread over Benin, Nigeria and Togo. For more than a century, this ceremony has been performed to pay tribute to the primordial mother Iyà Nlà and to the role women play in the process of social organization and development of Yoruba society. The Gelede takes place every year...
AfricaBenin / NigeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’ortéké, un art du spectacle traditionnel au Kazakhstan : danse, marionnettes et musique
Orteke is an indigenous Kazakh performing art that combines theatre, music and puppetry. This folk art entails a music performance with a dombyra, a traditional two-stringed instrument, and a dance performed by a wooden puppet. Attached to the surface of a traditional drum with a metal rod, a wooden puppet in the shape of a mountain...
Central AsiaKazakhstanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le oshituthi shomagongo, festival des fruits du marula
The Oshituthi shomagongo, marula fruit festival is a celebration that lasts two to three days between March and April, uniting the eight Aawambo communities of northern Namibia through the consumption of ''omagongo'', a beverage made from marula fruit. In preparation for the festival, men carve wooden goblets and small serving gourds,...
AfricaNamibiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les Parachicos dans la fête traditionnelle de janvier à Chiapa de Corzo
The traditional Great Feast takes place from 4 to 23 January every year in Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico. This celebration of music, dance, handicrafts, gastronomy, religious ceremonies and feasting takes place in honour of three Catholic saints: Saint Anthony Abbot, Our Lord of Esquipulas and, most importantly, Saint Sebastian. The dances of...
Latin America and CaribbeanMexicoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Patum de Berga
The Patum of Berga is a popular festival whose origin can be traced to medieval festivities and parades accompanying the celebration of Corpus Christi. Theatrical performances and parades of a variety of effigies animate the streets of this Catalan town located north of Barcelona. The celebration takes place every year during the week...
EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’opéra de Pékin
Peking opera is a performance art incorporating singing, reciting, acting, martial arts. Although widely practised throughout China, its performance centres on Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. Peking opera is sung and recited using primarily Beijing dialect, and its librettos are composed according to a strict set of rules that prize form...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les arts du spectacle chez les ṭwāyef de Ghbonten
In Tunisia, the Twāyef are troupes of poet singers affiliated with the Ghbonten tribe. The troupes perform chants or songs wearing white robes and scarlet chechias (caps). They are accompanied by the sounds of the chenna, a traditional drum. Consisting of a leader and a group of male performers, each troupe boasts a unique repertoire of...
AfricaTunisiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La cueillette de la germandrée sur le mont Ozren
On 11 September each year, the day of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, inhabitants of the villages around Ozren mountain go to Gostilij to pick iva grass. After hiking up the hills, villagers of all social, gender and age groups pick iva grass, both individually and in groups. Iva must be picked carefully and pickers need to find...
EuropeBosnia and HerzegovinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le pèlerinage au sanctuaire du seigneur de Qoyllurit’i
The Pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllurit’i combines elements from Catholicism and worship of pre-Hispanic nature deities. It begins fifty-eight days after the Christian celebration of Easter Sunday, when 90,000 people from around Cusco travel to the sanctuary, located in Sinakara hollow. Pilgrims are divided into eight...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le pèlerinage au monastère de l’apôtre Saint Thaddée
The annual three-day pilgrimage to St. Thaddeus Apostle Monastery in northwestern Iran is held each July. The pilgrimage venerates two prominent saints: St. Thaddeus, one of the first apostles preaching Christianity, and St. Santukhd, the first female Christian martyr. The bearers of the element are the Armenian population in Iran,...
Global DiasporasIran, Islamic Republic of / ArmeniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le pèlerinage à Watt Town
The Revival Pilgrimage to the community of Watt Town in Jamaica occurs every year on the first Thursday in March. Watt Town is considered a sacred site, which was once a refuge for enslaved Africans. Groups, called bands, journey from across Jamaica to the sacred site. The bands engage in ritual songs and dances, wearing clothing with...
Latin America and CaribbeanJamaicaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La polonaise, danse polonaise traditionnelle
The polonaise is a joyful Polish group dance, which can be enacted by a few to even several hundreds of pairs marching in procession, following a trajectory proposed by the first pair. The basic step involves bending one leg while taking a step forward with the other. During the dance, the pairs perform various figures, such as raising...
EuropePolandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La pratique de la musique et de la danse traditionnelles au Setesdal, jouer de la musique, danser et chanter (stev/stevjing)
In the practice of traditional music and dance in Setesdal, playing, dancing and singing (stev/stevjing), traditional dance and music belong together, interwoven in the social context. The melodies are named after the ‘gangar’ dance and are mostly dance tunes; the melodies of the ‘stev’ songs can be played on instruments, and the lyrics...
EuropeNorwayNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les pratiques du then par les groupes ethniques Tày, Nùng et Thái au Viet Nam
Then, an essential ritual practice in the spiritual life of the Tày, Nùng and Thái ethnic groups in Viet Nam, reflects concepts about human beings, the natural world and the universe. Then ceremonies describe a journey in which the Then Master (male or female) controls ghost soldiers travelling from the earth realm to the heaven realm,...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les pratiques liées à la croyance viet en les déesses-mères des Trois mondes
To meet spiritual needs, everyday wishes and gain help in achieving good health and success communities in Viet Nam worship the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms: heaven, water, and mountains and forests. The Mother Goddesses include Liễu Hạnh (a nymph who descended to earth, lived as a human and became a Buddhist nun) referred to as the...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La procession et les célébrations de la naissance du prophète Mahomet au Soudan
Al-Molid procession is a celebration of the Prophet Mohammed that takes place in Sudan. The celebration starts twelve days before the Prophet’s birthday, in the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins with a procession of thousands of men, women and children, community leaders, government officials, army and police forces...
AfricaSudanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
Un programme pour cultiver la ludodiversité : la sauvegarde des jeux traditionnels en Flandre
Ludodiversity refers to the wide diversity in games, sports, physical exercises, dances and acrobatics. The non-governmental organization Sportimonium, together with local communities and associations, has taken measures to safeguard the heritage of games and sports in Flanders, Belgium, including twenty-three types of traditional...
EuropeBelgiumNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Pujllay et Ayarichi : musiques et danses de la culture yampara
Pujllay and Ayarichi are the main musical and choreographic forms of the Yampara culture. They complement each other and form a whole: Pujllay linked to the rainy season and Ayarichi to the dry. Pujllay is performed primarily by males, during the ritual of the same name celebrating the renewal of life and abundance brought on by rains....
Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le festival du Nouvel An des Qiang
Held on the first day of the tenth lunar month, the Qiang New Year Festival is an occasion for the Qiang people of China’s Sichuan Province to express their gratitude and reverence, reaffirm their harmonious and respectful relationship with nature, and promote social and family harmony. The festival is also a means of regulating...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La tradition du théâtre dansé Rabinal Achí
The Rabinal Achí is a dynastic Maya drama, which developed in the fifteenth century and a rare example of preserved pre-Hispanic traditions. It comprises myths of origin and addresses popular and political subjects concerning the inhabitants of the region of Rabinal, expressed through masked dance, theatre and music. The oral and...
Latin America and CaribbeanGuatemalaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le raï, chant populaire d'Algérie
Raï is a popular folk song from Algeria. A means of conveying social reality without taboos or censorship, Raï music touches on topics such as love, freedom, despair and social pressures. It was originally practised in rural settings by doyens who sang poetic texts in vernacular Arabic, accompanied by a traditional orchestra. At the...
AfricaAlgeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le rebétiko
Rebetiko is a musical and cultural expression directly linked to song and dance that initially spread among the urban lower and working-class populations in the early twentieth century. Rebetiko songs are now a standardized repertoire in almost every social occasion involving music and dance. The element is performed in public and...
EuropeGreeceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
L’art du spectacle du Reog Ponorogo
In Indonesia, Reog Ponorogo Performing Art is a centuries-old theatrical dance that is traditionally performed on various occasions, including disaster aversion ceremonies, village cleansing events, weddings, Islamic and national holidays, circumcisions, thanksgiving ceremonies, public festivities, and when welcoming guests. Dancers...
Southeast AsiaIndonesiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Chevauchée des Rois dans le sud-est de la République tchèque
The Ride of the Kings takes place during the spring, as a part of the Pentecost traditions, in the towns of Hluk and Kunovice and the villages of Skoronice and Vlčnov. A group of young men ride through a village in a ceremonial procession. The ride is headed by chanters, followed by pageboys with unsheathed sabres who guard the King – a...
EuropeCzechiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le rite des Tsars de Kalyady (Tsars de Noël)
The Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars) is a ritual and festive event celebrated in the village of Semezhava in the Minsk region of Belarus. Typical Belarusian New Year celebrations take place according to the ‘old’ Julian style calendar and are combined with distinctive local performing arts. About 500 men participate annually in the...
EuropeBelarusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les rites et les savoir-faire artisanaux associés à la tradition du costume nuptial de Tlemcen
The wedding ritual of Tlemcen in northwestern Algeria commences in the parents’ home, where the bride is dressed in a traditionally woven golden silk dress, surrounded by her friends and married female relations, the latter wearing their own wedding costumes. Symbolic henna designs are applied to her hands, and an older woman helps her...
AfricaAlgeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le rituel et les cérémonies de la Sebeïba dans l'oasis de Djanet, Algérie
The ritual and ceremonies of Sebeïba are practised by two communities living in Djanet during ten days in the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Male dancers and female singers compete for the right to represent their communities during a nine-day contest called Timoulawine. The chosen winners take part in the Sebeïba ritual and...
AfricaAlgeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Les rituels et pratiques associés au sanctuaire de Kit Mikayi
The Rituals and practices associated with Kit Mikayi shrine concern the Luos of western Kenya. Legend has it that Kit Mikayi Shrine is associated with the good fortunes of the Seme people and other Luo ethnic communities who live around the shrine enclave. People access the shrine for many different reasons, including praying, taking...
AfricaKenyaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le carnaval d’été de Rotterdam
The Rotterdam Summer Carnival is a multicultural celebration that unites participants from the Caribbean and European Netherlands, as well as ethnic minority groups from Central and South America and Africa living in the Netherlands. The event includes a street parade, a brass band competition and a festival market featuring Caribbean...
EuropeNetherlands, Kingdom of theNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le rituel royal ancestral du sanctuaire de Jongmyo et sa musique
The Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul is the setting for a Confucian ritual dedicated to the ancestors of the Joseon dynasty (14th to the 19th century) that encompasses song, dance and music. The ritual is practised once a year on the first Sunday in May and is organized by the descendants of the royal family. It offers a unique example of a...
East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Ballet royal du Cambodge
Renowned for its graceful hand gestures and stunning costumes, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, also known as Khmer Classical Dance, has been closely associated with the Khmer court for over one thousand years. Performances would traditionally accompany royal ceremonies and observances such as coronations, marriages, funerals or Khmer...
Southeast AsiaCambodiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La rumba à Cuba, mélange festif de musiques et de danses et toutes les pratiques associées
The music and movements of rumba in Cuba are mainly associated with African culture but also feature elements from Antillean culture and Spanish flamenco. Historically, rumba in Cuba developed in marginal neighbourhoods of cities in Cuba like Havana and Matanzas, near other ports and shanty towns and grew especially popular in rural...
Latin America and CaribbeanCubaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La célébration du Sadeh/Sada
Sadeh, or Sada, is a celebration held annually on 30 January. In the folk calendar, it marks the day when farmlands are prepared for their next spring plantation and when people celebrate the end of the coldest winter days, with 50 days and 50 nights remaining to spring. Accordingly, ‘Sadeh’ means ‘one hundred’. The element enjoys...
Global DiasporasIran, Islamic Republic of / TajikistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Samba de Roda de Recôncavo de Bahia
The Samba de Roda, which involves music, dance and poetry, is a popular festive event that developed in the State of Bahia, in the region of Recôncavo during the seventeenth century. It drew heavily on the dances and cultural traditions of the region’s African slaves. The performance also included elements of Portuguese culture, such as...
Latin America and CaribbeanBrazilNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le festival de Sango, Oyo
In Nigeria, the Sango Festival of Oyo marks the beginning of the Yoruba Traditional New Year in August. It is an ancestral worship that takes place in Sango, Nigeria, near the ancient Koso Temple. The ten-day festival is strongly connected to the social, religious, cultural and political institutions of the Oyo State. It is held in...
AfricaNigeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le Sanké mon, rite de pêche collective dans le Sanké
The Sanké mon collective fishing rite takes place in San in the Ségou region of Mali every second Thursday of the seventh lunar month to commemorate the founding of the town. The rite begins with the sacrifice of roosters, goats and offerings made by village residents to the water spirits of the Sanké pond. The collective fishing then...
AfricaMaliNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le sankirtana, chants rituels, tambours et danses du Manipur
Sankirtana encompasses an array of arts performed to mark religious occasions and various stages in the life of the Vaishnava people of the Manipur plains. Sankirtana practices centre on the temple, where performers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through song and dance. In a typical performance, two drummers and about ten...
South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Sbek Thom, théâtre d’ombres khmer
The Sbek Thom is a Khmer shadow theatre featuring twometre high, non-articulated puppets made of leather openwork. Dating from before the Angkorian period, the Sbek Thom, along with the Royal Ballet and mask theatre, is considered sacred. Dedicated to the divinities, performances could only take place on specific occasions three or four...
Southeast AsiaCambodiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le sbuâ, pèlerinage annuel à la zawiya Sidi El Hadj Belkacem, Gourara
Each year, pilgrims from Zenata communities in the south-west Algerian Sahara visit mausoleums of saints to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. Sbuâ is a pilgrimage, which runs for a week and entails cultural practices that focus on group activities, which include celebrations with singing and dancing. On the seventh day,...
AfricaAlgeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Schemenlaufen, le carnaval d’Imst, Autriche
Every four years the city of Imst in Austria celebrates its Fasnacht carnival on the Sunday before the Christian season of Lent. The central festivity is Schemenlaufen, a procession of masked, costumed dancers. The main characters are in pairs, one man wearing rotating bells and another wearing larger bells weighing up to 35 kg....
EuropeAustriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
La société secrète des Kôrêdugaw, rite de sagesse du Mali
The secret society of the Kôrêdugaw is a rite of wisdom central to the cultural identity of the Bambara, Malinké, Senufo and Samogo peoples of Mali. Initiates dress in ragged coats adorned with red bean necklaces and a large quantity of miscellaneous items. They provoke laughter with behaviour characterized by gluttony, caustic humour...
AfricaMaliNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le séga tambour des Chagos
Sega tambour Chagos is one of the types of Sega music of Mauritius, with origins in the Chagos Archipelago. Like other Sega music, it is born from slavery and sung in Chagossian Creole particular to the islands. Sega tambour Chagos is a gentle, vibrant and rhythmic performance of music, song and dance based on the ‘tambour’ – a large,...
AfricaMauritiusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le seperu, danse populaire et pratiques associées
The Seperu folkdance and associated practices involve singing, dancing and sacred rituals that are highly significant in the lives of Veekuhane community members. Seperu is a celebratory practice performed during ceremonies that mark important milestones in the community members’ lives. In the dance the women form a horseshoe, while...
AfricaBotswanaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Leelo seto, tradition chorale polyphonique seto
For the Seto community living in south-eastern Estonia and the Pechory district of the Russian Federation, the tradition of ''leelo,'' an ancient polyphonic singing tradition, is a cornerstone of contemporary identity. Performed to traditional melodies and in traditional costume, leelo features a lead singer who delivers a verse line...
EuropeEstoniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les défilés de porte-à-porte et masques des Jours gras dans les villages de la région de Hlinecko
The Shrovetide processions take place in the town of Hlinsko and six nearby villages in the Hlinecko area of Eastern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. This popular carnival custom takes place at the end of winter, during Shrovetide – the period just before the Christian Lent. Village men and boys, disguised in masks that depict traditional...
EuropeCzechiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chant de Sana’a
The Song of Sana’a, also known as al-Ghina al-San’ani, designates a group of songs that belongs to a rich musical tradition practised throughout Yemen. Derived from various poetic traditions dating from the fourteenth century, this genre constitutes an integral part of social events, such as the samra marriage evenings and the magyal,...
Middle EastYemenNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L'Hıdrellez, fête du printemps
The Spring Celebration ‘Hidrellez’ takes place annually on 6 May, which is recognized as Spring Day, or the awakening of nature. ‘Hidrellez’ is a compound noun derived from ‘Hidir’ and ‘Ilyas’, which are believed to be the protectors of earth and water and the helpers of individuals, families and communities in need of them. To mark...
Global DiasporasNorth Macedonia / TürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La procession de printemps des Ljelje/Kraljice (ou reines) de Gorjani
The Procession of Queens is performed by the young girls of the village of Gorjani in the Slavonia region of north-east Croatia every spring. The girls in a group are divided into ten ''kraljevi'' (kings), who wear sabres and men’s hats, and about five ''kraljice'' (queens), who wear white garlands on their heads like brides. On...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le rite du printemps de Juraǔski Karahod
The spring rite of Juraǔski Karahod is performed by residents of the village of Pahost on St. George’s Day. For Belarusians, St. George safeguards livestock and agriculture. In Pahost, the holiday is observed through a specific ceremonial rite that encompasses various ceremonial activities, songs, games, omens and beliefs....
EuropeBelarusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les fêtes du feu du solstice d'été dans les Pyrénées
The summer solstice fire festivals take place in the Pyrenees each year on the same night when the sun is at its zenith. Once night falls, people from different towns and villages carry flaming torches down the mountains to light a variety of traditionally constructed beacons. The descent is a special moment for young people, signifying...
EuropeAndorra / SpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le Suri Jagek (observation du soleil), pratique météorologique et astronomique traditionnelle fondée sur l'observation du soleil, de la lune et des étoiles par rapport à la topographie locale
Suri Jagek, literally translated as ‘observing the sun’, is the traditional Kalasha meteorological and astronomical knowledge system and practice – enacted predominantly in the Hindu Kush mountain range – based on the observation of the sun, moon, stars and shadows with respect to the local topography. The system is a complex structure...
South AsiaPakistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les Sutartinės, chants lituaniens à plusieurs voix
Sutartinės (from the word ''sutarti ''– to be in concordance) is a form of polyphonic music performed by female singers in north-east Lithuania. The songs have simple melodies, with two to five pitches, and comprise two distinct parts: a meaningful main text and a refrain that may include nonce words. There are almost forty different...
EuropeLithuaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le talchum, danse théâtrale masquée en République de Corée
Talchum is a performing art that encompasses dance, music and theatre. An ensemble of six to ten musicians accompanies masked performers who humorously explore social issues through dramatic combinations of songs, dances, movements and dialogue. The practice uses caricatures of everyday characters to convey its underlying appeal to...
East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
La méthode Táncház : un modèle hongrois pour la transmission du patrimoine culturel immatériel
The Táncház (‘dance-house’) model of teaching folk dance and music combines traditional forms of acquisition with modern pedagogical and academic methods. Participants acquire dance knowledge from experienced members or tradition bearers by direct observation and imitation, to the accompaniment of live music, while using their own...
EuropeHungaryNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Tango
The Argentinian and Uruguayan tradition of the Tango, now familiar around the world, was developed by the urban lower classes in Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the Rio de la Plata basin. Among this mix of European immigrants to the region, descendents of African slaves and the natives of the region known as ''criollos,'' a wide range of...
Latin America and CaribbeanArgentina / UruguayNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
La Taskiwin, danse martiale du Haut-Atlas occidental
Taskiwin is a martial dance specific to the western High Atlas mountain range in Central Morocco. The dance gets its name from the richly decorated horn each dancer carries – the Tiskt – and involves the art of shaking one’s shoulders to the rhythm of tambourines and flutes. The practice fosters social cohesion and harmony and provides...
AfricaMoroccoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Compas d'Haïti
Compas is a popular music and dance genre that holds deep cultural significance for the practising communities. As strong identifying factor, it brings together people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. The music is characterized by a syncopated rhythm and accompanied by instruments such as guitars, keyboards and drums. Compas...
Latin America and CaribbeanHaitiNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La Confrérie des fleurs et des palmes
The Confraternity of flowers and palms is a traditional celebration that blends indigenous beliefs with Catholic practices in the community of Panchimalco. The event coincides with the beginning of the rainy and harvest season and is characterized by a procession of palms decorated with wildflowers. This procession, which attracts...
Latin America and CaribbeanEl SalvadorNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L'épopée Samba Gueladio
The Epic of Samba Gueladio is a legend in which the hero, Samba Gueladio, the legitimate heir to the throne, was cast aside by his uncle. To regain his throne, he forged alliances wherever he went. For instance, he killed a monster that had been preventing the Moors from fetching water from the river and recovered their cattle from a...
AfricaMauritaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La festivité de la Santísima Trinidad del Señor Jesús del Gran Poder de la ville de La Paz
The festival of the Santísima Trinidad del Señor Jesús del Gran Poder takes place on the Day of the Holy Trinity in the city of La Paz. The celebration transforms and stimulates the social life of La Paz every year, emanating from a particular way of understanding and living Andean Catholicism. The Parade begins with a procession...
Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La pratique du son cubain
Son is a traditional music and dance practice that blends singing, instruments, rhythm and movement. It is performed in pairs or groups and combines improvisation with structured patterns. Son includes lyrics drawn from daily life, which are passed down orally, and brings together African and European musical influences. The dance is...
Latin America and CaribbeanCubaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La pratique de la danse moderne en Allemagne
Modern Dance is a form of physical expression distinct from classical ballet. Rather than reproducing predetermined dance positions, the dancers seek a true-to-life expression that reflects emotions and life experiences. The focus lies on solo pieces as well as on co-creation in small groups, and age, social status, origin, physical...
EuropeGermanyNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources
L'École des traditions vivantes
In 1995, the Sub-commission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) – the lead agency mandated to preserve, promote and develop Philippine culture and the arts – affirmed the need to safeguard traditional knowledge and practices from rapid cultural devaluation brought about...
Southeast AsiaPhilippinesNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La zaffa dans le mariage traditionnel
The zaffa is a traditional bridal procession that marks a couple’s transition from single to married life. It involves rituals, music, dance and a festive gathering. The zaffa begins with careful preparations. The bride undergoes cleansing rituals and applies henna, while special clothes, jewellery and other adornments are prepared for...
Global DiasporasDjibouti / ComorosNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Trois genres de danse traditionnelle à Bali
There are three genres of traditional Balinese dance – sacred, semi-sacred and that meant for enjoyment by communities at large. Traditional Balinese dances are performed by male and female dancers dressed in traditional costumes consisting of brightly coloured cloth painted with gold floral and faunal motifs, with gold-leafed and...
Southeast AsiaIndonesiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’opéra tibétain
Tibetan opera, the most popular traditional opera of minority ethnic groups in China, is a comprehensive art combining folk song, dance, storytelling, chant, acrobatics and religious performance. Most popular in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in western China, the performance begins with a prayer ceremony, including the cleansing of the...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La fabrication et la pratique de la cornemuse traditionnelle (gayda/tulum)
The traditional bagpipe (Gayda/Tulum) is a traditional woodwind instrument that is made and performed across the area that includes the Republic of North Macedonia, and the Eastern Black Sea and Thrace regions of Türkiye. In North Macedonia, it consists of four parts: a melody pipe, a drone pipe, a blowing pipe and an air reservoir. In...
Global DiasporasNorth Macedonia / TürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le savoir traditionnel des chamanes jaguars de Yuruparí
The mythical and cosmological structures that make up the traditional knowledge of the jaguar shamans of Yuruparí represent the cultural heritage of the many ethnic groups that live along the Pirá Paraná River in south-eastern Colombia, in the department of Vaupés. According to ancestral wisdom, the Pirá Paraná forms the heart of a...
Latin America and CaribbeanColombiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le séga mauricien traditionnel
Traditional Mauritian Sega Tipik is a vibrant performing art, emblematic of the Creole community and performed at informal private family events or in public spaces. Songs sung in a minor key gradually increase in tempo, as dancers move their hips and hands to a percussive beat, using short steps to manoeuvre around each other in a...
AfricaMauritiusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La musique traditionnelle du Morin Khuur
The two-stringed fiddle morin khuur has figured prominently in Mongolia’s nomad culture. String instruments adorned with horse heads are attested to by written sources dating from the Mongol empire of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The fiddle’s significance extends beyond its function as a musical instrument, for it was...
East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les rencontres traditionnelles Sohbet
Traditional Sohbet meetings play a crucial role in transmitting Turkish folk literature, folk dances and music, village plays as well as societal values. Turkish men meet regularly indoors, especially in winter, to discuss local social and cultural issues, safeguard traditions, and encourage solidarity, mutual respect and a sense of...
Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les rites festifs traditionnels printaniers des éleveurs de chevaux kazakhs
Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders – taking place in Terisakkan Village in the Ulytau District of Karaganda Oblast – mark the end of the old and the beginning of the new yearly horse-breeding cycle. Rooted in traditional knowledge about nature and the age-old relations between man and horse, the rites involve...
Central AsiaKazakhstanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le système traditionnel des juges de l’eau de Corongo
The Traditional System of Corongo’s Water Judges is an organizational method developed by the people of the district of Corongo in Northern Peru, embracing water management and historical memory. The system, which dates back to pre-Inca times, is primarily aimed at supplying water fairly and sustainably, which translates into proper...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Les traditions et pratiques associées aux Kayas dans les forêts sacrées des Mijikenda
The Mijikenda include nine Bantu-speaking ethnic groups in the Kaya forests of coastal Kenya. The identity of the Mijikenda is expressed through oral traditions and performing arts related to the sacred forests, which are also sources of valuable medicinal plants. These traditions and practices constitute their codes of ethics and...
AfricaKenyaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Tsapiky, rythme et style musical caractéristique de la région Sud-ouest de Madagascar
Tsapiky is a fast-paced musical genre that combines modern and traditional sounds and is deeply rooted in the social life of the inhabitants of southwestern Madagascar. It features electric guitars, drums, accordions and local instruments such as the ‘kabosy’ (a small guitar) and the ‘marovany’ (a string instrument). Although initially...
AfricaMadagascarNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chant et la musique à deux voix dans la gamme istrienne
On the Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, several varieties of two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale are preserved by Croatian, Istro-Romanian and Italian communities. The style is characterized by vigorous, partly nasal singing. It involves a degree of variation and improvisation in both vocal parts but always ends with...
EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L'uilleann piping
Uilleann piping is a musical practice which uses a particular type of bagpipe (known as the ‘uilleann’, ‘Irish’ or ‘union’ pipes) to play Irish music. It is a highly developed instrument with strong roots in tradition dating back many generations. Bearers and practitioners are dispersed throughout the world, but the greatest...
EuropeIrelandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le muqam ouïgour du Xinjiang
The Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam is the general term for a variety of Muqam practices widespread among the Uyghur communities, which form one of the largest ethnic minorities of the People’s Republic of China. Throughout its history, the Xinjiang region has been marked by a high degree of cultural exchange between East and West, due in...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les diables danseurs de Corpus Christi du Venezuela
The small communities along the central coastal region of Venezuela have a special way to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, an annual Roman Catholic holiday commemorating the presence of Christ in the Sacrament. Groups of adults, young men and children disguised as masked devils dance backwards in penitence as an official of the...
Latin America and CaribbeanVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les fêtes de l'hiver, le carnaval de Podence
Winter festivities, Carnival of Podence is a social practice which initially functioned as a rite of passage for men. Now extended to women and children, it has been readjusted to its contemporary context. The festivity is associated with the celebration of the end of winter and the arrival of spring and takes place over three days in...
EuropePortugalNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le rituel wosana et les pratiques associées
Wosana is a rainmaking ritual that is observed by the Bakalanga community in the Northeast and Central Districts of Botswana and in certain Zimbabwean villages along the Botswana border. The ancestral practice is characterized by rituals, prayer, feasts, song and dance. It is a collaborative practice involving traditional leadership,...
AfricaBotswanaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chant Xoan de la Province de Phú Thọ (Viet Nam)
As a performing art, Xoan singing of Pho Tho province includes singing, dancing, drumming and clapper beating. It is closely linked to the worship of the Hung Kings, a belief rooted in the ancestor worship practice of the Viet people. Bearers and practitioners form four guilds, in which the male and female Trum play the most important...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le yalli (kochari, tenzere), danses collectives traditionnelles du Nakhtchivan
Yalli, traditional group dances, are dance expressions based exclusively on collective performances. Typically, yalli are performed in a circle, chain or line, and involve elements of games, pantomime (bird or other animal imitations), physical exercises and movements. The community of the yalli dances consists of practising dancers,...
Middle EastAzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le Yaokwa, rituel du peuple Enawene Nawe pour le maintien de l’ordre social et cosmique
The Enawene Nawe people live in the basin of the Juruena River in the southern Amazon rainforest. They perform the Yaokwa ritual every year during the drought period to honour the Yakairiti spirits, thereby ensuring cosmic and social order for the different clans. The ritual links local biodiversity to a complex, symbolic cosmology that...
Latin America and CaribbeanBrazilNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Zaouli, musique et danse populaires des communautés gouro de Côte d'Ivoire
Zaouli is a popular music and dance practised by the Guro communities of the Bouaflé and Zuénoula departments of Côte d’Ivoire. A homage to feminine beauty, Zaouli is inspired by two masks: the Blou and the Djela. Its other name, Djela lou Zaouli means Zaouli, the daughter of Djela. In a single event, the practice brings together...
AfricaCôte d'IvoireNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
