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Al-Jertiq : pratiques, rituels et expressions pour la préservation, la protection, l’abondance et la fertilité au Soudan
Among the Nubian populations residing in northern Sudan, along the Nile, up to the Egyptian border, Al-Jertiq is a ritual for protection, fertility and abundance that is held during significant life events such as marriage, childbirth and circumcision, or to mourn the death of a young, unmarried man. Although the ritual has adapted over...
AfricaSudanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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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
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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
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La danse budima
The Budima Dance is a warrior dance performed all year round by the Wee people on a number of sombre and spiritual occasions, especially during traditional ceremonies, funeral processions, weddings, initiation ceremonies, the installation of chiefs, thanksgiving, harvest celebrations and ritual activities. The dance is performed with...
AfricaZambiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le rituel du Căluş
Performed in the Olt region of southern Romania, the Căluş ritual dance also formed part of the cultural heritage of the Vlachs of Bulgaria and Serbia. Although the oldest documented music used in this dance dates from the seventeenth century, the ritual probably derived from ancient purification and fertility rites using the symbol of...
EuropeRomaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La sortie des masques et marionnettes de Markala
The coming forth of the masks and puppets is a ritual festivity practised among the Bambara, Bozo, Marka and Somono communities in Markala, and is characterized by masked dances, drums and songs featuring dancers and puppeteers. Each mask and puppet symbolizes the sacred link between man and nature, with particular animals incarnating...
AfricaMaliNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le compagnonnage, réseau de transmission des savoirs et des identités par le métier
The French Compagnonnage system is a unique way of conveying knowledge and know-how linked to the trades that work with stone, wood, metal, leather, textiles and food. Its originality lies in its synthesis of varied methods and processes of transmitting knowledge: national and international educational travel (known as the ‘Tour de...
EuropeFranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Les pratiques et expressions culturelles liées au balafon et au kolintang au Mali, au Burkina Faso, en Côte d’Ivoire et en Indonésie
The balafon (in Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire) and kolintang (in Indonesia) refer to a set of wooden xylophones of different lengths. The Indonesian and West African instruments share similarities in material, shapes, keys, functions, transmission processes and values. They are believed to represent mutual respect and tolerance...
Global DiasporasMali / Burkina FasoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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Le Daimokutate
In Yahashira Shrine of Nara City in central Japan, young men of the Kami-fukawa community stand in a semi-circle dressed in samurai clothes and carrying bows. One by one, they are called to the centre by an old man who reads the name of a character in the tales of the feud between the Genji and Heike clans. Each in turn delivers his...
East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La tradition de l’empaako des Batooro, Banyoro, Batuku, Batagwenda et Banyabindi de l’ouest de l’Ouganda
Empaako is a naming system practised by the Batooro, Banyoro, Batuku, Batagwenda and Banyabindi, whereby children are given one of twelve names shared across the communities in addition to their given and family names. Addressing a person by her or his Empaako name is a positive affirmation of social ties. It can be used as a greeting...
AfricaUgandaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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Esuwa, prières chantées en Harakbut des Wachiperi du Pérou
The Wachiperi are an indigenous ethnic group speaking the Harakbut language and living in Peru’s southern Amazon tropical forest. The Esuwa or sung prayer is an expression of Wachiperi religious myths, performed for healing or as part of traditional ceremonies such as the drinking of masato, a traditional beverage made of fermented...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le Gada, système socio-politique démocratique autochtone des Oromo
Gada is a traditional system of governance used by the Oromo people in Ethiopia developed from knowledge gained by community experience over generations. The system regulates political, economic, social and religious activities of the community dealing with issues such as conflict resolution, reparation and protecting women’s rights. It...
AfricaEthiopiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le Gule Wamkulu
Gule Wamkulu was a secret cult, involving a ritual dance practiced among the Chewa in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. It was performed by members of the Nyau brotherhood, a secret society of initiated men.Within the Chewa’s traditional matrilineal society, where married men played a rather marginal role, the Nyau offered a means to...
AfricaMalawi / MozambiqueNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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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
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La danse kalela
The Kalela dance originated during colonial times in the Luapula Province of Zambia. It was adopted by mine workers and used for entertainment at the Chief's Palace during traditional ceremonies, funerals, harvest celebrations and other important occasions. Kalela is a kind of dance drill formation in which the dancers form two or three...
AfricaZambiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le Kankurang, rite d’initiation mandingue
The Kankurang is an initiatory rite practised throughout the Manding provinces of Senegal and Gambia, mainly corresponding to the Casamance, and in the city of Mbour. According to tradition, the origin of the Kankurang is to be found in the Komo, a secret society of hunters whose organization and esoteric practices contributed to the...
AfricaGambia / SenegalNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le répertoire du rituel des classes d’âge de Louvain
The Leuven age set ritual repertoire is a rite of passage in a man’s life centring on the ten years leading up to his fiftieth birthday. For men living in or around Leuven, Belgium, a journey of socio-cultural and philanthropic activities and ceremonies commences at the age of forty with the forming of an age set and culminates at the...
EuropeBelgiumNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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Le Sema, cérémonie Mevlevi
The Mevleviye is an ascetic Sufi order founded in 1273 in Konya, from where it gradually spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. Today, the Mevleviye can be found in many Turkish communities throughout the world, but the most active and famous centres of the order’s activity are in Konya and Istanbul. The Mevleviye are renowned for their...
Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Mvet Oyeng, art musical, pratiques et savoir-faire associés à la communauté Ekang
Mvet Oyeng is a cultural tradition that is practised by the Ekang community. It entails the singing of a series of epic stories, accompanied by dancing and the playing of a traditional stringed instrument. The audience actively participates in the performance by playing drumsticks or clapping, singing and engaging with the storyteller....
AfricaGabon / CameroonNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La danse spirituelle mwazindika de la communauté Daida du Kenya
The Mwazindika spiritual dance is a traditional practice used to promote individual and communal well-being amongst the Daida community. It combines dance, music, ritual and storytelling, and is performed during important events such as rites of passage, harvests, coronations and times of crisis like droughts or floods. Its purpose is...
AfricaKenyaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Le Ngondo, culte des oracles de l'eau et traditions culturelles associées chez les Sawa
The Ngondo traditions are based on the worship of water oracles. Practised by the Sawa community of Cameroon, they take place annually from September to the first Sunday of December. The popular and festive part of the practice is marked by a caravan touring the traditional Sawa districts with artistic performances, traditional...
AfricaCameroonNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La tradition du tracé dans la charpente française
The purpose of the scribing tradition is to master in three dimensions the design of a complex wooden building. This traditional expertise runs counter to modern standardization by emphasizing the role of the builder in the construction process and giving a creative impulse to the structures themselves. Scribing is a combination of the...
EuropeFranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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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
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Sona, dessins et figures géométriques sur le sable
Sona refers to drawings and geometric figures on sand. Practised by the Lunda Cokwe and neighbouring peoples in eastern Angola, it is a form of expression that seeks to convey beliefs, thoughts and emotions, as well as the relationship between human beings and nature. Practitioners mark reference points on a wet floor covered in sand...
AfricaAngolaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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La prise de la pierre sacrée ou les rites du nouvel an en pays Guin au Togo
The rites of the New Year are a series of around twenty rituals practised annually by the Guin People of southern Togo, over the course of seven months, to honour deities and ancestors. These rituals follow a lunar calendar and take place at the same times each year. The new year is marked by the most important rite, ‘Ekpéssosso’, which...
AfricaTogoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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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
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La danse Wititi de la vallée du Colca
The Wititi dance of the Colca Valley is a traditional folk dance associated with the beginning of adult life. It takes the form of a courtship ritual and is typically performed by young people during religious festivities celebrated throughout the rainy season. It is danced in troupes with rows of male and female couples performing a...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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
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Le xeer ciise, droit coutumier oral des communautés somali-issa en Éthiopie, à Djibouti et en Somalie
The Xeer Ciise refers to the oral customary laws of the Somali-Issa communities in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. A highly structured and rigorously codified system of democratic governance, it has three main components: (a) a political constitution, which defines the distribution of power and decision-making processes; (b) a penal...
AfricaEthiopia / DjiboutiNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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