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Instrumental music

247 public knowledge systems connected to this registry facet.

UNESCO representative list1 sources

‘Hatajo de Negritos’ and ‘Hatajo de Pallitas’ from the Peruvian south-central coastline

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
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Aboxan Musik ǀŌb ǂÂns tsî ǁKhasigu, ancestral musical sound knowledge and skills

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
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Ahellil of Gourara

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
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Akiu no Taue Odori

L’Akiu no Taue Odori

In the Akiu no Taue Odori, residents of the town of Akiu in northern Japan pray for a good harvest by simulating in dance the actions involved in transplanting rice. Performed since the end of the seventeenth century in communities throughout the region, the Akiu no Taue Odori today takes place during festivals in the spring or autumn....

East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Al-Bar’ah, music and dance of Oman Dhofari valleys

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
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Al-Jertiq: practices, rituals and expressions for preservation, protection, abundance and fertility in Sudan

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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Al-Qudoud al-Halabiya

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
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Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah epic

L’épopée Al-Sirah al-Hilaliyyah

This oral poem, also known as the Hilali epic, recounts the saga of the Bani Hilal Bedouin tribe and its migration from the Arabian Peninsula to North Africa in the tenth century. This tribe held sway over a vast territory in central North Africa for more than a century before being annihilated by Moroccan rivals. As one of the major...

AfricaEgyptNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Alardah Alnajdiyah, dance, drumming and poetry in Saudi Arabia

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
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Andean cosmovision of the Kallawaya

La cosmovision andine des Kallawaya

The Kallawaya ethnic group, based in the mountainous Bautista Saavedra region north of La Paz, traces its roots to the pre-Inca period. Like many aspects of Andean culture, the Kallawaya’s practices and values have evolved through the fusion of native and Christian religions. The principal activity of the Kallawaya involves the practice...

Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Art of Azerbaijani Ashiq

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
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Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe

L’art de fabriquer et de jouer la mbira/sanza, lamellophone traditionnel au Malawi et au Zimbabwe

The art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe, plays a key role in the communities concerned. The basic Mbira/Sansi instrument consists of a wooden board with metal keys attached on top, and the instrument is sometimes mounted on a calabash/wooden resonator. The...

AfricaMalawi / ZimbabweNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Art of crafting and playing rubab/rabab

L’art de la fabrication et de la pratique du rubab/rabab

One of the oldest musical instruments in Central, South and Southwest Asia, the rubab is a string instrument made with dried mulberry wood collected in deserts. It is played on many occasions, including for celebrations, weddings, funerals, gatherings and ritual healings. It is also a leading instrument in orchestral and contemporary...

Global DiasporasAfghanistan / Iran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Art of crafting and playing with Kamantcheh/Kamancha, a bowed string musical instrument

L’art de fabriquer et de jouer du kamantcheh/kamanche, instrument de musique à cordes frottées

The art of crafting and playing with Kamantcheh/Kamancha (‘little bow’), a bowed string instrument, has existed for over 1,000 years. In the Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan, it constitutes a major element of classical and folkloric music, and performances occupy a central place in a wide number of social and cultural gatherings....

Global DiasporasAzerbaijan / Iran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Art of Đờn ca tài tử music and song in southern Viet Nam

L'art du đờn ça tài tử, musique et chants, dans le sud du Viet Nam

A musical art with both scholarly and folk roots, Đờn ca tài tử is an indispensable part of the spiritual activity and cultural heritage of the people of southern Viet Nam. The music and songs evoke the people’s life and work on the land and rivers of the Mekong Delta region. Performed at numerous events such as festivals, death...

Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Art of playing, singing and making the lahuta

L’art de jouer, chanter et fabriquer la lahuta

The lahuta is a single-stringed wooden instrument with a sound box covered in leather and a carved neck that is made, played and sung with by which the rural communities of north and northwestern Albania. The instrument is handcrafted from wood such as maple or walnut, with strings once made of horsehair and now often nylon. It is...

EuropeAlbaniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Âşıklık (minstrelsy) tradition

La tradition Âşıklık (de l’art des trouvères)

The Âşıklık (minstrelsy) tradition of Turkey is performed by wandering poet-singers known as ''âşıks.'' Dressed in traditional clothes and plucking a stringed ''saz,'' the âşık is a common performer at weddings, in coffeehouses and during public festivals of all sorts. The âşık is called in a dream to undertake a long apprenticeship in...

Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Azerbaijani Mugham

Le mugham azerbaïdjanais

The Azerbaijani Mugham is a traditional musical form, characterized by a large degree of improvisation. The Mugham, though a classical and academic art, draws upon popular bard melodies, rhythms and performance techniques and is performed in many venues throughout the country. Contemporary representations of the Azerbaijani Mugham...

Middle EastAzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Bagpipe culture

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
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Baile Chino

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
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Baltic song and dance celebrations

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
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Basel Carnival

Le carnaval de Bâle

Beginning on the Monday following Ash Wednesday and lasting exactly 72 hours, Basel Carnival is the largest carnival in Switzerland. Two parades take place on the Monday and Wednesday, bringing together 11,000 costumed carnivalists in parades of fife and drum cliques, floats and carriages. Tuesday is dedicated to children, with concerts...

EuropeSwitzerlandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Baul songs

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
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Bećarac singing and playing from Eastern Croatia

La pratique du chant et de la musique bećarac de Croatie orientale

Bećarac is a popular genre of music in eastern Croatia deeply rooted in the cultures of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem. Communication among its performers is essential: lead singers interchange vocal lines, striving to out-sing one another while creating, emulating and combining decasyllabic verses and shaping the melody – all the while...

EuropeCroatiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-Gawai

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
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Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of the Busoga Kingdom in Uganda

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
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Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom

Les festivités Busó de Mohács : une coutume de carnaval masqué marquant la fin de l’hiver

The Busó festivities at Mohács in southern Hungary are a six-day carnival in late February to mark the end of winter, named for the ''busós,'' frightening-looking costumed people (traditionally men) wearing wooden masks and big woolly cloaks. The festival is multifaceted, including a children’s costume contest, a display of the art of...

EuropeHungaryNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Ca trù singing

Le chant Ca trù

Ca trù is a complex form of sung poetry found in the north of Viet Nam using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms. Ca trù groups comprise three performers: a female singer who uses breathing techniques and vibrato to create unique ornamented sounds, while playing the clappers or striking a wooden box, and two...

Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Căluş ritual

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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Candombe and its socio-cultural space: a community practice

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
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Capoeira circle

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
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Carnival of Barranquilla

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
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Carnival of El Callao, a festive representation of a memory and cultural identity

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
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Carnival of Oruro

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
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Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structures

Les processions de structures géantes portées sur les épaules

Catholic processions featuring large shoulder-borne processional structures take place throughout Italy, but particularly in four historic city centres: in Nola, a procession of eight wood and papier mâché obelisks commemorates the return of St Paolino; in Palmi, bearers carry a complex processional structure in honour of Our Lady of...

EuropeItalyNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Ceremonial Keşkek tradition

La tradition cérémonielle du Keşkek

Keşkek is a traditional Turkish ceremonial dish prepared for wedding ceremonies, circumcisions and religious holidays. Women and men work together to cook wheat and meat called ‘Keşkek’ in huge cauldrons, then serve it to the guests. The wheat is washed with prayers the preceding day, and then carried to a large stone mortar, to the...

Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Chamamé

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
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Chapei Dang Veng

Le chapei Dang Veng

Chapei Dang Veng is a Cambodian musical tradition closely associated with the life, customs and beliefs of the Cambodian people. It features the chapei (a type of lute often played at cultural festivals) accompanied by singing. Song lyrics range from the educational and a type of social commentary, to satire while incorporating...

Southeast AsiaCambodiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Charrería, equestrian tradition in Mexico

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
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Chidaoba, wrestling in Georgia

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
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Chinese shadow puppetry

Le théâtre d’ombres chinoises

Chinese shadow puppetry is a form of theatre acted by colourful silhouette figures made from leather or paper, accompanied by music and singing. Manipulated by puppeteers using rods, the figures create the illusion of moving images on a translucent cloth screen illuminated from behind. Many elder shadow puppetry artists can perform...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Chogān, a horse-riding game accompanied by music and storytelling

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
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Chopi Timbila

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
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Chovqan, a traditional Karabakh horse-riding game in the Republic of Azerbaijan

Le tchovgan, jeu équestre traditionnel pratiqué à dos de chevaux karabakhs en République d'Azerbaïdjan

Chovqan is a traditional horse-riding game played on a flat, grassy field by two competing teams of players mounted on Karabakh horses. Each team has five riders, with two fullbacks and three forwards. The game starts at the centre of the field and players use wooden mallets to try to drive a small leather or wooden ball into their...

Middle EastAzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Coaxing ritual for camels

Le rituel pour amadouer les chamelles

Mongol herders perform the coaxing ritual to encourage a female camel to accept a new-born calf or to adopt an orphan. The mother is tied close to the calf and a singer begins a monotone song accompanied by gestures and chanting. The coaxer changes the melody depending on the mother’s behaviour, which may be initially aggressive, and...

East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Cocolo dance drama tradition

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
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Congolese rumba

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
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Construction processes of the quincha house and the junta de embarre / embarra

Les processus de construction de la maison quincha et de la junta de embarre/embarra

The construction of mud or clay houses, known as quincha houses, is a traditional building practice commonly found in rural and semi-urban areas in many parts of Panama. These homes are made using a mix of clay soil, hay and natural fibres, along with wood and plants to support the structure. This construction process – called a 'junta...

Latin America and CaribbeanPanamaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar, a long-necked string musical instrument

La facture et la pratique musicale du tar, instrument à cordes à long manche

The Tar is a long-necked plucked lute, traditionally crafted and performed in communities throughout Azerbaijan. Considered by many to be the country’s leading musical instrument, it features alone or with other instruments in numerous traditional musical styles. Tar makers transmit their skills to apprentices, often within the family....

Middle EastAzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Cuarteto: music, dance and lyrics in the city of Córdoba, Argentina

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
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Cultural Complex of Bumba-meu-boi from Maranhão

Le complexe culturel du bumba-meu-boi du Maranhão

The Cultural Complex of Bumba-meu-boi from Maranhão is a ritualistic practice involving forms of musical, choreographic, performing and ludic expression, in which the practitioners’ relationship with the sacred is mediated by the figure of the ox. The practice features certain key distinguishing elements: the cycle of life; the...

Latin America and CaribbeanBrazilNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Cultural space and oral culture of the Semeiskie

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
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Cultural space of Boysun District

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
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Cultural space of Jemaa el-Fna Square

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
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Cultural space of Palenque de San Basilio

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
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Cultural space of Sosso-Bala

L’espace culturel du Sosso-Bala

The sacred balafon instrument, known as the Sosso- Bala, has been perceived as the symbol of the freedom and cohesion of the Mandingue community, which is spread across a territory that once belonged to the Empire of Mali. Originally owned and played by King Sumaoro Kanté, who succeeded to the Sosso throne in the early thirteenth...

AfricaGuineaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Cultural space of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella

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
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Cultural space of the Yaaral and Degal

L’espace culturel du yaaral et du degal

The cultural space of the Yaaral and the Degal encompasses the vast pastoral lands of the Peul of the inner Niger Delta. The Yaaral and the Degal festivities mark the crossing of the river at the time of the transhumance. Twice a year, herds of cattle cross the arid land of the Sahel and the flood plains of the inner Niger River. The...

AfricaMaliNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Dainichido Bugaku

Le Dainichido Bugaku

According to legend, travelling performers of ''bugaku,'' the ritual dance and music of the imperial palace, visited Hachimantai Town in northern Japan in the early eighth century, during the reconstruction of Dainichido, the shrine pavilion. The ritual performance of Dainichido Bugaku takes its name from this story, but the art evolved...

East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Deepavali

Dipavali

Deepavali, also known as Diwali, is a light festival celebrated annually by diverse individuals and communities across India, that marks the last harvest of the year and the start of a new year and new season. Based on the lunar calendar, it falls on the new moon in October or November and lasts several days. It is a joyous occasion...

South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Doina

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
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Dondang Sayang

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
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Dragon Boat festival

Le festival du Bateau-Dragon

Beginning on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, people of several ethnic groups throughout China and the world celebrate the Dragon Boat festival, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The festivities vary from region to region, but they usually share several features. A memorial ceremony offering...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Duduk and its music

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
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El Güegüense

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
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Falak

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
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Fandango's Living Museum

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
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Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group

La danse des fermiers du groupe ethnique coréen en Chine

Gathering in fields or villages during community festivals, members of the Korean ethnic group in Jilin and other provinces in north-eastern China offer a traditional sacrifice to the God of the Land to pay homage to nature and pray for good fortune and a plentiful harvest. This is the beginning of the farmers’ dance of China’s Korean...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs in Štip

La fête des Quarante saints martyrs à Chtip

The Feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs takes place every year on 22 March, honouring the fourth-century martyrs of Sebaste and marking the first day of spring. Participants gather on the streets and in the squares of Štip, and then hike up the Isar hill, stopping en route at the church to pay tribute to the Holy Forty Martyrs. During the...

EuropeNorth MacedoniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Fest-Noz, festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional dances of Brittany

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
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Festivals related to the Journey of the Holy family in Egypt

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
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Festivity of ‘la Mare de Déu de la Salut’ of Algemesí

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
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Festivity of the Virgen of Guadalupe - Patroness of Sucre

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
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Festivity of Virgen de la Candelaria of Puno

La fête de la Virgen de la Candelaria de Puno

The Festivity of Virgen de la Candelaria, celebrated each February in the city of Puno, includes activities of religious, festive and cultural character that draw on Catholic traditions and symbolic elements of the Andean worldview. The main festival commences at the beginning of the month with a daybreak mass, followed by an ancient...

Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Fiesta of the patios in Cordova

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
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Flamenco

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
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Folk art of the Matyó, embroidery of a traditional community

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
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Folk long song performance technique of Limbe performances - circular breathing

La technique d’interprétation du chant long des joueurs de flûte limbe – la respiration circulaire

The Limbe is a side-blown flute of hardwood or bamboo, traditionally used to perform Mongolian folk long songs. Through the use of circular breathing, Limbe performers are able to produce the continuous, wide-ranging melodies characteristic of the long song. Players breathe in through the nose while simultaneously blowing out through...

East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Fonelamvonglao (lamvonglao)

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
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Frevo, performing arts of the Carnival of Recife

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
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Fujara and its music

La Fujara et sa musique

The Fujara, an extremely long flute with three finger holes traditionally played by Slovak shepherds, is regarded as an integral part of the traditional culture of Central Slovakia. It is not just a musical instrument, but also an artefact of great artistic value due to its highly elaborate, individual ornamentation. The main tube of...

EuropeSlovakiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Furyu-odori, ritual dances imbued with people’s hopes and prayers

Les Furyu-odori, danses rituelles imprégnées des espoirs et prières de la population

Furyu-odori in Japan refers to various ritual folk dances, characterized by eye-catching costumes and lively dances and music. These local dances have been performed for centuries, primarily in rural areas. With life in these areas often affected by severe climate events, local communities created ritualistic performances to express...

East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Gagaku

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
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Gagok, lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestra

Le Gagok, cycles de chant lyrique accompagnés d’un orchestre

Gagok is a genre of traditional Korean vocal music sung by men and women to the accompaniment of a small orchestra, one of several forms of singing that together constitute ''jeongga,'' or ‘right song’. Formerly a music associated with the higher classes, Gagok is today widely popular throughout the country. Gagok comprises twenty-six...

East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Gangneung Danoje festival

Le festival Danoje de Gangneung

The annual Gangneung Danoje Festival takes place in the town of Gangneung and its surroundings, situated east of the Taebaek Mountain Range on the Korean peninsula.The festival includes a shamanistic ritual on the Daegwallyeong Ridge, which pays tribute to the mountain deity and male and female tutelary deities. It encompasses...

East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana community

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
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Gifaataa, Wolaita people New Year festival

Le Gifaataa, festival du Nouvel An des Wolaitas

Gifaataa is a New Year festival celebrated by the Wolaita community between mid-September and early October. Before the festival starts, people clean their surroundings and return home to be with their families. Disputes are resolved peacefully in preparation for the new year. On the main day of the festival, families come together to...

AfricaEthiopiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Grand song of the Dong ethnic group

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
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Guarania, sound of Paraguayan soul

La guarania, son de l'âme paraguayenne

The Guarania is a musical genre originating in Paraguay. Created in the early twentieth century, it is a collective expression of Paraguayan values. It uses the Guarani language, combining elements of native and popular music. The genre is characterized by syncopated rhythms and a slow tempo that is inspired by the Paraguayan polka. It...

Latin America and CaribbeanParaguayNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Gule Wamkulu

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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Guqin and its music

Le Guqin et sa musique

The Chinese zither, called guqin, has existed for over 3,000 years and represents China’s foremost solo musical instrument tradition. Described in early literary sources and corroborated by archaeological finds, this ancient instrument is inseparable from Chinese intellectual history. Guqin playing developed as an elite art form,...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Gwoka: music, song, dance and cultural practice representative of Guadeloupean identity

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
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Hadrami Dan gathering

Le rassemblement hadrami dan

Hadrami Dan is a traditional performance and community gathering that combines spontaneous poetry, music and dance, widespread practiced across Hadhramaut Governorate. A typical Hadrami Dan gathering includes at least one singer and poet, with the audience seated in rows or circles. The performance begins with the rhythmic chanting of...

Middle EastYemenNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Heritage of Dede Qorqud/Korkyt Ata/Dede Korkut, epic culture, folk tales and music

Héritage de Dede Qorqud/Korkyt Ata/Dede Korkut : la culture, les légendes populaires et la musique liées à cette épopée

The epic culture, folk tales and music of Dede Qorqud/Korkyt Ata/Dede Korkut are based on twelve heroic legends, stories and tales and thirteen traditional musical compositions shared and transmitted across the generations through oral expressions, performing arts, cultural codes and musical compositions. Dede Qorqud appears in each...

Global DiasporasAzerbaijan / KazakhstanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Highlife music and dance

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
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Holy Week processions in Mendrisio

Processions de la Semaine sainte à Mendrisio

The Holy Week processions take place in the historic town of Mendrisio on the evenings of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, attracting over 10,000 spectators. On these occasions, the city’s lights are turned off and the streets are lit by the glow of ‘transparencies’: translucent paintings mounted on wooden frames and illuminated from...

EuropeSwitzerlandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Horse and camel Ardhah

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
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Hudhud chants of the Ifugao

Le Hudhud, récits chantés des Ifugao

The Hudhud consists of narrative chants traditionally performed by the Ifugao community, which is well known for its rice terraces extending over the highlands of the northern island of the Philippine archipelago. It is practised during the rice sowing season, at harvest time and at funeral wakes and rituals. Thought to have originated...

Southeast AsiaPhilippinesNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Human towers

Les tours humaines

''Castells'' are human towers built by members of amateur groups, usually as part of annual festivities in Catalonian towns and cities. The traditional setting is the square in front of the town hall balcony. The human towers are formed by ''castellers'' standing on the shoulders of one another in a succession of stages (between six and...

EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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ICH safeguarding practices program for the cultural and ecologic Sea Turtle Festival of Armila

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
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Ichapekene Piesta, the biggest festival of San Ignacio de Moxos

L’Ichapekene Piesta, la plus grande fête de Saint Ignace de Moxos

Every year, the inhabitants, both young and old, of San Ignacio de Moxos in Bolivia celebrate Ichapekene Piesta, a syncretic festival that reinterprets the Moxeño founder myth of the Jesuit victory of Ignacio de Loyola and melds it with indigenous beliefs and traditions. The festivities begin in May with firework displays, singing and...

Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Ijele masquerade

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
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Indonesian Angklung

L’Angklung indonésien

Angklung is an Indonesian musical instrument consisting of two to four bamboo tubes suspended in a bamboo frame, bound with rattan cords. The tubes are carefully whittled and cut by a master craftsperson to produce certain notes when the bamboo frame is shaken or tapped. Each Angklung produces a single note or chord, so several players...

Southeast AsiaIndonesiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Iraqi Maqam

Le maqâm iraquien

Widely recognized as Iraq’s predominant classical music tradition, the Maqam encompasses a vast repertory of songs, accompanied by traditional instruments. Moreover, this popular genre provides a wealth of information on the musical history of the region and the Arab influences that have held sway over the centuries. The Iraqi Maqam is...

Middle EastIraqNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Irish harping

La pratique de la harpe irlandaise

Irish harping is at the heart of the identity of the people of the island of Ireland. The harp is Ireland’s national symbol and has been played for more than 1,000 years; its bell-like sounds and music captivate all those who hear it and are celebrated in Irish mythology, folklore and literature. Nowadays, instead of a harp hewn from a...

EuropeIrelandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Joropo in Venezuela

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
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Kabuki theatre

Le théâtre Kabuki

Kabuki is a Japanese traditional theatre form, which originated in the Edo period at the beginning of the seventeenth century and was particularly popular among townspeople. Originally, both men and women acted in Kabuki plays, but eventually only male actors performed the plays: a tradition that has remained to the present day. Male...

East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan

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
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Katta Ashula

Le Katta Ashula

Katta Ashula (literally ‘big song’) is a type of traditional song that forms part of the identity of various peoples of the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan, which is also home to Tajiks, Uyghurs and Turks, and of some regions of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. An original genre, Katta Ashula combines performing arts, singing,...

Central AsiaUzbekistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Kazakh traditional art of Dombra Kuy

L’art traditionnel kazakh du dombra kuï

The art of DombraKuy refers to a short solo composition performed on a traditional pear-shaped, long-necked, two-stringed, plucked musical instrument known as a dombra. The music aims to connect people to their historic roots and traditions through classical and improvised pieces that engage the audience at a spiritual and emotional...

Central AsiaKazakhstanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Khaen music of the Lao people

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
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Khidr Elias feast and its vows

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
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Khon, masked dance drama in Thailand

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
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Khorazm dance, Lazgi

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
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Kihnu cultural space

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
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Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival

Le festival de lutte à l’huile de Kırkpınar

The Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival takes place in Edirne, Turkey. Thousands of people from different age groups, cultures and regions travel every year to see ''Pehlivan'' (wrestlers) fight for the Kırkpınar Golden Belt and the title of Chief Pehlivan. Each festival is launched by its patron, the ''Kırkpınar Aga,'' in a ceremony...

Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Knowledge, skills and rituals related to the annual renewal of the Q’eswachaka bridge

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
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Kochari, traditional group dance

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
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Kolo, traditional folk dance

Le kolo, danse traditionnelle

Kolo is a traditional, collective folk dance performed by dancers who are interlinked to form a chain, usually moving in a circular line holding hands with their arms down. It is performed to the accompaniment of music at private and public gatherings and involves all members of the local community. Cultural-artistic societies and folk...

EuropeSerbiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Koogere oral tradition of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro peoples

La tradition orale Koogere des Basongora, Banyabidi et Batooro

Koogere was a female chief of Busongora about 1,500 years ago. Oral tradition describes her exceptional wisdom and the prosperity of the chiefdom through a series of narratives, which form part of the collective memory of Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro communities in Kasese. This oral tradition is an essential and inspirational part...

AfricaUgandaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Kumbh Mela

La Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela (the festival of the sacred Pitcher) is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, during which participants bathe or take a dip in a sacred river. Devotees believe that by bathing in the Ganges one is freed from sins liberating her/him from the cycle of birth and death. Millions of people reach the place without...

South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Kumiodori, traditional Okinawan musical theatre

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
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L-Għana, a Maltese folksong tradition

Le L-Għana, une tradition du chant populaire maltais

Ghana (pronounced ‘ana’) is used to describe three related types of rhymed folksong in Malta. The most popular form of ghana is the ‘quick-wit’ ghana, an improvised duel between one or two pairs of singers, focusing on rhymes, convincing argumentation and witty repartee. ‘Factual’ ghana is a long, narrative poem sung by a soloist,...

EuropeMaltaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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La Romería (the pilgrimage): ritual cycle of 'La llevada' (the carrying) of the Virgin of Zapopan

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
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La Tumba Francesa

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
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Lad’s dances in Romania

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
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Lakalaka, dances and sung speeches of Tonga

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
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Land-of-Legends programme, for promoting and revitalizing the art of storytelling in Kronoberg Region

Le programme « Terre des légendes »pour promouvoir et redynamiser l’art du conte dans le comté de Kronoberg

The Land-of-Legends programme is aimed at promoting and revitalizing the art of storytelling in the Kronoberg region of southern Sweden. In Sweden, as elsewhere, factors such as industrialization, urbanization and television and social media have led to the disappearance of traditional venues for storytelling and modes of transmission,...

EuropeSwedenNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Language, dance and music of the Garifuna

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
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Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet

Le lkhon khol de Wat Svay Andet

Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet is practised in one community surrounding a Buddhist monastery, Wat Svay Andet – located about 10km east of Phnom Penh on the Mekong River – and is performed by men wearing masks to the accompaniment of a traditional orchestra and melodious recitation. The specific aim is to propitiate the Neak Ta (guardian...

Southeast AsiaCambodiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Ma'di bowl lyre music and dance

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
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Mak Yong theatre

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
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Makishi masquerade

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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Maloya

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
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Mariachi, string music, song and trumpet

Le Mariachi, musique à cordes, chant et trompette

Mariachi is a traditional Mexican music and a fundamental element of Mexican culture. Traditional Mariachi groups, made up of two or more members, wear regional costumes adapted from the charro costume and interpret a broad repertoire of songs on stringed instruments. Ensembles playing ‘modern Mariachi’ include trumpets, violins, the...

Latin America and CaribbeanMexicoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Marimba music, traditional chants and dances from the Colombia South Pacific region and Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador

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
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Maroon heritage of Moore Town

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
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Međimurska popevka, a folksong from Međimurje

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
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Mek Mulung

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
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Momoeria, New Year's celebration in eight villages of Kozani area, West Macedonia, Greece

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
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Mongol Biyelgee, Mongolian traditional folk dance

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
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Mongolian traditional art of Khöömei

L’art traditionnel du Khöömei mongol

Khöömei is a form of singing originating in western Mongolia, in the Altai mountains. The performer imitates sounds of nature, simultaneously emitting two distinct vocal sounds: along with a continuous drone, the singer produces a melody of harmonics. Khöömei literally means pharynx, and it is believed to have been learned from birds,...

East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Mongolian traditional practices of worshipping the sacred sites

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
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Mooba dance of the Lenje ethnic group of Central Province of Zambia

La danse mooba du groupe ethnique lenje dans la province Centrale de Zambie

Mooba is the main dance of the Lenje ethnic group of Central Province of Zambia, performed since pre-colonial times. It is also practised in parts of Copperbelt and Lusaka Provinces, by both men and women. On certain occasions, when the dance reaches its peak, some lead dancers are possessed by ancestral spirits called BaChooba; it is...

AfricaZambiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Morna, musical practice of Cabo Verde

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
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Moussem of Tan-Tan

Le Moussem de Tan-Tan

The Moussem of Tan-Tan in southwest Morocco is an annual gathering of nomadic peoples of the Sahara that brings together more than thirty tribes from southern Morocco and other parts of northwest Africa. Originally this was an annual event around the month of May. Part of the agricultural and herding calendar of the nomads, these...

AfricaMoroccoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala

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
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Multipart singing of Horehronie

Le chant à plusieurs voix de Horehronie

The Multipart Singing of Horehronie is characterized by a variable solo melody of pre-singing and more static choir answers, either by men or women. The singing culminates in intertwined parallel melodies with rich variations, consisting of two or three parts; each section presents a variation of the initial melodic formula. The song...

EuropeSlovakiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Music and dance of Dominican Bachata

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
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Music and dance of the merengue in the Dominican Republic

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
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Music of Terchová

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
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Music of the Bakhshis of Khorasan

La musique des Bakhshis du Khorasan

In Khorasan Province, the Bakhshis are renowned for their musical skill with the ''dotār,'' a two-stringed, long-necked lute. They recount Islamic and Gnostic poems and epics containing mythological, historical or legendary themes. Their music, known as ''Maghami,'' consists of instrumental and/or vocal pieces, performed in Turkish,...

South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Musical art of horn players, an instrumental technique linked to singing, breath control, vibrato, resonance of place and conviviality

L'art musical des sonneurs de trompe, une technique instrumentale liée au chant, à la maîtrise du souffle, au vibrato, à la résonance des lieux et à la convivialité

The musical art of horn players, an instrumental technique linked to singing, breath control, vibrato, resonance of place and conviviality, brings together the techniques and skills used to play the horn. The pitch, accuracy and quality of the notes produced are influenced by the musician’s breath and the instrumental technique is based...

EuropeFrance / BelgiumNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Mwazindika spiritual dance of the Daida community of Kenya

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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Mwinoghe, joyous dance

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
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Namsadang Nori

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
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Nanyin

Le Nanyin

Nanyin is a musical performing art central to the culture of the people of Minnan in southern Fujian Province along China’s south-eastern coast, and to Minnan populations overseas. The slow, simple and elegant melodies are performed on distinctive instruments such as a bamboo flute called the ''dongxiao'' and a crooked-neck lute played...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Naqqāli, Iranian dramatic story-telling

Le Naqqāli, narration dramatique iranienne

Naqqāli is the oldest form of dramatic performance in the Islamic Republic of Iran and has long played an important role in society, from the courts to the villages. The performer – the Naqqāl – recounts stories in verse or prose accompanied by gestures and movements, and sometimes instrumental music and painted scrolls. Naqqāls...

South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, Navruz

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
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Nestinarstvo, messages from the past: the Panagyr of Saints Constantine and Helena in the village of Bulgari

Le Nestinarstvo, messages du passé : le panagyr des saints Constantin et Hélène dans le village de Bulgari

The Nestinarstvo fire-dancing rite is the climax of the annual Panagyr ritual on the feast days of Saints Constantine and Helena (3 and 4 June) in the village of Bulgari, in the Mount Strandzha region of south-east Bulgaria. The ritual is held to ensure the well-being and fertility of the village. In the morning, consecrated and...

EuropeBulgariaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Nha Nhac, Vietnamese court music

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
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Ningyo Johruri Bunraku puppet theatre

Le théâtre de marionnettes Ningyo Johruri Bunraku

Ranking with Nô and Kabuki as one of Japan’s foremost stage arts, the Ningyo Johruri Bunraku puppet theatre is a blend of sung narrative, instrumental accompaniment and puppet drama. This theatrical form emerged during the early Edo period (ca. 1600) when puppetry was coupled with Johruri, a popular fifteenth-century narrative genre....

East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Nôgaku theatre

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
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Nongak, community band music, dance and rituals in the Republic of Korea

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
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Organ craftsmanship and music

La fabrication des orgues et leur musique

Organ craftsmanship and music has shaped Germany’s musical landscape and instrument-making for centuries, and there are a diverse number of related traditions in the country. Organ craftsmanship and music are closely related since each instrument is created specifically for the architectural space in which it will be played. The highly...

EuropeGermanyNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Oshi Palav, a traditional meal and its social and cultural contexts in Tajikistan

L'Oshi Palav, plat traditionnel et ses contextes sociaux et culturels au Tadjikistan

Oshi palav (pilaf) is a traditional dish of communities in Tajikistan recognized as a part of their cultural heritage. Otherwise known as the ‘King of meals’, it is based on a recipe using vegetables, rice, meat and spices but up to 200 varieties of the dish exist. Considered an inclusive practice that aims to bring people of different...

Central AsiaTajikistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Palov culture and tradition

La tradition et la culture du palov

There is a saying in Uzbekistan that guests can only leave their host’s house after palov has been offered. Palov is a traditional dish made and shared throughout rural and urban communities of Uzbekistan. It is prepared with ingredients such as rice, meat, spices and vegetables and in addition to be enjoyed as a regular meal, is served...

Central AsiaUzbekistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Parachicos in the traditional January feast of Chiapa de Corzo

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
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Pasillo, song and poetry

Le pasillo, chant et poésie

The pasillo is a type of music and dance that emerged in Ecuador in the nineteenth century, during the South American independence wars. It is a fusion of elements of indigenous music, such as the yaraví, with a complex variety of musical genres including the waltz, the minuet and the Spanish bolero. The pasillo, which means ‘small...

Latin America and CaribbeanEcuadorNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Pehlevanliq culture: traditional zorkhana games, sports and wrestling

La culture du pehlevanliq : jeux, sports et lutte traditionnels de zorkhana

Pehlevanliq culture in Azerbaijan includes games and sports, such as wrestling, and individual performances. Pehlevans use specific tools that resemble medieval weapons (such as swords, shields and bows), but are heavier (originally, to allow pehlevans to handle real weapons easily). The competitions are overseen by referees and...

Middle EastAzerbaijanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Picking of iva grass on Ozren mountain

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
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Pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus Apostle Monastery

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
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Pirekua, traditional song of the P’urhépecha

La Pirekua, chant traditionnel des P’urhépecha

Pirekua is a traditional music of the indigenous P’urhépecha communities of the State of Michoacán, Mexico, sung by both men and women. Its diverse mix of styles draws on African, European and indigenous American origins, with regional variations identified in 30 of the 165 P’urhépecha communities. A Pirekua, which is generally sung...

Latin America and CaribbeanMexicoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Polyphonic singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa

Les chants polyphoniques des pygmées Aka de Centrafrique

The Aka Pygmies living in the south-west region of the Central African Republic have developed a distinctive vocal musical tradition, which involves a complex type of contrapuntal polyphony based on four voices, mastered by all members of the Aka community. Music and dance form an integral part of Aka rituals including ceremonies...

AfricaCentral African RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Practice of traditional music and dance in Setesdal, playing, dancing and singing (stev/stevjing)

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
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Practices and knowledge linked to the Imzad of the Tuareg communities of Algeria, Mali and Niger

Les pratiques et savoirs liés à l’imzad des communautés touarègues de l’Algérie, du Mali et du Niger

Imzad music is a characteristic feature of Tuareg communities and is performed by women on a single-stringed bowed instrument known as the Imzad. The musician sits with the instrument on her knees and plays it with a wooden, arched bow. Imzad combines music and poetry and is frequently performed on ceremonial occasions in Tuareg camps....

AfricaAlgeria / MaliNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Practices related to the Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms

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
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Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France

Géants et dragons processionnels de Belgique et de France

__On 2 December 2022, the seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has decided to remove the ‘Ducasse of Ath’ of the element ‘Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France’ (Belgium and France) from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage...

EuropeBelgium / FranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Pujllay and Ayarichi, music and dances of the Yampara culture

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
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Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songs

Les chants populaires Quan Họ de Bắc Ninh

In the provinces of Bắc Ninh and Bắc Giang in northern Viet Nam, many of the villages are twinned, reinforcing their relationship through social customs such as Quan họ Bắc Ninh folk songs. The songs are performed as alternating verses between two women from one village who sing in harmony, and two men from another village who respond...

Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Radif of Iranian music

Le Radif de la musique iranienne

The Radif of Iranian music is the traditional repertoire of the classical music of Iran that forms the essence of Persian musical culture. More than 250 melodic units, called ''gushe,'' are arranged into cycles, with an underlying modal layer providing the backdrop against which a variety of melodic motifs are set. Although the main...

South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Raï, popular folk song of Algeria

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
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Reggae music of Jamaica

Le reggae de Jamaïque

Having originated within a cultural space that was home to marginalized groups, mainly in Western Kingston, the Reggae music of Jamaica is an amalgam of numerous musical influences, including earlier Jamaican forms as well as Caribbean, North American and Latin strains. In time, Neo-African styles, soul and rhythm and blues from North...

Latin America and CaribbeanJamaicaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Reog Ponorogo performing art

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
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Rites and craftsmanship associated with the wedding costume tradition of Tlemcen

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
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Ritual dance of the royal drum

La danse rituelle au tambour royal

The ritual dance of the royal drum is a spectacle combining powerful, synchronized drumming with dancing, heroic poetry and traditional songs. The entire population of Burundi recognizes it as a fundamental part of its heritage and identity. The dance calls for at least a dozen or so drums, always in an odd number, arranged in a...

AfricaBurundiNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Ritual dramatic art of Ta‘zīye

L’art dramatique rituel du Ta‘zīye

Ta‘zīye (or Ta’azyeh) is a ritual dramatic art that recounts religious events, historical and mythical stories and folk tales. Each performance has four elements: poetry, music, song and motion. Some performances have up to a hundred roles, divided into historical, religious, political, social, supernatural, real, imaginary and fantasy...

South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Royal ancestral ritual in the Jongmyo shrine and its music

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
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Rūkada Nātya, traditional string puppet drama in Sri Lanka

Le rūkada nātya, théâtre traditionnel de marionnettes à fils au Sri Lanka

Rūkada Nātya is a type of drama performed using string puppets, traditionally to provide light entertainment and convey moral lessons to village communities. Rūkada Nātya is performed by family groups who belong to, or are connected with, the lineage known as Gamwari, living around the southern coastal towns of Ambalangoda, Balapitiya...

South AsiaSri LankaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Rumba in Cuba, a festive combination of music and dances and all the practices associated

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
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Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of Aymara communities in Bolivia, Chile and Peru

La sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel des communautés Aymara de la Bolivie, du Chili et du Pérou

The proposed sub-regional project aims at developing safeguarding measures to ensure the viability of the oral expressions, music and traditional knowledge (textile art and agricultural technologies) of the Aymara communities of Bolivia (La Paz-Oruro-Potosí), Chile (Tarapacá-Arica-Parinacota-Antofagasta) and Peru (Tacna-Puno-Moquegua)....

Latin America and CaribbeanBolivia, Plurinational State of / ChileNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Safeguarding the carillon culture: preservation, transmission, exchange and awareness-raising

La sauvegarde de la culture du carillon : préservation, transmission, échange et sensibilisation

The art of making music with bells (carillon) is performed by carillonneurs, traditionally during market and festive days. The programme to safeguard carillon culture exists in seventy-six cities and villages of Belgium and in thirty countries worldwide. The primary objectives are to preserve the components of historic carillon culture...

EuropeBelgiumNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of Bahia

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
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Sbek Thom, Khmer shadow theatre

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
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Sega tambour Chagos

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
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Sega tambour of Rodrigues Island

Le séga tambour de Rodrigues

Sega Tambour of Rodrigues Island is a vibrant rhythmic performance of music, song and dance with its origins in slave communities. The leading percussion, the tambour, is banged energetically, while a triyang is hit from the side and the bwat and mayos are clapped. Sega Tambour is performed all over Rodrigues Island in the home and on...

AfricaMauritiusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Semah, Alevi-Bektaşi ritual

Le Semah, rituel Alevi-Bektaşi

Semahs can be described as a set of mystical and aesthetic body movements in rhythmic harmony. They constitute one of the twelve main services found in ''Cem'' rituals, religious practices performed by adherents of Alevi-Bektaşi, a belief system based on admiration for Ali, the fourth caliph after the prophet Muhammed. Semahs are...

Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Seto Leelo, Seto polyphonic singing tradition

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
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Shadow play

Le théâtre d’ombres

Shadow play is a traditional art consisting of handmade puppets moving behind a thin translucent curtain or screen inside a dark theatre, now practised mainly in Damascus. A light from behind the stage projects the shadows of the puppets onto the screen as they move along to an oral script and music. The theatrical content of Shadow...

Middle EastSyrian Arab RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Shashmaqom music

La musique Shashmaqom

For over ten centuries, the classical music tradition of Shashmaqom has evolved in the urban centres of Central Asia formerly known as Mâwarâ al-nahr, an area which now encompasses present-day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Shashmaqom, meaning “six maqoms”, constitutes a fusion of vocal and instrumental music, melodic and rhythmic idioms...

Central AsiaUzbekistan / TajikistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Singing to the accompaniment of the Gusle

Le chant accompagné au gusle

Singing to the accompaniment of the Gusle – a simple string instrument – is an ancient art of performing primarily heroic epics practised for centuries as a form of historical memory and an expression of cultural identity. Performances involve a complex form of interaction between the audience and performer and are based on the skills...

EuropeSerbiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Song of Sana’a

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
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Spring celebration, Hıdrellez

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
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Spring rite of Juraŭski Karahod

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
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Strategy for training coming generations of Fujian puppetry practitioners

La stratégie de formation des futures générations de marionnettistes du Fujian

Fujian puppetry is a Chinese performing art consisting mainly of string and hand puppetry. Puppetry in Fujian Province in south-eastern China has developed a set of characteristic techniques of performance and crafting puppets, as well as a repertoire of plays and music. Since the 1980s, however, the number of young people learning...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Suiti cultural space

L’espace culturel des Suiti

The Suiti are a small Catholic community in the Protestant (Lutheran) western part of Latvia. The Suiti cultural space is characterized by a number of distinct features, including vocal drone singing performed by Suiti women, wedding traditions, colourful traditional costumes, the Suiti language, local cuisine, religious traditions,...

EuropeLatviaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Summer farming at fäbod and seter: knowledge, traditions and practices related to the grazing of outlying lands and artisan food production

L’estivage dans un fäbod et seter : connaissances, traditions et pratiques liées au pâturage des terres reculées et à la production alimentaire artisanale

In Sweden and Norway, summer farming refers to the practice of moving livestock to outlying lands in late spring. It entails knowledge concerning animal husbandry and herding, dairy production, land management and handicrafts. It also involves herding calls, songs, storytelling and rituals. The practices and expressions of summer...

EuropeSweden / NorwayNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songs

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
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Tahteeb, stick game

Le tahteeb, jeu du bâton

In ancient Egypt, tahteeb was used as a form of martial arts. Its role has since changed to that of a festive game but some of the symbolism and values associated with the practice remain. Performed in front of an audience, it involves a brief, non-violent interchange between two adversaries, each wielding a long stick while folk music...

AfricaEgyptNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Táncház method: a Hungarian model for the transmission of intangible cultural heritage

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
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Tango

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
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Taskiwin, martial dance of the western High Atlas

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
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Tchiloli, living theatre of Sao Tome and Principe in the quest of justice

Tchiloli, théâtre vivant de Sao Tomé-et-Principe dans la quête de la justice

Tchiloli is a traditional form of open-air theatre involving actors, musicians and an engaged audience. It is performed in an open space during festivals or public events, typically starting with a ritual led by women. Inspired by a traditional play, the story centres around a murder trial and involves about thirty actors. These actors...

AfricaSao Tome and PrincipeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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The Compas of Haiti

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
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The Confraternity of flowers and palms

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
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The practice of Cuban Son

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
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The social and cultural traditions associated with landships in Barbados

Les traditions sociales et culturelles associées aux landships à la Barbade

Landships are community-based cultural groups known for their social structure, performances and shared traditions. They are organized like naval ships, with members holding ranks such as Lord High Admiral, Commander and Kit Inspector. Members use nautical terms with localized meanings to reflect life challenges and achievements....

Latin America and CaribbeanBarbadosNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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The zaffa in the traditional wedding

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
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Three genres of traditional dance in Bali

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
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Traditional hand puppetry

Les marionnettes à gaine traditionnelles

Al-Aragoz is an old form of Egyptian theatre using traditional hand puppetry. Performances are highly popular events during which puppeteers remain hidden inside a small portable stage while an assistant interacts with the puppets and crowd. Al-Aragoz takes its name from the main puppet, whose distinctive voice is created with a voice...

AfricaEgyptNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Traditional Mauritian Sega

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
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Traditional music of the Morin Khuur

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
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Traditional music of the Tsuur

La musique traditionnelle pour flûte tsuur

Tsuur music is based on a combination of instrumental and vocal performance – a blending of sounds created simultaneously by both the musical instrument and the human throat. Tsuur music has an inseparable connection to the Uriankhai Mongolians of the Altai Region, and remains an integral part of their daily life. Its origins lie in an...

East AsiaMongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf

Les compétences traditionnelles de construction et de navigation des bateaux iraniens Lenj dans le golfe Persique

Iranian Lenj vessels are traditionally hand-built and are used by inhabitants of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf for sea journeys, trading, fishing and pearl diving. The traditional knowledge surrounding Lenjes includes oral literature, performing arts and festivals, in addition to the sailing and navigation techniques and...

South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Traditional skills of crafting and playing Dotār

Les savoir-faire traditionnels liés à la fabrication et à la pratique du dotâr

The traditional skills of crafting and playing the Dotār are one of the most prominent social and cultural components of the folkloric music among the ethnic groups and communities of the Dotār regions. Bearers and practitioners are mostly farmers, including male crafters and players and female players. The Dotār is a folkloric plucked...

South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Traditional Sohbet meetings

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
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Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders

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
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Traditional Vallenato music of the Greater Magdalena region

La musique traditionnelle vallenato de la région du Magdalena Grande

Traditional Vallenato music fuses cultural expressions from northern Colombia, the songs of cow-herders of the Greater Magdalena region and the chants of African slaves with the traditional dance rhythms of the indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. These expressions are also blended with Spanish poetry and musical...

Latin America and CaribbeanColombiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona

Le savoir-faire traditionnel du violon à Crémone

Cremonese violin craftsmanship is highly renowned for its traditional process of fashioning and restoring violins, violas, cellos and contrabasses. Violin-makers attend a specialized school, based on a close teacher-pupil relationship, before being apprenticed in a local workshop, where they continue to master and perfect their...

EuropeItalyNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Traditions and practices associated with the Kayas in the sacred forests of the Mijikenda

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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Tsapiky, rhythm and musical style characteristic of the South-West region of Madagascar

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
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Tsiattista poetic duelling

Les Tsiattista, joutes poétiques

The lively, impromptu oral poetry known as Tsiattista is often performed to the accompaniment of violin or lute in ‘jousts’ in which one poet-singer attempts to outdo another with clever verses made up of rhyming couplets. It has long been a popular component of wedding feasts, fairs and other public celebrations, where eager crowds...

Middle EastCyprusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale

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
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Uilleann piping

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
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Urtiin Duu, traditional folk long song

L’Urtiin Duu, chants longs traditionnels populaires

The Urtiin duu or “long song” is one of the two major forms of Mongolian songs, the other being the short song” (bogino duu). As a ritual form of expression associated with important celebrations and festivities, Urtiin duu plays a distinct and honoured role in Mongolian society. It is performed at weddings, the inauguration of a new...

East AsiaChina / MongoliaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang

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
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Valencia Fallas festivity

La fête des Fallas valenciennes

The main feature of the Fallas Festivity, a tradition of communities in Valencia and its diaspora celebrating the coming of spring, is the giant falla. The falla is a monument made up of ninots (caricature pieces) created by local artists and craftspeople that provides a commentary on current social issues. Erected in the town square,...

EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Vimbuza healing dance

Le Vimbuza, danse de guérison

Vimbuza is a healing dance popular among the Tumbuka people living in northern Malawi. It is an important manifestation of the ng’oma, a healing tradition found throughout Bantu-speaking Africa. Ng’oma, meaning “drums of affliction”, carries considerable historical depth and, despite various attempts over the years to suppress it,...

AfricaMalawiNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Wayang puppet theatre

Le théâtre de marionnettes wayang

Renowned for its elaborate puppets and complex musical styles, this ancient form of storytelling originated on the Indonesian island of Java. For ten centuries wayang flourished at the royal courts of Java and Bali as well as in rural areas. Wayang has spread to other islands (Lombok, Madura, Sumatra and Borneo) where various local...

Southeast AsiaIndonesiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Winegrowers’ Festival in Vevey

La Fête des vignerons de Vevey

In Vevey, Switzerland there is a tradition that recognizes the community’s winegrowers involving not only those in the industry but also members of the public and local artists. Originally a single pageant, The Winegrowers’ Festival now features 15 events over three weeks and 5,000 contributors. Every festival is based on the recreation...

EuropeSwitzerlandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Worship of Hùng kings in Phú Thọ

Le culte des rois Hùng à Phú Thọ

Annually, millions of people converge on the Hùng temple at Nghĩa Lĩnh mountain in Phú Thọ province to commemorate their ancestors and pray for good weather, abundant harvests, good luck and good health. The largest ceremony, the Ancestral Anniversary festival of the Hùng Kings, is celebrated for about one week at the beginning of the...

Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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UNESCO representative list1 sources

Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble

L’ensemble d’instruments à vent et à percussion de Xi’an

Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble, which has been played for more than a millennium in China’s ancient capital of Xi’an, in Shaanxi Province, is a type of music integrating drums and wind instruments, sometimes with a male chorus. The content of the verses is mostly related to local life and religious belief and the music is mainly...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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UNESCO representative list1 sources

Xoan singing of Phú Thọ province, Viet Nam

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
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Register of Good Safeguarding Practices1 sources

Xtaxkgakget Makgkaxtlawana: the Centre for Indigenous Arts and its contribution to safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the Totonac people of Veracruz, Mexico

Xtaxkgakget Makgkaxtlawana : le Centre des arts autochtones et sa contribution à la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel du peuple totonaque de Veracruz, Mexique

The Center for Indigenous Arts was designed as a response to a long-term desire of the Totonac people to create an educational institution to transmit their teachings, art, values and culture, while also providing favourable conditions for indigenous creators to develop their art. The structure of the centre represents a traditional...

Latin America and CaribbeanMexicoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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UNESCO representative list1 sources

Yaldā/Chella

Yaldā/Chella

Yaldā/Chella refers to a traditional celebration of the sun and the warmth of life. Practiced in Iran and Afghanistan, the event takes place on the last night of autumn, when families gather at the houses of elders and sit around a table adorned with a series of symbolic objects and foods: a lamp to symbolize light, water to represent...

South AsiaIran, Islamic Republic of / AfghanistanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources

Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere), traditional group dances of Nakhchivan

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
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UNESCO representative list1 sources

Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d’Ivoire

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
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