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Theatre

40 public knowledge systems connected to this registry facet.

UNESCO representative list1 sources

Bear festivities in the Pyrenees

Les fêtes de l’Ours dans les Pyrénées

The Bear festivities take place every winter in five villages in the Pyrenees mountain range located in Andorra and France. During the event, young men dress up as bears and run through the streets trying to catch participants. The festivities are punctuated by dances, speeches in Catalan and music. The entire local population takes...

EuropeAndorra / FranceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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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Cheoyongmu

Le Cheoyongmu

Cheoyongmu is a court dance today performed on stage but formerly used to dispel evil spirits and pray for tranquillity at royal banquets or during exorcism rites on New Year’s Eve to promote good fortune. Based on the Korean legend of Cheoyong, a son of the dragon king Yongwang, who took human form and saved his human wife from the...

East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot 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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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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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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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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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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Hayachine Kagura

Le Kagura d’Hayachine

In the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the people of Iwate Prefecture in the northern part of mainland Japan worshipped Mt. Hayachine as a deity, they began a tradition of folk performance that continues to enliven the Great Festival of the Hayachine Shrine held in Hanamaki City on the first day of August. The Hayachine Kagura is...

East AsiaJapanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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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Karagöz

Le Karagöz

Karagöz is a form of shadow theatre in Turkey in which figures known as ''tasvirs'' made of camel or ox hide in the shape of people or things are held on rods in front of a light source to cast their shadows onto a cotton screen. A play begins with the projection of an introductory figure to set the scene and suggest the themes of the...

Middle EastTürkiyeNot 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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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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Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre

Le théâtre sanscrit, Kutiyattam

Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre, which is practised in the province of Kerala, is one of India’s oldest living theatrical traditions. Originating more than 2,000 years ago, Kutiyattam represents a synthesis of Sanskrit classicism and reflects the local traditions of Kerala. In its stylized and codified theatrical language, neta abhinaya...

South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Kwagh-Hir theatrical performance

Le kwagh-hir, représentation théâtrale

Kwagh-Hir theatrical performance is a composite art form encompassing a spectacle that is both visually stimulating and culturally edifying. Kwagh-hir has its roots in the story-telling tradition of the Tiv people called ‘kwagh-alom’, a practice where the family was treated to a storytelling session by creative storytellers, usually in...

AfricaNigeriaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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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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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Meshrep

Le Meshrep

Found among the Uygur people concentrated largely in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Meshrep constitutes the most important cultural carrier of Uygur traditions. A complete Meshrep event includes a rich collection of traditions and performance arts, such as music, dance, drama, folk arts, acrobatics, oral literature, foodways...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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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Nachi no Dengaku, a religious performing art held at the Nachi fire festival

Le Nachi no Dengaku, art religieux du spectacle pratiqué lors de la « fête du feu de Nachi »

Nachi no Dengaku is a Japanese folk performing art with a deep connection to Kumano Sanzan, a sacred site in Nachisanku. It is performed on a stage inside Kumano Nachi Shrine during the annual Nachi Fire Festival, celebrated on 14 July. It is a key component of the festival and takes the form of ritual dancing to flute music and drums...

East AsiaJapanNot 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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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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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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Nora, dance drama in southern Thailand

Le nora, drame dansé dans le sud de la Thaïlande

Nora is a lively and acrobatic form of dance theatre and improvisational singing from southern Thailand. Performances normally include a long oral invocation, followed by a presentation by a lead character who dances with vigorous and elaborate movements of the legs, arms and fingers. The performances are usually based on stories about...

Southeast AsiaThailandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian puppet theatre

Le théâtre de marionnettes sicilien Opera dei Pupi

The puppet theatre known as the Opera dei Pupi emerged in Sicily at the beginning of the nineteenth century and enjoyed great success among the island’s working classes. The puppeteers told stories based on medieval chivalric literature and other sources, such as Italian poems of the Renaissance, the lives of saints and tales of...

EuropeItalyNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Patum of Berga

La Patum de Berga

The Patum of Berga is a popular festival whose origin can be traced to medieval festivities and parades accompanying the celebration of Corpus Christi. Theatrical performances and parades of a variety of effigies animate the streets of this Catalan town located north of Barcelona. The celebration takes place every year during the week...

EuropeSpainNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Puppetry in Slovakia and Czechia

Le théâtre de marionnettes en Slovaquie et en Tchéquie

Puppet theatre for communities in Slovakia and Czechia is not only a popular form of traditional entertainment but also a way of conveying a vision of the world, and an educational tool with messages on moral values. The puppets, whose characters are real or imaginary, are mostly made of wood and animated using various methods. Initial...

EuropeSlovakia / CzechiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Rabinal Achí dance drama tradition

La tradition du théâtre dansé Rabinal Achí

The Rabinal Achí is a dynastic Maya drama, which developed in the fifteenth century and a rare example of preserved pre-Hispanic traditions. It comprises myths of origin and addresses popular and political subjects concerning the inhabitants of the region of Rabinal, expressed through masked dance, theatre and music. The oral and...

Latin America and CaribbeanGuatemalaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana

Ramlila, représentation traditionnelle du Ramayana

Ramlila, literally “Rama’s play”, is a performance of then Ramayana epic in a series of scenes that include song, narration, recital and dialogue. It is performed across northern India during the festival of Dussehra, held each year according to the ritual calendar in autumn. The most representative Ramlilas are those of Ayodhya,...

South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India

Le Ramman, festival religieux et théâtre rituel du Garhwal, dans l’Himalaya, en Inde

Every year in late April, the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra in the state of Uttarakhand (northern India) are marked by Ramman, a religious festival in honour of the tutelary god, Bhumiyal Devta, a local divinity whose temple houses most of the festivities. This event is made up of highly complex rituals: the recitation of a version of...

South AsiaIndiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Rite of the Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars)

Le rite des Tsars de Kalyady (Tsars de Noël)

The Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars) is a ritual and festive event celebrated in the village of Semezhava in the Minsk region of Belarus. Typical Belarusian New Year celebrations take place according to the ‘old’ Julian style calendar and are combined with distinctive local performing arts. About 500 men participate annually in the...

EuropeBelarusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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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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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Škofja Loka passion play

La représentation de la Passion à Škofja Loka

In Škofja Loka, Slovenia, a folk play performed as a procession takes place in the streets of the town’s medieval centre during Lent and Easter involving more than 900 local performers. The Škofja Loka Passion Play, based on the ancient works of a Capuchin monk, demonstrates 20 scenes of the stations of the cross and others from the Old...

EuropeSloveniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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Talchum, mask dance drama in the Republic of Korea

Le talchum, danse théâtrale masquée en République de Corée

Talchum is a performing art that encompasses dance, music and theatre. An ensemble of six to ten musicians accompanies masked performers who humorously explore social issues through dramatic combinations of songs, dances, movements and dialogue. The practice uses caricatures of everyday characters to convey its underlying appeal to...

East AsiaKorea, Republic ofNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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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Tibetan opera

L’opéra tibétain

Tibetan opera, the most popular traditional opera of minority ethnic groups in China, is a comprehensive art combining folk song, dance, storytelling, chant, acrobatics and religious performance. Most popular in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in western China, the performance begins with a prayer ceremony, including the cleansing of the...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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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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Yueju opera

L’opéra Yueju

The Chinese tradition of Yueju opera combines Mandarin operatic traditions and Cantonese dialect. Rooted in the Cantonese-speaking provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi in south-eastern China, Yueju opera is characterized by a combination of string and percussion instruments, with elaborate costumes and face painting. It also incorporates...

East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
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