UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’acupuncture et la moxibustion de la médecine traditionnelle chinoise
Acupuncture and moxibustion are forms of traditional Chinese medicine widely practised in China and also found in regions of south-east Asia, Europe and the Americas. The theories of acupuncture and moxibustion hold that the human body acts as a small universe connected by channels, and that by physically stimulating these channels the...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le kohl arabe
Arabic Kohl is both a craft and a social practice that is integral to the lifestyle of Bedouin and nomadic tribes, as well as rural, marshland, and fishing communities in the Arab region. It is a fine black powder used as eyeliner by people of all genders, serving not only as a cosmetic but also for protection against wind, sand and...
Global DiasporasSyrian Arab Republic / IraqNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’argan, pratiques et savoir-faire liés à l’arganier
The argan tree is an endemic woodland species found in the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in south-west Morocco. Rural women and, to a lesser extent, men living in the reserve practise traditional methods to extract argan oil from the fruit of the tree. Different tasks, transmitted by means of imitation and through non-formal education,...
AfricaMoroccoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
L’espace culturel des Bedu de Petra et Wadi Rum
The Bedu are settled and nomadic communities living in the southern part of Jordan, particularly near Petra and Wadi Rum, within a region of semi-arid highlands and deserts. These conditions have allowed for the development and existence in complementary relationship of both types of communities. Several Bedu tribes, namely the Bdul,...
Middle EastJordanNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Esuwa, prières chantées en Harakbut des Wachiperi du Pérou
The Wachiperi are an indigenous ethnic group speaking the Harakbut language and living in Peru’s southern Amazon tropical forest. The Esuwa or sung prayer is an expression of Wachiperi religious myths, performed for healing or as part of traditional ceremonies such as the drinking of masato, a traditional beverage made of fermented...
Latin America and CaribbeanPeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le chant polyphonique géorgien
Popular singing has a highly valued place in Georgian culture. Polyphonic singing, in the Georgian language, is a secular tradition in a country whose language and culture have often been oppressed by invaders. There are three types of polyphony in Georgia: complex polyphony, which is common in Svaneti; polyphonic dialogue over a bass...
Middle EastGeorgiaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Gnaoua
Gnawa refers to a set of musical events, performances, fraternal practices and therapeutic rituals mixing the secular with the sacred. Gnawa is first and foremost a Sufi brotherhood music combined with lyrics with a generally religious content, invoking ancestors and spirits. Originally practised by groups and individuals from slavery...
AfricaMoroccoNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Kithul Madeema/Kithul Kapeema, une ancienne technique autochtone d’entaillage du kithul au Sri Lanka
In rural village communities in Sri Lanka, kithul madeema, or kithul tapping, is a traditional method of collecting sap from the kithul tree, a tall palm found in forests and home gardens. The process entails climbing the tree using a ladder and wrapping the flower stalk with vine. A sacred tapping knife is then used to cut the stalk...
South AsiaSri LankaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le savoir-faire de la culture du mastiha à l’île de Chios
Mastic is cultivated on the island of Chios from the aromatic resin mastiha, which is extracted from the shrub pistacia lentiscus. Mastic has long been renowned for its numerous properties and its culture is a family occupation that requires laborious care throughout the year by men and women of all ages who participate on equal terms...
EuropeGreeceNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les bains médicinaux Lum de la Sowa Rigpa, connaissances et pratiques du peuple tibétain en Chine concernant la vie, la santé et la prévention et le traitement des maladies
Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa is a practice developed by the Tibetan people as part of a life view based on the five elements and a view about health and illness centered on three dynamics (Lung, Tripa and Pekan). In Tibetan, ‘Lum’ indicates the traditional knowledge and practices of bathing in natural hot springs, herbal water or...
East AsiaChinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les festivités du Mesir Macunu
The Mesir Macunu festival of Manisa, Turkey, commemorates the recovery of Hafsa Sultan, mother of Suleiman the Magnificent, who was cured of a disease by the invention of a paste known as mesir macunu. The Sultan then ordered that the paste be disseminated to the public. So, every year from 21 to 24 March, the paste is prepared by a...
Middle EastTürkiyeNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La maïeutique : connaissances, savoir-faire et pratiques
Midwives are companions and supporters of pregnant women and their families before, during and after birth. Throughout the course of a pregnancy, midwives make home visits, provide guidance and care, and facilitate birth preparation and capacity-building classes. They contribute to the protection of fundamental human rights by...
Global DiasporasColombia / CyprusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le Nguon, rituels de gouvernance et expressions associées dans la communauté Bamoun
Nguon refers to a series of rituals between the Mfon, or monarch, and his people. Aimed at promoting dialogue, harmony and peace, the rituals are observed over a period of three days by the Bamoun community of Cameroon’s West Region. Every two years in early December, ritual chiefs consult the members of the community on the state of...
AfricaCameroonNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le nuad thai, massage thaïlandais traditionnel
Nuad Thai, traditional Thai massage is regarded as part of the art, science and culture of traditional Thai healthcare. As a non-medicinal remedy and manual therapy, it involves bodily manipulation in which the practitioner helps rebalance the patient’s body, energy and structure to treat illnesses believed to be caused by the...
Southeast AsiaThailandNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Le patrimoine oral et les manifestations culturelles du peuple Zápara
The Zápara people live in a part of the Amazon jungle straddling Ecuador and Peru. The Zápara developed in what is one of the most bio-diverse areas in the world and are the last representatives of an ethno-linguistic group that included many other populations before the Spanish conquest. In the heart of Amazonia, they have elaborated...
Latin America and CaribbeanEcuador / PeruNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La cueillette de la germandrée sur le mont Ozren
On 11 September each year, the day of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, inhabitants of the villages around Ozren mountain go to Gostilij to pick iva grass. After hiking up the hills, villagers of all social, gender and age groups pick iva grass, both individually and in groups. Iva must be picked carefully and pickers need to find...
EuropeBosnia and HerzegovinaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les pratiques et l'artisanat associés à la rose damascène à Al-Mrah
The practices and craftsmanship associated with the Damascene rose are mainly practised by farmers and families in Al-Mrah village, in rural Damascus, who possess expert knowledge of producing essential oils and traditional medicine from the Damask Rose, among other things, as well as the village community and families who organize the...
Middle EastSyrian Arab RepublicNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
Les pratiques du then par les groupes ethniques Tày, Nùng et Thái au Viet Nam
Then, an essential ritual practice in the spiritual life of the Tày, Nùng and Thái ethnic groups in Viet Nam, reflects concepts about human beings, the natural world and the universe. Then ceremonies describe a journey in which the Then Master (male or female) controls ghost soldiers travelling from the earth realm to the heaven realm,...
Southeast AsiaViet NamNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Les rituels et pratiques associés au sanctuaire de Kit Mikayi
The Rituals and practices associated with Kit Mikayi shrine concern the Luos of western Kenya. Legend has it that Kit Mikayi Shrine is associated with the good fortunes of the Seme people and other Luo ethnic communities who live around the shrine enclave. People access the shrine for many different reasons, including praying, taking...
AfricaKenyaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO urgent safeguarding list1 sources
Le seperu, danse populaire et pratiques associées
The Seperu folkdance and associated practices involve singing, dancing and sacred rituals that are highly significant in the lives of Veekuhane community members. Seperu is a celebratory practice performed during ceremonies that mark important milestones in the community members’ lives. In the dance the women form a horseshoe, while...
AfricaBotswanaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La tradition du sauna à fumée en Võromaa
The smoke sauna tradition is an important part of everyday life in the Võro community of Estonia. It comprises a rich set of traditions including the actual bathing customs, the skills of making bath whisks, building and repairing saunas, and smoking meat in the sauna. The sauna is a building or room heated by a stove covered with...
EuropeEstoniaNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La tchopa, danse sacrificielle des Lomwe du sud du Malawi
Tchopa is a performing art practised among Lhomwe communities in southern Malawi. The dance is usually performed during celebrations after good harvests and successful hunting trips and during offerings to ancestral spirits after calamities such as droughts and outbreaks of disease. Tchopa entails knowledge of particular dancing skills...
AfricaMalawiNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
La culture apicole dans les arbres
Tree beekeeping culture includes knowledge, skills, practices, traditions, rituals and beliefs connected to wild bees breeding in tree hives or log hives located in forest areas. Tree beekeepers take care of bees in a special way by trying to recreate the primeval living conditions in tree hives without interfering with the natural life...
EuropePoland / BelarusNot specified in UNESCO dataset
Source supportedContext required
UNESCO representative list1 sources
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
Source supportedContext required
