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Cross-crafting and its symbolism

La création et le symbolisme des croix

Source SupportedContext Required1 supporting sources

Overview

<b>Supported by Latvia</b> Cross-crafting refers to a widespread tradition of making crosses and altars, as well as the consecration of these crosses and the rituals associated with them. The carved oak crosses are linked to Catholic ceremonies and harvest celebrations. Once the cross is consecrated by a priest, it acquires an inalienable sacred significance. They became the symbol of national and religious identity with its incorporation into the orthodox Russian Empire in the nineteenth century. Their symbolic role was reinforced under the Soviet regime, despite the fact that the crosses were officially banned. The crosses measure between one and five metres high and are often adorned with a small roof, floral or geometric decorations, and occasionally bear small statues. Statues of the Virgin Mary and various saints are often called upon to aid people in distress. The crosses are...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities
Lithuania
Languages
Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories
Lithuania
Countries
Lithuania

How the System Works

<b>Supported by Latvia</b> Cross-crafting refers to a widespread tradition of making crosses and altars, as well as the consecration of these crosses and the rituals associated with them. The carved oak crosses are linked to Catholic ceremonies and harvest celebrations. Once the cross is consecrated by a priest, it acquires an...

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

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Field-Level Provenance

title
UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle
UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary
UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type
UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries
UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories
ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships
UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl
UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights
UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

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Review and Corrections

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