Browse the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of good safeguarding practices

The Committee meets annually to evaluate nominations proposed by States Parties to the 2003 Convention and decide whether or not to inscribe those cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage on the Convention’s Lists.

By clicking on the inscribed elements listed below, you can discover the nominations, photos and videos, together with Committee decisions and evidence of community consent.

You may also experience a conceptual, visual and interactive navigation through ‘Dive into Intangible Cultural Heritage’ interfaces which demonstrate the thematic interconnectedness between all the elements inscribed and their relation to nature or to threats.


The nomination files submitted by the States Parties are published by the Secretariat of the 2003 Convention on its website in compliance with paragraph 54 of the Operational Directives regarding the nomination procedure; moreover, the information included in the nominations is reflected in working documents of the Committee in order to ensure transparency and access to information.


The sole responsibility for the content of each nomination file lies with the submitting States Parties concerned. The designations employed in the texts and documents presented by the submitting States Parties do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Committee nor UNESCO concerning a) the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, b) the legal status of its authorities, c) the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or d) references to specific historical events.







More criteria

Results : 285 elements corresponding to 5 regions and 113 countries
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2023

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Mek MulungMalaysia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Bolero: identity, emotion and poetry turned into songCuba – Mexico
Dabkeh, traditional dance in PalestineState of Palestine
Garba of GujaratIndia
Hiragasy, a performing art of the Central Highlands of MadagascarMadagascar
Iftar/Eftari/Iftar/Iftor and its socio-cultural traditionsAzerbaijan – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Türkiye – Uzbekistan
Malhun, a popular poetic and musical artMorocco
Sadeh/Sada celebrationIran (Islamic Republic of) – Tajikistan
Sango Festival, OyoNigeria
Shuwalid festivalEthiopia
The practice of opera singing in ItalyItaly

2022

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Ancestral system of knowledge of the four indigenous peoples, Arhuaco, Kankuamo, Kogui and Wiwa of the Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaColombia
August 15th (Dekapentavgoustos) festivities in two Highland Communities of Northern Greece: Tranos Choros (Grand Dance) in Vlasti and Syrrako FestivalGreece
Bear festivities in the PyreneesAndorra – France
Festivals related to the Journey of the Holy family in EgyptEgypt
Furyu-odori, ritual dances imbued with people’s hopes and prayersJapan
Kalela danceZambia
Orteke, traditional performing art in Kazakhstan: dance, puppet and musicKazakhstan
Raï, popular folk song of AlgeriaAlgeria
Talchum, mask dance drama in the Republic of KoreaRepublic of Korea
Yaldā/ChellaIran (Islamic Republic of) – Afghanistan

2021

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Al-Qudoud al-HalabiyaSyrian Arab Republic
Bakhshi artUzbekistan
Community festivities in Campo MaiorPortugal
Congolese rumbaDemocratic Republic of the Congo – Congo
Dutar making craftsmanship and traditional music performing art combined with singingTurkmenistan
FalakTajikistan
Festive cycle around the devotion and worship towards Saint John the Baptist Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
FjiriBahrain
GamelanIndonesia
Grand Festival of TarijaBolivia (Plurinational State of)
Inuit drum dancing and singingDenmark
Kaustinen fiddle playing and related practices and expressions Finland
L-Għana, a Maltese folksong traditionMalta
MoutyaSeychelles
Nora, dance drama in southern ThailandThailand
Pasillo, song and poetryEcuador
Visoko multipart singing from Dolen and Satovcha, South-western BulgariaBulgaria

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

The School of Living Traditions (SLT)Philippines

2020

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

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

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and ZimbabweMalawi – Zimbabwe
Budima danceZambia
Camel racing, a social practice and a festive heritage associated with camelsUnited Arab Emirates – Oman
ChamaméArgentina
Grass mowing competition custom in KupresBosnia and Herzegovina
Musical art of horn players, an instrumental technique linked to singing, breath control, vibrato, resonance of place and convivialityFrance – Belgium – Luxembourg – Italy
PantunIndonesia – Malaysia
Pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus Apostle MonasteryIran (Islamic Republic of) – Armenia

2019

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Rituals and practices associated with Kit Mikayi shrineKenya
Sega tambour ChagosMauritius
Seperu folkdance and associated practicesBotswana
Spring rite of Juraŭski KarahodBelarus

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

‘Hatajo de Negritos’ and ‘Hatajo de Pallitas’ from the Peruvian south-central coastlinePeru
Byzantine chantCyprus – Greece
Cultural Complex of Bumba-meu-boi from MaranhãoBrazil
GnawaMorocco
Irish harpingIreland
Khorazm dance, LazgiUzbekistan
Morna, musical practice of Cabo VerdeCabo Verde
Music and dance of Dominican BachataDominican Republic
Practice of traditional music and dance in Setesdal, playing, dancing and singing (stev/stevjing)Norway
Practices of Then by Tày, Nùng and Thái ethnic groups in Viet NamViet Nam
The festival of the Santísima Trinidad del Señor Jesús del Gran Poder in the city of La PazBolivia (Plurinational State of)

2018

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr, three male rites of passage of the Maasai communityKenya
Shadow playSyrian Arab Republic
Suri Jagek (observing the sun), traditional meteorological and astronomical practice based on the observation of the sun, moon and stars in reference to the local topographyPakistan
Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere), traditional group dances of NakhchivanAzerbaijan

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

As-Samer in JordanJordan
Dondang SayangMalaysia
Festivity of Las Parrandas in the centre of CubaCuba
Khon, masked dance drama in ThailandThailand
La Romería (the pilgrimage): ritual cycle of 'La llevada' (the carrying) of the Virgin of ZapopanMexico
Međimurska popevka, a folksong from MeđimurjeCroatia
Mooba dance of the Lenje ethnic group of Central Province of ZambiaZambia
Picking of iva grass on Ozren mountainBosnia and Herzegovina
Reggae music of JamaicaJamaica
Ritual and festive expressions of the Congo culturePanama
Rūkada Nātya, traditional string puppet drama in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Singing to the accompaniment of the GusleSerbia
Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breedersKazakhstan

2017

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Al Azi, art of performing praise, pride and fortitude poetryUnited Arab Emirates
Colombian-Venezuelan llano work songsColombia – Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng DistrictBotswana
Mongolian traditional practices of worshipping the sacred sitesMongolia
Taskiwin, martial dance of the western High AtlasMorocco

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Khaen music of the Lao peopleLao People's Democratic Republic
Kushtdepdi rite of singing and dancingTurkmenistan
PuntoCuba
RebetikoGreece
Sega tambour of Rodrigues IslandMauritius
The art of Bài Chòi in Central Viet NamViet Nam
Xoan singing of Phú Thọ province, Viet Nam Viet Nam

2016

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Chapei Dang VengCambodia
Cossack’s songs of Dnipropetrovsk RegionUkraine
Ma'di bowl lyre music and danceUganda

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Almezmar, drumming and dancing with sticksSaudi Arabia
Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-GawaiMauritius
Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the OromoEthiopia
Music and dance of the merengue in the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, NavruzAfghanistan – Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Iraq – Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan – Pakistan – Tajikistan – Turkmenistan – Türkiye
Practices related to the Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three RealmsViet Nam
Puppetry in Slovakia and CzechiaSlovakia – Czechia
Rumba in Cuba, a festive combination of music and dances and all the practices associatedCuba
Škofja Loka passion playSlovenia
Winegrowers’ Festival in VeveySwitzerland

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Community project of safeguarding the living culture of Rovinj/Rovigno: the Batana EcomuseumCroatia
Festival of folklore in Koprivshtitsa: a system of practices for heritage presentation and transmissionBulgaria
Safeguarding of the folk music heritage by the Kodály conceptHungary

2015

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Coaxing ritual for camelsMongolia
Glasoechko, male two-part singing in Dolni PologNorth Macedonia
Koogere oral tradition of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro peoplesUganda
Traditional Vallenato music of the Greater Magdalena regionColombia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Aitysh/Aitys, art of improvisationKazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan
Alardah Alnajdiyah, dance, drumming and poetry in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
Bagpipe cultureSlovakia
Epic art of GoroglyTurkmenistan
Lad’s dances in RomaniaRomania
Marimba music, traditional chants and dances from the Colombia South Pacific region and Esmeraldas Province of EcuadorColombia – Ecuador
Sbuâ, annual pilgrimage to the zawiya of Sidi El Hadj Belkacem in GouraraAlgeria

2014

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western KenyaKenya
Male-child cleansing ceremony of the Lango of central northern UgandaUganda

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Al-Ayyala, a traditional performing art of the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab EmiratesOman – United Arab Emirates
Al-Zajal, recited or sung poetryLebanon
Arirang folk song in the Democratic People’s Republic of KoreaDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea
Baile ChinoChile
Capoeira circleBrazil
Coming forth of the masks and puppets in MarkalaMali
Mongolian knuckle-bone shootingMongolia
Ritual and ceremonies of Sebeïba in the oasis of Djanet, AlgeriaAlgeria
Ritual dance of the royal drumBurundi
Slava, celebration of family saint patron’s daySerbia
Tchopa, sacrificial dance of the Lhomwe people of southern MalawiMalawi
Traditional Mauritian SegaMauritius

2013

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making methodGeorgia
Annual pilgrimage to the mausoleum of Sidi ‘Abd el-Qader Ben Mohammed (Sidi Cheikh)Algeria
Art of Đờn ca tài tử music and song in southern Viet NamViet Nam
Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structuresItaly
Commemoration feast of the finding of the True Holy Cross of ChristEthiopia
La Parranda de San Pedro de Guarenas y GuatireVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Music of TerchováSlovakia
Practices and knowledge linked to the Imzad of the Tuareg communities of Algeria, Mali and NigerAlgeria – Mali – Niger
Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of ManipurIndia

2012

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

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

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Al ‘azi, elegy, processional march and poetryOman
Al-Taghrooda, traditional Bedouin chanted poetry in the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of OmanUnited Arab Emirates – Oman
Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Republic of KoreaRepublic of Korea
Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, IndiaIndia
Fest-Noz, festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional dances of BrittanyFrance
Fiesta of the patios in CordovaSpain
Klapa multipart singing of Dalmatia, southern CroatiaCroatia
Performance of the Armenian epic of 'Daredevils of Sassoun' or 'David of Sassoun'Armenia
Qālišuyān rituals of Mašhad-e Ardehāl in KāšānIran (Islamic Republic of)

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Strategy for training coming generations of Fujian puppetry practitioners China

2011

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Esuwa, Harakbut sung prayers of Peru’s Wachiperi peoplePeru
Folk long song performance technique of Limbe performances - circular breathingMongolia
Hezhen Yimakan storytellingChina
Moorish epic T’heydinnMauritania
Naqqāli, Iranian dramatic story-tellingIran (Islamic Republic of)
Saman danceIndonesia
Secret society of the Kôrêdugaw, the rite of wisdom in MaliMali
Yaokwa, the Enawene Nawe people's ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic orderBrazil

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Bećarac singing and playing from Eastern CroatiaCroatia
Chinese shadow puppetryChina
Fado, urban popular song of PortugalPortugal
Mariachi, string music, song and trumpetMexico
Nijemo Kolo, silent circle dance of the Dalmatian hinterlandCroatia
Ride of the Kings in the south-east of the Czech RepublicCzechia
Sada Shin Noh, sacred dancing at Sada shrine, ShimaneJapan
Traditional knowledge of the jaguar shamans of YuruparíColombia
Tsiattista poetic duellingCyprus

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Fandango's Living MuseumBrazil
Táncház method: a Hungarian model for the transmission of intangible cultural heritageHungary

2010

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

MeshrepChina
Ojkanje singingCroatia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Al-Bar’ah, music and dance of Oman Dhofari valleysOman
Chant of the Sybil on MajorcaSpain
FlamencoSpain
Gagok, lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestraRepublic of Korea
Hopping procession of EchternachLuxembourg
Kalbelia folk songs and dances of RajasthanIndia
Kumiodori, traditional Okinawan musical theatreJapan
Mongolian traditional art of KhöömeiMongolia
Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of KeralaIndia
Music of the Bakhshis of KhorasanIran (Islamic Republic of)
Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei ritualsIran (Islamic Republic of)
Parachicos in the traditional January feast of Chiapa de CorzoMexico
Peking operaChina
Pirekua, traditional song of the P’urhépechaMexico
Ritual dramatic art of Ta‘zīyeIran (Islamic Republic of)
Semah, Alevi-Bektaşi ritualTürkiye
Sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songsLithuania
Traditional Sohbet meetingsTürkiye

2009

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Ca trù singingViet Nam
Cantu in paghjella, a secular and liturgical oral tradition of CorsicaFrance
Mongol Biyelgee, Mongolian traditional folk danceMongolia
Mongol Tuuli, Mongolian epicMongolia
Qiang New Year festivalChina
Suiti cultural spaceLatvia
Traditional music of the TsuurMongolia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Akiu no Taue OdoriJapan
Annual carnival bell ringers’ pageant from the Kastav areaCroatia
Art of Azerbaijani AshiqAzerbaijan
Âşıklık (minstrelsy) traditionTürkiye
Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival customHungary
CheoyongmuRepublic of Korea
Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocadeChina
DaimokutateJapan
DoinaRomania
Dragon Boat festivalChina
Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of DubrovnikCroatia
GagakuJapan
GanggangsullaeRepublic of Korea
Gesar epic traditionChina
Grand song of the Dong ethnic groupChina
Hayachine KaguraJapan
Hua’erChina
Ijele masqueradeNigeria
Katta AshulaUzbekistan
MaloyaFrance
ManasChina
Mongolian art of singing, KhoomeiChina
NanyinChina
Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songsViet Nam
Radif of Iranian musicIran (Islamic Republic of)
Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, IndiaIndia
Seto Leelo, Seto polyphonic singing traditionEstonia
TangoArgentina – Uruguay
Tibetan operaChina
Traditional Ainu danceJapan
Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scaleCroatia
Xi’an wind and percussion ensembleChina
YeongsanjaeRepublic of Korea
Yueju operaChina

2008

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Ahellil of GouraraAlgeria
Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah epicEgypt
Albanian folk iso-polyphonyAlbania
Art of Akyns, Kyrgyz epic tellersKyrgyzstan
Azerbaijani MughamAzerbaijan
Baltic song and dance celebrationsEstonia – Latvia – Lithuania
Baul songsBangladesh
Bistritsa Babi, archaic polyphony, dances and rituals from the Shoplouk regionBulgaria
Căluş ritualRomania
Canto a tenore, Sardinian pastoral songsItaly
Chopi TimbilaMozambique
Cultural space and oral culture of the SemeiskieRussian Federation
Cultural space of Boysun DistrictUzbekistan
Cultural space of the Bedu in Petra and Wadi RumJordan
Cultural space of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa MellaDominican Republic
Darangen epic of the Maranao people of Lake LanaoPhilippines
Duduk and its musicArmenia
Fujara and its musicSlovakia
Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana communityCôte d'Ivoire
Georgian polyphonic singingGeorgia
Hudhud chants of the IfugaoPhilippines
Ifa divination systemNigeria
Iraqi MaqamIraq
Kabuki theatreJapan
Kankurang, Manding initiatory riteGambia – Senegal
Kihnu cultural spaceEstonia
Kun Qu operaChina
La Tumba FrancesaCuba
Lakalaka, dances and sung speeches of TongaTonga
Mak Yong theatreMalaysia
Maroon heritage of Moore TownJamaica
Mbende Jerusarema danceZimbabwe
Mevlevi Sema ceremonyTürkiye
Moussem of Tan-TanMorocco
Mystery play of ElcheSpain
Ningyo Johruri Bunraku puppet theatreJapan
Nôgaku theatreJapan
Olonkho, Yakut heroic eposRussian Federation
Oral heritage of GeledeBenin – Nigeria – Togo
Pansori epic chantRepublic of Korea
Polyphonic singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central AfricaCentral African Republic
Ramlila, the traditional performance of the RamayanaIndia
Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of BahiaBrazil
Shashmaqom musicUzbekistan – Tajikistan
Slovácko Verbuňk, recruit dancesCzechia
Song of Sana’aYemen
Tradition of Vedic chantingIndia
Traditional music of the Morin KhuurMongolia
Urtiin Duu, traditional folk long songChina – Mongolia
Uyghur Muqam of XinjiangChina
Vimbuza healing danceMalawi
Wayang puppet theatreIndonesia
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