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Lists of intangible cultural heritage and Register of best 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.

The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (see criteria) is composed of intangible heritage elements that concerned communities and States Parties consider require urgent measures to keep them alive. Inscriptions on this List help to mobilize international cooperation and assistance for stakeholders to undertake appropriate safeguarding measures. During the period from 2009 to 2012, the Committee inscribed 31 elements on this List.

The Register of Best Safeguarding Practices (see criteria) contains programs, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and the objectives of the Convention. During the period from 2009 to 2012, the Committee selected 10 programmes, projects and activites for this Register.

The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (see criteria) is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raise awareness about its importance. In 2008 the Committee incorporated 90 elements (formerly proclaimed Masterpieces) into the Representative List. During the period from 2009 to 2012, it has also inscribed 167 new elements on this List.

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

• List of elements
• Statistics
• Map

2012³³ – 2011³⁴ – 2010⁵⁰ – 2009⁹¹ – 2008⁹⁰

2012
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdak, art of Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets	Kyrgyzstan
Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of the Busoga Kingdom in Uganda	Uganda
Earthenware pottery-making skills in Botswana’s Kgatleng District	Botswana
Noken multifunctional knotted or woven bag, handcraft of the people of Papua	Indonesia
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Al ‘azi, elegy, processional march and poetry	Oman
Al-Taghrooda, traditional Bedouin chanted poetry in the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman	United Arab Emirates – Oman
Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Republic of Korea	Republic of Korea
Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India	India
Cherry festival in Sefrou	Morocco
Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar, a long-necked string musical instrument	Azerbaijan
Craftsmanship of Horezu ceramics	Romania
Cultural practices and expressions linked to the balafon of the Senufo communities of Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire	Mali – Burkina Faso – Côte d'Ivoire
Falconry, a living human heritage	United Arab Emirates – Austria – Belgium – Czech Republic – France – Hungary – Republic of Korea – Mongolia – Morocco – Qatar – Saudi Arabia – Spain – Syrian Arab Republic
Fest-Noz, festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional dances of Brittany	France
Festival of Saint Francis of Assisi, Quibdó	Colombia
Fiesta of the patios in Cordova	Spain
Folk art of the Matyó, embroidery of a traditional community	Hungary
Frevo, performing arts of the Carnival of Recife	Brazil
Ichapekene Piesta, the biggest festival of San Ignacio de Moxos	Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Klapa multipart singing of Dalmatia, southern Croatia	Croatia
Marches of Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse	Belgium
Mesir Macunu festival	Turkey
Nachi no Dengaku, a religious performing art held at the Nachi fire festival	Japan
Performance of the Armenian epic of 'Daredevils of Sassoun' or 'David of Sassoun'	Armenia
Qālišuyān rituals of Mašhad-e Ardehāl in Kāšān	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Rites and craftsmanship associated with the wedding costume tradition of Tlemcen	Algeria
Schemenlaufen, the carnival of Imst, Austria	Austria
Traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona	Italy
Traditional weaving of the Ecuadorian toquilla straw hat	Ecuador
Venezuela's Dancing Devils of Corpus Christi	Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Worship of Hùng kings in Phú Thọ	Viet Nam
Programmes, projects and activities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage considered to best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention
Strategy for training coming generations of Fujian puppetry practitioners	China
Xtaxkgakget Makgkaxtlawana: the Centre for Indigenous Arts and its contribution to safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the Totonac people of Veracruz, Mexico	Mexico
2011
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Al Sadu, traditional weaving skills in the United Arab Emirates	United Arab Emirates
Eshuva, Harákmbut sung prayers of Peru’s Huachipaire people	Peru
Folk long song performance technique of Limbe performances - circular breathing	Mongolia
Hezhen Yimakan storytelling	China
Moorish epic T’heydinn	Mauritania
Naqqāli, Iranian dramatic story-telling	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Saman dance	Indonesia
Secret society of the Kôrêdugaw, the rite of wisdom in Mali	Mali
Traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Xoan singing of Phú Thọ Province, Viet Nam	Viet Nam
Yaokwa, the Enawene Nawe people's ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic order	Brazil
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Bećarac singing and playing from Eastern Croatia	Croatia
Ceremonial Keşkek tradition	Turkey
Chinese shadow puppetry	China
Equitation in the French tradition	France
Fado, urban popular song of Portugal	Portugal
Festivity of ‘la Mare de Déu de la Salut’ of Algemesí	Spain
Jultagi, tightrope walking	Republic of Korea
Leuven age set ritual repertoire	Belgium
Mariachi, string music, song and trumpet	Mexico
Mibu no Hana Taue, ritual of transplanting rice in Mibu, Hiroshima	Japan
Nijemo Kolo, silent circle dance of the Dalmatian hinterland	Croatia
Pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllurit’i	Peru
Ride of the Kings in the south-east of the Czech Republic	Czech Republic
Sada Shin Noh, sacred dancing at Sada shrine, Shimane	Japan
Taekkyeon, a traditional Korean martial art	Republic of Korea
Traditional knowledge of the jaguar shamans of Yuruparí	Colombia
Tsiattista poetic duelling	Cyprus
Weaving of Mosi (fine ramie) in the Hansan region	Republic of Korea
Programmes, projects and activities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage considered to best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention
Call for projects of the National Programme of Intangible Heritage	Brazil
Fandango's Living Museum	Brazil
Programme of cultivating ludodiversity: safeguarding traditional games in Flanders	Belgium
Revitalization of the traditional craftsmanship of lime-making in Morón de la Frontera, Seville, Andalusia	Spain
Táncház method: a Hungarian model for the transmission of intangible cultural heritage	Hungary
2010
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Meshrep	China
Ojkanje singing	Croatia
Watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks	China
Wooden movable-type printing of China	China
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Aalst carnival	Belgium
Acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine	China
Al-Bar’ah, music and dance of Oman Dhofari valleys	Oman
Armenian cross-stones art. Symbolism and craftsmanship of Khachkars	Armenia
Chant of the Sybil on Majorca	Spain
Chhau dance	India
Compagnonnage, network for on-the-job transmission of knowledge and identities	France
Craftsmanship of Alençon needle lace-making	France
Daemokjang, traditional wooden architecture	Republic of Korea
Flamenco	Spain
Gagok, lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestra	Republic of Korea
Gastronomic meal of the French	France
Gingerbread craft from Northern Croatia	Croatia
Gióng festival of Phù Ðông and Sóc temples	Viet Nam
Hopping procession of Echternach	Luxembourg
Houtem Jaarmarkt, annual winter fair and livestock market at Sint-Lievens-Houtem	Belgium
Huaconada, ritual dance of Mito	Peru
Human towers	Spain
Indonesian Angklung	Indonesia
Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan	India
Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival	Turkey
Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand, end-of-winter bread and fire feast at Geraardsbergen	Belgium
Kumiodori, traditional Okinawan musical theatre	Japan
Marimba music and traditional chants from Colombia’s South Pacific region	Colombia
Mediterranean diet	Spain – Greece – Italy – Morocco
Mongolian traditional art of Khöömei	Mongolia
Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala	India
Music of the Bakhshis of Khorasan	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Naadam, Mongolian traditional festival	Mongolia
Pahlevani and Zoorkhanei rituals	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Parachicos in the traditional January feast of Chiapa de Corzo	Mexico
Peking opera	China
Pirekua, traditional song of the P’urhépecha	Mexico
Ritual dramatic art of Ta‘zīye	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Scissors dance	Peru
Semah, Alevi-Bektaşi ritual	Turkey
Shrovetide door-to-door processions and masks in the villages of the Hlinecko area	Czech Republic
Sinjska Alka, a knights’ tournament in Sinj	Croatia
Sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songs	Lithuania
Traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving in the Republic of Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan
Traditional Mexican cuisine - ancestral, ongoing community culture, the Michoacán paradigm	Mexico
Traditional skills of carpet weaving in Fars	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Traditional skills of carpet weaving in Kashan	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Traditional Sohbet meetings	Turkey
Wayuu normative system, applied by the Pütchipü’üi (palabrero)	Colombia
Yuki-tsumugi, silk fabric production technique	Japan
2009
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Ca trù singing	Viet Nam
Cantu in paghjella, a secular and liturgical oral tradition of Corsica	France
Mongol Biyelgee, Mongolian traditional folk dance	Mongolia
Mongol Tuuli, Mongolian epic	Mongolia
Qiang New Year festival	China
Rite of the Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars)	Belarus
Sanké mon, collective fishing rite of the Sanké	Mali
Suiti cultural space	Latvia
Traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges	China
Traditional Li textile techniques: spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering	China
Traditional music of the Tsuur	Mongolia
Traditions and practices associated with the Kayas in the sacred forests of the Mijikenda	Kenya
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Akiu no Taue Odori	Japan
Annual carnival bell ringers’ pageant from the Kastav area	Croatia
Art of Azerbaijani Ashiq	Azerbaijan
Art of Chinese seal engraving	China
Âşıklık (minstrelsy) tradition	Turkey
Aubusson tapestry	France
Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom	Hungary
Candombe and its socio-cultural space: a community practice	Uruguay
Carnaval de Negros y Blancos	Colombia
Chakkirako	Japan
Cheoyongmu	Republic of Korea
China engraved block printing technique	China
Chinese calligraphy	China
Chinese paper-cut	China
Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures	China
Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade	China
Daimokutate	Japan
Dainichido Bugaku	Japan
Doina	Romania
Dragon Boat festival	China
Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group	China
Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik	Croatia
Gagaku	Japan
Ganggangsullae	Republic of Korea
Gesar epic tradition	China
Grand song of the Dong ethnic group	China
Hayachine Kagura	Japan
Hitachi Furyumono	Japan
Holy Week processions in Popayán	Colombia
Hua’er	China
Ijele masquerade	Nigeria
Indonesian Batik	Indonesia
Irrigators’ tribunals of the Spanish Mediterranean coast: the Council of Wise Men of the plain of Murcia and the Water Tribunal of the plain of Valencia	Spain
Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut	Republic of Korea
Karagöz	Turkey
Katta Ashula	Uzbekistan
Koshikijima no Toshidon	Japan
Lacemaking in Croatia	Croatia
Lefkara laces or Lefkaritika	Cyprus
Maloya	France
Manas	China
Manden Charter, proclaimed in Kurukan Fuga	Mali
Mazu belief and customs	China
Mongolian art of singing, Khoomei	China
Namsadang Nori	Republic of Korea
Nanyin	China
Nestinarstvo, messages from the past: the Panagyr of Saints Constantine and Helena in the village of Bulgari	Bulgaria
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz	Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan
Ojiya-chijimi, Echigo-jofu: techniques of making ramie fabric in Uonuma region, Niigata Prefecture	Japan
Oku-noto no Aenokoto	Japan
Places of memory and living traditions of the Otomí-Chichimecas people of Tolimán: the Peña de Bernal, guardian of a sacred territory	Mexico
Procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges	Belgium
Procession Za Krizen (‘following the cross’) on the island of Hvar	Croatia
Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songs	Viet Nam
Radif of Iranian music	Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India	India
Regong arts	China
Ritual ceremony of the Voladores	Mexico
Scribing tradition in French timber framing	France
Sekishu-Banshi, papermaking in the Iwami region of Shimane Prefecture	Japan
Septennial re-roofing ceremony of the Kamablon, sacred house of Kangaba	Mali
Sericulture and silk craftsmanship of China	China
Seto Leelo, Seto polyphonic singing tradition	Estonia
Spring procession of Ljelje/Kraljice (queens) from Gorjani	Croatia
Tango	Argentina – Uruguay
Tibetan opera	China
Traditional Ainu dance	Japan
Traditional firing technology of Longquan celadon	China
Traditional handicrafts of making Xuan paper	China
Traditional manufacturing of children’s wooden toys in Hrvatsko Zagorje	Croatia
Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale	Croatia
Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero	Spain
Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble	China
Yamahoko, the float ceremony of the Kyoto Gion festival	Japan
Yeongsanjae	Republic of Korea
Yueju opera	China
Programmes, projects and activities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage considered to best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention
Centre for traditional culture – school museum of Pusol pedagogic project	Spain
Education and training in Indonesian Batik intangible cultural heritage for elementary, junior, senior, vocational school and polytechnic students, in collaboration with the Batik Museum in Pekalongan	Indonesia
Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of Aymara communities in Bolivia, Chile and Peru	Bolivia (Plurinational State of) – Chile – Peru
2008
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Ahellil of Gourara	Algeria
Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah epic	Egypt
Albanian folk iso-polyphony	Albania
Andean cosmovision of the Kallawaya	Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Art of Akyns, Kyrgyz epic tellers	Kyrgyzstan
Arts of the Meddah, public storytellers	Turkey
Azerbaijani Mugham	Azerbaijan
Baltic song and dance celebrations	Estonia – Latvia – Lithuania
Barkcloth making in Uganda	Uganda
Baul songs	Bangladesh
Bistritsa Babi, archaic polyphony, dances and rituals from the Shoplouk region	Bulgaria
Căluş ritual	Romania
Canto a tenore, Sardinian pastoral songs	Italy
Carnival of Barranquilla	Colombia
Carnival of Binche	Belgium
Carnival of Oruro	Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Chopi Timbila	Mozambique
Cocolo dance drama tradition	Dominican Republic
Cross-crafting and its symbolism	Lithuania
Cultural space and oral culture of the Semeiskie	Russian Federation
Cultural space of Boysun District	Uzbekistan
Cultural space of Jemaa el-Fna Square	Morocco
Cultural space of Palenque de San Basilio	Colombia
Cultural space of Sosso-Bala	Guinea
Cultural space of the Bedu in Petra and Wadi Rum	Jordan
Cultural space of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella	Dominican Republic
Cultural space of the Yaaral and Degal	Mali
Darangen epic of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao	Philippines
Duduk and its music	Armenia
El Güegüense	Nicaragua
Fujara and its music	Slovakia
Gangneung Danoje festival	Republic of Korea
Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana community	Côte d'Ivoire
Georgian polyphonic singing	Georgia
Gule Wamkulu	Malawi – Mozambique – Zambia
Guqin and its music	China
Hudhud chants of the Ifugao	Philippines
Ifa divination system	Nigeria
Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead	Mexico
Indonesian Kris	Indonesia
Iraqi Maqam	Iraq
Kabuki theatre	Japan
Kankurang, Manding initiatory rite	Gambia – Senegal
Kihnu cultural space	Estonia
Kun Qu opera	China
Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre	India
La Tumba Francesa	Cuba
Lakalaka, dances and sung speeches of Tonga	Tonga
Language, dance and music of the Garifuna	Belize – Guatemala – Honduras – Nicaragua
Mak Yong theatre	Malaysia
Makishi masquerade	Zambia
Maroon heritage of Moore Town	Jamaica
Mask dance of the drums from Drametse	Bhutan
Mbende Jerusarema dance	Zimbabwe
Mevlevi Sema ceremony	Turkey
Moussem of Tan-Tan	Morocco
Mystery play of Elche	Spain
Nha Nhac, Vietnamese court music	Viet Nam
Ningyo Johruri Bunraku puppet theatre	Japan
Nôgaku theatre	Japan
Olonkho, Yakut heroic epos	Russian Federation
Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian puppet theatre	Italy
Oral and graphic expressions of the Wajapi	Brazil
Oral heritage and cultural manifestations of the Zápara people	Ecuador – Peru
Oral heritage of Gelede	Benin – Nigeria – Togo
Oxherding and oxcart traditions in Costa Rica	Costa Rica
Palestinian Hikaye	Palestine
Pansori epic chant	Republic of Korea
Patum of Berga	Spain
Polyphonic singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa	Central African Republic
Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France	Belgium – France
Rabinal Achí dance drama tradition	Guatemala
Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana	India
Royal ancestral ritual in the Jongmyo shrine and its music	Republic of Korea
Royal ballet of Cambodia	Cambodia
Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of Bahia	Brazil
Sbek Thom, Khmer shadow theatre	Cambodia
Shashmaqom music	Uzbekistan – Tajikistan
Slovácko Verbuňk, recruit dances	Czech Republic
Song of Sana’a	Yemen
Space of gong culture	Viet Nam
Taquile and its textile art	Peru
Tradition of Vedic chanting	India
Traditional music of the Morin Khuur	Mongolia
Urtiin Duu, traditional folk long song	Mongolia – China
Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang	China
Vanuatu sand drawings	Vanuatu
Vimbuza healing dance	Malawi
Wayang puppet theatre	Indonesia
Woodcrafting knowledge of the Zafimaniry	Madagascar