Processional Giants and Dragons in Belgium and France (2005)

"Traditional processions of huge effigies of giants, animals or dragons encompass an original ensemble of festive popular manifestations and ritual representations. These effigies first appeared in urban religious processions at the end of the fourteenth century in many European towns and continue to serve as emblems of identity for certain Belgian (Ath, Brussels, Dendermonde, Mechelen and Mons) and French towns (Cassel, Douai, Pézenas and Tarascon), where they remain living traditions. The giants and dragons are large-scale models measuring up to nine metres in height and weighing as much as 350 kilos. They represent mythical heroes or animals, contemporary local figures, historical, biblical or legendary characters or trades. St. George fighting the dragon is staged in Mons; Bayard, the horse from the Charlemagne legend, parades in Dendermonde; and Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman, popular family characters, parade at Cassel. The performances, often mixing secular procession and religious ceremony, vary from town to town, but always follow a precise ritual in which the giants relate to the history, legend or life of the town.

Giants and dragons enliven popular festivals where they are the main actors at least once a year, as each effigy has its specific feast day. They act out historical scenes and dance in the streets to the accompaniment of fanfares and costumed people. The crowd follows the procession, and many participants help in the preparations at different stages of the festival. The construction of a giant and its ongoing maintenance require months of work and know-how in many techniques given the range of materials used. Although these expressions are not threatened with immediate disappearance, they do suffer from a number of pressures, such as major changes to town centres and increasing tourism, leading to the detriment of the popular, spontaneous nature of the festival."

The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony (2005)

"The Mevleviye is an ascetic Sufi order founded in 1273 in Konya, from where it gradually spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. Today, the Mevleviye can be found in many Turkish communities throughout the world, but the most active and famous centres of the order’s activity are in Konya and Istanbul.

The Mevleviye are renowned for their whirling dances. Following a recommended fast of several hours, the whirlers begin to rotate on their left feet in short twists, using the right foot to drive their bodies around the left foot. The body of the whirler is meant to be supple, with eyes open but unfocused so that images become blurred and flowing. At their dancing ceremonies, or Sema, a particular musical repertoire called ay›n is played. Based on four sections of both vocal and instrumental compositions, it is performed by at least one singer, a flute-player, called neyzen, a kettledrummer and a cymbal player. Dancers used to receive 1,001 days of reclusive training within the mevlevi-houses (mevlevihane), where they learned about ethics, codes of behaviour and beliefs by practising prayer, religious music, poetry and dance. After this training, they remained members of the order but returned to their work and families.

As a result of secularization policies, all mevlevihane were closed in 1925.The Turkish government began to allow performances again, though only in public, in the 1950s, restrictions were eased in the 1990s. Some private groups are re-establishing the original spiritual and intimate character of the Sema ceremony. However, over the thirty years the tradition was practised clandestinely, transmission focused rather on music and songs than on spiritual and religious traditions, which has deprived performances of part of their religious significance. Consequently, many sema ceremonies are no longer performed in their traditional context but for tourist audiences, and have been shortened and simplified to meet commercial requirements."

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich

Ningyo Johruri Bunraku Puppet Theatre (2003)

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. The plots related in this new form of puppet theatre derived from two principal sources: historical plays set in feudal times (Jidaimono) and contemporary dramas exploring the conflict between affairs of the heart and social obligation (Sewamono).
Ningyo Johruri had adopted its characteristic staging style by the mid eighteenth century. Three puppeteers, visible to the audience, manipulate large articulated puppets on the stage behind a waist high screen. From a projecting elevated platform (yuka), the narrator (tayu) recounts the action while a musician provides musical accompaniment on the three-stringed spike lute (shamisen). The tayu plays all the characters, both male and female, and uses different voices and intonations to suit each role and situation. Although the tayu “reads” from a scripted text, there is ample room for improvisation.

The three puppeteers must carefully co-ordinate their movements to ensure that the puppet’s gestures and attitudes appear realistic. The puppets, replete with elaborate costumes and individualized facial expressions, are handcrafted by master puppet makers. The genre acquired its present full name Ningyo Johruri Bunraku – in the late nineteenth century, a period in which the Bunrakuza was a leading theatre. Today, the pre-eminent venue is the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka, but its highly reputed troupe also performs in Tokyo and regional theatres. Approximately 160 works out of the 700 plays written during the Edo period have remained in today’s repertory. Performances, once lasting the entire day, have been shortened from the original six to two or three acts. Ningyo Johruri Bunraku was designated Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1955. Nowadays, it attracts numerous young performers, and the aesthetic qualities and dramatic content of the plays continue to appeal to modern audiences.

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich

Indonesian Batik (2009)

"The techniques, symbolism and culture surrounding hand-dyed cotton and silk garments known as Indonesian Batik permeate the lives of Indonesians from beginning to end: infants are carried in batik slings decorated with symbols designed to bring the child luck, and the dead are shrouded in funerary batik. Clothes with everyday designs are worn regularly in business and academic settings, while special varieties are incorporated into celebrations of marriage and pregnancy and into puppet theatre and other art forms. The garments even play the central role in certain rituals, such as the ceremonial casting of royal batik into a volcano. Batik is dyed by proud craftspeople who draw designs on fabric using dots and lines of hot wax, which resists vegetable and other dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water and repeating if multiple colours are desired. The wide diversity of patterns reflects a variety of influences, ranging from Arabic calligraphy, European bouquets and Chinese phoenixes to Japanese cherry blossoms and Indian or Persian peacocks. Often handed down within families for generations, the craft of batik is intertwined with the cultural identity of the Indonesian people and, through the symbolic meanings of its colours and designs, expresses their creativity and spirituality."

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich

Courtesy of shinta from postcrossing forum

Indonesian Angklung (2010)

"Angklung is an Indonesian musical instrument consisting of two to four bamboo tubes suspended in a bamboo frame, bound with rattan cords. The tubes are carefully whittled and cut by a master craftsperson to produce certain notes when the bamboo frame is shaken or tapped. Each Angklung produces a single note or chord, so several players must collaborate in order to play melodies. Traditional Angklungs use the pentatonic scale, but in 1938 musician Daeng Soetigna introduced Angklungs using the diatonic scale; these are known as angklung padaeng. The Angklung is closely related to traditional customs, arts and cultural identity in Indonesia, played during ceremonies such as rice planting, harvest and circumcision. The special black bamboo for the Angklung is harvested during the two weeks a year when the cicadas sing, and is cut at least three segments above the ground, to ensure the root continues to propagate. Angklung education is transmitted orally from generation to generation, and increasingly in educational institutions. Because of the collaborative nature of Angklung music, playing promotes cooperation and mutual respect among the players, along with discipline, responsibility, concentration, development of imagination and memory, as well as artistic and musical feelings."

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich

Courtesy of shinta from postcrossing forum

Courtesy of shinta from postcrossing forum

Human towers (2010)

"Castells are human towers built by members of amateur groups, usually as part of annual festivities in Catalonian towns and cities. The traditional setting is the square in front of the town hall balcony. The human towers are formed by castellers standing on the shoulders of one another in a succession of stages (between six and ten). Each level of the tronc, the name given to the second level upwards, generally comprises two to five heavier built men supporting younger, lighter-weight boys or girls. The pom de dalt – the three uppermost levels of the tower – comprises young children. Anyone is welcome to form the pinya, the throng that supports the base of the tower. Each group can be identified by its costume, particularly the colour of the shirts, while the cummerbund serves to protect the back and is gripped by castellers as they climb up the tower. Before, during and after the performance, musicians play a variety of traditional melodies on a wind instrument known as a gralla, setting the rhythm to which the tower is built. The knowledge required for raising castells is traditionally passed down from generation to generation within a group, and can only be learned by practice."

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich

Yamahoko, the float ceremony of the Kyoto Gion festival (2009)

On July 17 every year, the Gion Festival in Kyoto in central Japan culminates in a grand procession of yamahoko, floats known as ‘moving museums’ because of their elaborate decoration with tapestries and wooden and metal ornaments. The festival is held by the Yasaka Shrine in the neighbourhood of Gion and the thirty-two floats are built by the residents of the city’s self-governing districts, who have transmitted the tradition for many years. Each district works with musicians to play in the orchestras that accompany the parade as well as diverse artisans to assemble, decorate and disassemble the floats, which proceed in an order determined each year by lottery. The floats come in two varieties: yama floats with platforms decorated to resemble mountains and hoko floats dominated by tall wooden poles originally intended to summon the Plague God so that he could be transformed into a protective spirit through music, dance and worship. Today, the yamahoko parade is a representative urban summer festival showcasing the creative spirit and artistry of the float-building districts and providing entertainment for the entire city.

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich

Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian Puppet Theatre (2008)

"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 notorious bandits. The dialogues in these performances were largely improvised by the puppeteers. The two main Sicilian puppet schools in Palermo and Catania were distinguished principally by the size and shape of the puppets, the operating techniques and the variety of colourful stage backdrops.

These theatres were often family-run businesses; the carving, painting and construction of the puppets, renowned for their intense expressions, were carried out by craftspeople employing traditional methods. The puppeteers constantly endeavoured to outdo each other with their shows, and they exerted great influence over their audience. In the past, these performances took place over several evenings and provided opportunities for social gatherings.

The economic and social upheavals caused by the extraordinary economic boom of the 1950s had a considerable effect on the tradition, threatening its very foundations. At that time, similar forms of theatre in other parts of Italy disappeared, some of them to re-emerge some twenty years later. The Opera dei Pupi is the only example of an uninterrupted tradition of this kind of theatre. Owing to current economic difficulties puppeteers can no longer make a living from their art, prompting them to turn to more lucrative professions. Tourism has contributed to reducing the quality of performances, which were previously aimed at a local audience only."

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich

The Wayang Puppet Theatre (2003)

"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 performance styles and musical accompaniments have developed.

While these carefully handcrafted puppets vary in size, shape and style, two principal types prevail: the three-dimensional wooden puppet (wayang klitik or golèk) and the flat leather shadow puppet (wayang kulit) projected in front of a screen lit from behind. Both types are characterized by costumes, facial features and articulated body parts. The master puppeteer (dalang) manipulates the swivelling arms by means of slender sticks attached to the puppets. Singers and musicians play complex melodies on bronze instruments and gamelan drums. In the past, puppeteers were regarded as cultivated literary experts who transmitted moral and aesthetic values through their art. The words and actions of comic characters representing the “ordinary person” have provided a vehicle for criticizing sensitive social and political issues, and it is believed that this special role may have contributed to wayang’s survival over the centuries. Wayang stories borrow characters from indigenous myths, Indian epics and heroes from Persian tales. The repertory and performance techniques were transmitted orally within the families of puppeteers, musicians and puppet-makers. Master puppeteers are expected to memorize a vast repertory of stories and to recite ancient narrative passages and poetic songs in a witty and creative manner.

The Wayang Puppet Theatre still enjoys great popularity. However, to compete successfully with modern forms of pastimes such as video, television or karaoke, performers tend to accentuate comic scenes at the expense of the story line and to replace musical accompaniment with pop tunes, leading to the loss of some characteristic features."

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00011&RL=00063

The Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music (2001)

"The Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul is the setting for a Confucian ritual dedicated to the ancestors of the Joseon dynasty (14th to the 19th century) that encompasses song, dance and music. The ritual is practised once a year on the first Sunday in May and is organized by the descendants of the royal family. It offers a unique example of a Confucian ritual, which is no longer celebrated in China. The tradition is inspired by classical Chinese texts concerning the cult of ancestors and the notion of filial piety. It also includes a prayer for the eternal peace of the ancestors’ spirits in a shrine conceived as their spiritual resting place.

The order of the ceremony was defined in the fifteenth century and most elements have remained unchanged until today. During the rite, the priests, dressed in ritual costume with a crown for the king and diadems for the others, make offerings of food and wine in ritual vessels. The Jongmyo Jerye is music played to accompany the rituals and is performed on traditional instruments, such as gongs, bells, lutes, zithers and flutes. The dances are performed by 64 dancers in 8 lines representing the opposing yet complementary forces of Yin and Yang as set out in the Confucian texts.The Munmu dance, accompanied by the harmonious and soothing Botaepyong music, is characterized by a first step to the left. While the Munmu dance symbolizes the force of the Yang, the Mumu dance, accompanied by Jeongdaeeop music and characterized by a movement to the right, represents the force of the Yin.

The ancestral ritual is nowadays often considered to be devoid of meaning, especially in the context of the growing importance of Christianity. However, the ritual and its music are protected through the National List of Intangible Heritage and the 1982 Law for the Protection of Cultural Property."

Source UNESCO ICH website http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00011&RL=00016

Courtesy of elbe from postcrossing forum

Complete List

The program was established in 2008, when the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage took effect. Prior to this, a project known as the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity has already been active in recognizing the value of intangibles such as tradition, custom and cultural spaces and the local actors who sustain these forms of cultural expressions through a Proclamation. Started in 2001 and held biennially until 2005, a total of three Proclamations occurred, encompassing 90 forms of intangible heritage around the world.

The 90 previously proclaimed Masterpieces have been incorporated into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as its first entries, to be known as elements. 76 more elements were added on 30 September 2009, during the fourth session of the Committee.

Total 166 elements as of 2010.

http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011

Albania
Albanian Folk Iso-polyphony (2008)

Algeria
The Ahellil of Gourara (2008)

Argentina
The Tango (2009) Argentina – Uruguay

Armenia
The Duduk and its Music (2008)

Azerbaijan
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz (2009) Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan
The art of Azerbaijani Ashiq (2009)
The Azerbaijani Mugham (2008)

Bangladesh
Baul Songs (2008)

Belarus
Rite of the Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars) (2009)

Belgium
Procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges (2009)
Processional Giants and Dragons in Belgium and France (2008) Belgium – France
The Carnival of Binche (2008)

Belize
Language, Dance and Music of the Garifuna (2008) Belize – Guatemala – Honduras – Nicaragua

Benin*
The Oral Heritage of Gelede (2008) Benin* – Nigeria – Togo

Bhutan
The Mask Dance of the Drums from Drametse (2008)

Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
The Andean Cosmovision of the Kallawaya (2008)
The Carnival of Oruro (2008)
Aymara communities in Bolivia, Chile and Peru (2009) Bolivia (Plurinational State of) – Chile – Peru

Brazil
Oral and Graphic Expressions of the Wajapi (2008)
The Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of Bahia (2008)

Bulgaria
Nestinarstvo, messages from the past: the Panagyr of Saints Constantine and Helena in the village of Bulgari (2009)
The Bistritsa Babi – Archaic Polyphony, Dances and Rituals from the Shoplouk Region (2008)

Cambodia
Sbek Thom, Khmer Shadow Theatre (2008)
The Royal Ballet of Cambodia (2008)

Central African Republic
The Polyphonic Singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa (2008)

Chile
Aymara communities in Bolivia, Chile and Peru (2009) Bolivia (Plurinational State of) – Chile – Peru

China
Qiang New Year festival (2009)
Traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges (2009)
Traditional Li textile techniques: spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering (2009)
China engraved block printing technique (2009)
Chinese calligraphy (2009)
Chinese paper-cut (2009)
Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures (2009)
Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group (2009)
Gesar epic tradition (2009)
Grand song of the Dong ethnic group (2009)
Hua’er (2009)
Manas (2009)
Mongolian art of singing: Khoomei (2009)
Nanyin (2009)
Regong arts (2009)
Sericulture and silk craftsmanship of China (2009)
The art of Chinese seal engraving (2009)
The craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade (2009)
The Dragon Boat festival (2009)
The Mazu belief and customs (2009)
The traditional firing technology of Longquan celadon (2009)
The traditional handicrafts of making Xuan paper (2009)
Tibetan opera (2009)
Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble (2009)
Yueju opera (2009)
Kun Qu Opera (2008)
The Guqin and its Music (2008)
The Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang (2008)
Urtiin Duu - Traditional Folk Long Song (2008) China – Mongolia

Colombia
Carnaval de Negros y Blancos (2009)
Holy Week processions in Popayán (2009)
The Carnival of Barranquilla (2008)
The Cultural Space of Palenque de San Basilio (2008)

Costa Rica
Oxherding and Oxcart Traditions in Costa Rica (2008)

Côte d'Ivoire
The Gbofe of Afounkaha - the Music of the Transverse Trumps of the Tagbana Community (2008)

Croatia
Annual carnival bell ringers’ pageant from the Kastav area (2009)
Lacemaking in Croatia (2009)
Procession Za Krizen (‘following the cross’) on the island of Hvar (2009)
Spring procession of Ljelje/Kraljice (queens) from Gorjani (2009)
The festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik (2009)
Traditional manufacturing of children’s wooden toys in Hrvatsko Zagorje (2009)
Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale (2009)

Cuba
La Tumba Francesa (2008)

Cyprus
Lefkara laces or Lefkaritika (2009)

Czech Republic
Slovácko Verbuňk, Recruit Dances (2008)

Dominican Republic
The Cocolo Dance Drama Tradition (2008)
The Cultural Space of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella (2008)

Ecuador
The Oral Heritage and Cultural Manifestations of the Zápara People (2008) Ecuador – Peru

Egypt
The Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah Epic (2008)

Estonia
Seto Leelo, Seto polyphonic singing tradition (2009)
The Baltic Song and Dance Celebrations (2008) Estonia – Latvia – Lithuania
The Kihnu Cultural Space (2008)

France
The Cantu in paghjella: a secular and liturgical oral tradition of Corsica (2009)
Aubusson tapestry (2009)
Maloya (2009)
The scribing tradition in French timber framing (2009)
Processional Giants and Dragons in Belgium and France (2008) Belgium – France

Gambia*
The Kankurang, Manding Initiatory Rite (2008) Gambia* – Senegal

Georgia
Georgian Polyphonic Singing (2008)

Guatemala
Language, Dance and Music of the Garifuna (2008) Belize – Guatemala – Honduras – Nicaragua
The Rabinal Achí Dance Drama Tradition (2008)

Guinea
The Cultural Space of Sosso-Bala (2008)

Honduras
Language, Dance and Music of the Garifuna (2008) Belize – Guatemala – Honduras – Nicaragua
Hungary
Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom (2009)

India
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz (2009) Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan
Ramman: religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India (2009)
Kutiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre (2008)
Ramlila - the Traditional Performance of the Ramayana (2008)
The Tradition of Vedic Chanting (2008)

Indonesia
Indonesian Batik (2009)
The Indonesian Kris (2008)
The Wayang Puppet Theatre (2008)
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 (2009)

Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz (2009) Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan
The Radif of Iranian music (2009)

Iraq
The Iraqi Maqam (2008)

Italy
Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian Puppet Theatre (2008)
The Canto a tenore, Sardinian Pastoral Songs (2008)

Jamaica*
The Maroon Heritage of Moore Town (2008)

Japan
Akiu no Taue Odori (2009)
Chakkirako (2009)
Daimokutate (2009)
Dainichido Bugaku (2009)
Gagaku (2009)
Hayachine Kagura (2009)
Hitachi Furyumono (2009)
Koshikijima no Toshidon (2009)
Ojiya-chijimi, Echigo-jofu: techniques of making ramie fabric in Uonuma region, Niigata Prefecture (2009)
Oku-noto no Aenokoto (2009)
Sekishu-Banshi: papermaking in the Iwami region of Shimane Prefecture (2009)
Traditional Ainu dance (2009)
Yamahoko, the float ceremony of the Kyoto Gion festival (2009)
Kabuki Theatre (2008)
Ningyo Johruri Bunraku Puppet Theatre (2008)
Nôgaku Theatre (2008)

Jordan
The Cultural Space of the Bedu in Petra and Wadi Rum (2008)

Kenya
Traditions and practices associated to the Kayas in the sacred forests of the Mijikenda (2009)

Kyrgyzstan
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz (2009) Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan
The Art of Akyns, Kyrgyz Epic Tellers (2008)

Latvia
Suiti cultural space (2009)
The Baltic Song and Dance Celebrations (2008) Estonia – Latvia – Lithuania

Lithuania
Cross-crafting and its Symbolism (2008)
The Baltic Song and Dance Celebrations (2008) Estonia – Latvia – Lithuania

Madagascar
The Woodcrafting Knowledge of the Zafimaniry (2008)

Malawi
The Gule Wamkulu (2008) Malawi – Mozambique – Zambia
The Vimbuza Healing Dance (2008)

Malaysia*
Mak Yong Theatre (2008)

Mali
The Sanké mon: collective fishing rite of the Sanké (2009)
The Manden Charter, proclaimed in Kurukan Fuga (2009)
The septennial re-roofing ceremony of the Kamablon, sacred house of Kangaba (2009)
The Cultural Space of the Yaaral and Degal (2008)

Mexico
Places of memory and living traditions of the Otomí-Chichimecas people of Tolimán: the Peña de Bernal, guardian of a sacred territory (2009)
Ritual ceremony of the Voladores (2009)
The Indigenous Festivity dedicated to the Dead (2008)

Mongolia
Mongol Biyelgee: Mongolian traditional folk dance (2009)
Mongol Tuuli: Mongolian epic (2009)
Traditional music of the Tsuur (2009)
The Traditional Music of the Morin Khuur (2008)
Urtiin Duu - Traditional Folk Long Song (2008) China – Mongolia

Morocco
The Cultural Space of Jemaa el-Fna Square (2008)
The Moussem of Tan-Tan (2008)

Mozambique
The Chopi Timbila (2008)
The Gule Wamkulu (2008) Malawi – Mozambique – Zambia

Nicaragua
El Güegüense (2008)
Language, Dance and Music of the Garifuna (2008) Belize – Guatemala – Honduras – Nicaragua
Nigeria
Ijele masquerade (2009)
The Ifa Divination System (2008)
The Oral Heritage of Gelede (2008) Benin* – Nigeria – Togo

Pakistan
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz (2009) Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan

Palestine*
The Palestinian Hikaye (2008)

Peru
Taquile and its Textile Art (2008)
The Oral Heritage and Cultural Manifestations of the Zápara People (2008) Ecuador – Peru
Aymara communities in Bolivia, Chile and Peru (2009) Bolivia (Plurinational State of) – Chile – Peru

Philippines
The Darangen Epic of the Maranao People of Lake Lanao (2008)
The Hudhud Chants of the Ifugao (2008)

Republic of Korea
Cheoyongmu (2009)
Ganggangsullae (2009)
Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut (2009)
Namsadang Nori (2009)
Yeongsanjae (2009)
The Gangneung Danoje Festival (2008)
The Pansori Epic Chant (2008)
The Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music (2008)

Romania
Doina (2009)
The Căluş Ritual (2008)

Russian Federation*
The Cultural Space and Oral Culture of the Semeiskie (2008)
The Olonkho, Yakut Heroic Epos (2008)

Senegal
The Kankurang, Manding Initiatory Rite (2008) Gambia* – Senegal

Slovakia
The Fujara and its Music (2008)

Spain
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 (2009)
Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero (2009)
The Mystery Play of Elche (2008)
The Patum of Berga (2008)
Centre for traditional culture – school museum of Pusol pedagogic project (2009)

Tajikistan
Shashmaqom Music (2008) Tajikistan – Uzbekistan

Togo
The Oral Heritage of Gelede (2008) Benin* – Nigeria – Togo

Tonga
The Lakalaka, Dances and Sung Speeches of Tonga (2008)

Turkey
Âşıklık (minstrelsy) tradition (2009)
Karagöz (2009)
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz (2009) Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan
The Arts of the Meddah, Public Storytellers (2008)
The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony (2008)

Uganda
Barkcloth Making in Uganda (2008)

Uruguay
The Candombe and its socio-cultural space: a community practice (2009)
The Tango (2009) Argentina – Uruguay

Uzbekistan
Katta Ashula (2009)
Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz (2009) Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Kyrgyzstan – Pakistan – Turkey – Uzbekistan
Shashmaqom Music (2008) Tajikistan – Uzbekistan
The Cultural Space of the Boysun District (2008)

Vanuatu*
Vanuatu Sand Drawings (2008)

Viet Nam
Ca trù singing (2009)
Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songs (2009)
Nha Nhac, Vietnamese Court Music (2008)
The Space of Gong Culture (2008)

Yemen
The Song of Sana’a (2008)

Zambia
The Gule Wamkulu (2008) Malawi – Mozambique – Zambia
The Makishi Masquerade (2008)

Zimbabwe
The Mbende Jerusarema Dance (2008)