Deepavali inscribed as UNESCO Intangible cultural heritage

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/deepavali-festival-unesco-full-list-2025-intangible-cultural-heritage-humanity-10412411/

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Context:

Deepavali, the festival of light, is inscribed on UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What is UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list?

UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) List is a global framework designed to recognise, safeguard, and promote living cultural traditions that communities inherit, practise, and transmit across generations. It operates under the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, reflecting a shift from monument-centric heritage to people-centric, living heritage.

At its core, intangible cultural heritage refers to non-material cultural expressions that shape a community’s identity and collective memory. These include oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, festivals, traditional knowledge systems, and craftsmanship, which constantly evolve in response to social, economic, and environmental changes.

The ICH framework emphasises that culture is not static but dynamic and community-owned. Unlike tangible heritage (monuments or sites), intangible heritage survives only when people actively practise and transmit it. Therefore, UNESCO places strong emphasis on community participation, intergenerational transmission, and respect for cultural diversity.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list components:

• The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity highlights cultural practices that demonstrate human creativity and cultural diversity.
• The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding focuses on traditions at risk of disappearing due to factors such as modernisation, migration, or loss of practitioners.
• The Register of Good Safeguarding Practices showcases successful models of preservation and transmission that other communities can replicate.

Intangible Cultural list of India:

India has several elements inscribed on the Representative List, such as:

• Yoga
• Kumbh Mela
• Durga Puja (Kolkata)
• Chhau Dance
• Kalbelia Folk Songs and Dances
• Vedic Chanting
• Garba of Gujarat

These inscriptions highlight India’s cultural diversity and living traditions.

How a cultural practice gets inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible cultural heritage list?

Identification by the community: The process begins at the community level. The cultural practice must be:

• A living tradition actively practised and transmitted
• Recognised by the community itself as part of its cultural heritage

UNESCO emphasises that intangible heritage cannot be imposed from above; community consent and participation are mandatory.

Inclusion in the national inventory: The concerned country must first include the cultural practice in its national inventory of intangible cultural heritage, prepared and updated by the State Party (government).
This ensures that the element is officially recognised and safeguarded at the national level before international nomination.

Preparation of Nomination Dossier: The State Party prepares a detailed nomination file, which includes:

• Description of the cultural practice
• Its social, cultural, and historical significance
• Evidence of community participation and free, prior, and informed consent
• Existing and proposed safeguarding measures
• How the element contributes to cultural diversity and human creativity

Different nomination formats are used depending on whether the element is proposed for the Representative List, Urgent Safeguarding List, or Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.

Submission to UNESCO: The completed nomination dossier is submitted by the national government to UNESCO within the prescribed deadline (usually 31 March of the nomination year).Only States Parties to the 2003 Convention can submit nominations.

Decision by the intergovernmental committee: The final decision is taken by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, comprising representatives of member states.

Post-Inscription responsibilities: Inscription is not the end of the process. The State Party must:

• Implement safeguarding measures
• Submit periodic reports on the status of the cultural practice
• Ensure continued community involvement and transmission

Importance of recognition:

• Preservation of living traditions: UNESCO recognition helps safeguard living cultural practices that are vulnerable to decline due to modernisation, migration, and changing lifestyles. It encourages documentation, intergenerational transmission, and revitalisation of traditions.
• Community empowerment and identity: Recognition validates the cultural identity of communities by acknowledging their traditions as part of humanity’s shared heritage. This fosters community pride, self-esteem, and social cohesion, especially among indigenous and marginalised groups.
• Protection from cultural erosion: Global recognition helps protect cultural practices from homogenisation and loss, ensuring that local traditions survive amid globalisation and commercial pressures.
• Institutional and policy support: Inscription often leads to increased government attention, funding, and policy support for safeguarding measures, education programmes, and cultural institutions.
• Sustainable livelihoods and tourism: Recognition can generate responsible cultural tourism, creating livelihood opportunities for artisans, performers, and practitioners while encouraging sustainable and ethical engagement with heritage.
• Knowledge preservation and transmission: UNESCO recognition promotes the systematic transmission of traditional knowledge, skills, and craftsmanship, ensuring continuity across generations.

Key Additions in 2025:

• Amateur theatre acting — Czechia
• Bagpipes and bagpipe playing: transmission of knowledge and skills — Bulgaria
• Behzad’s style of miniature art — Afghanistan
• Bisht (men’s abaa): skills and practices — Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates
• Brussels’ rod marionette tradition — Belgium
• Christmas Bram and Sambai of Gales Point Manatee — Belize
• Commandaria wine — Cyprus
• Cuarteto: music, dance and lyrics of Córdoba — Argentina
• Deepavali (festival of lights) — India
• Family tradition circus — Chile
• Festivity of the Virgen of Guadalupe, Patroness of Sucre — Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
• Gifaataa – Wolaita people’s New Year festival — Ethiopia
• Guruna: pastoral, socio-cultural and artistic retreats centred on livestock among the Massa — Chad, Cameroon
• Hadrami Dan gathering — Yemen
• Joropo — Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
• Koshary: daily life dish and associated practices — Egypt
• Mvet Oyeng: musical art, practices and skills of the Ekang community — Gabon, Cameroon, Congo
• The Confraternity of flowers and palms — El Salvador
• The practice of Cuban Son — Cuba
• Traditional saree weaving art of Tangail — Bangladesh

Conclusion:

UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List highlights the importance of living traditions, practices, and knowledge systems in preserving cultural diversity and community identity in a globalised world. By focusing on safeguarding, transmission, and community participation, the list ensures that heritage remains dynamic and relevant rather than frozen in time, strengthening intercultural dialogue and sustainable development.

Source: Indian Express