Why in the news?

  • Deepavali festival was added in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)

  • What is it?: According to UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage refers to “practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills that communities, groups, and individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.”
  • Objectives:
    • Promote visibility of intangible cultural heritage globally
    • Encourage respect for cultural diversity
    • Highlight traditions that are still actively passed down
  • India and the ICH: India has 16 elements in the representative list-
    • Ramlila (Traditional performance of the Ramayana)
    • Kudiyattam (Sanskrit theatre tradition of Kerala)
    • Vedic chanting
    • Ramman (Religious festival of Uttarakhand)
    • Mudiyettu (Ritual theatre of Kerala)
    • Kalbelia folk songs and dances (Rajasthan)
    • Chhau dance (Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand)
    • Buddhist chanting of Ladakh
    • Sankirtana (Manipur)
    • Yoga
    • Nawrouz (multinational)
    • Kumbh Mela
    • Durga Puja in Kolkata
    • Garba of Gujarat
    • Deepavali

Source: The Indian Express