The United Nations cultural agency recognized traditions and customs from around the world at the 20th Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee session in Delhi this week.
The week-long gathering, which ran till Saturday after UNESCO’s meeting to include Diwali on its intangible cultural heritage list, made initial headlines in India and beyond.
But dozens of cultural practices, skills, and traditions have been singled out for recognition, or, in some cases, have had their status changed in recognition of successful efforts to preserve them since they were first identified as knowledge at risk of extinction. Following are some notable examples.
swiss yodeling
Alpine hikers certainly rejoiced at the recognition for yodeling being added to the representative list of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.
The Swiss Ministry of Culture said, “As the emblematic song of Switzerland, yodeling encompasses a wide variety of artistic expressions and is deeply rooted in the population.” “As a distinctive singing technique, yodeling alternates between chest and head voices and uses meaningless syllables that are often associated with local dialects.”
While yodeling is also popular in Austria and Germany, Switzerland received the nomination independently.
Italian cuisine
You’re probably thinking of pizza and pasta, but Italy’s government was quick to seek recognition for its broad definition. Cucina Italian (“Italian cuisine”).
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has championed “Made in Italy” products as part of her right-wing government’s nationalist agenda. He said the designation “respects who we are and our identity.”
Meloni said in a statement, “Because for us Italians cuisine is not just food or a collection of recipes. It is much more than that: it is culture, tradition, work, wealth.”
The art of breeding Turkmen alabay
The Alabay, or Alabai or Central Asian Shepherd Dog, is one of the largest and most powerful dog breeds on the planet.
Dogs bred to herd and protect livestock on vast expanses of steppe from predators such as wolves and even humans are native to many Central Asian countries.
But they are a subject of special pride in Turkmenistan. Although the national animal is the Akhal-Teke horse, the Alabez are revered dogs that are considered national treasures. A golden statue honoring the breed was unveiled in the capital Ashgabat in 2020.
In recent years, Alabay puppies have also been a common gift for foreign leaders when Turkmenistan politicians pay state visits to countries including South Korea, Russia, and Turkey.
Turkish yurt-building knowledge and skills
The knowledge and skills involved in building traditional Turkic nomadic dwellings, known as yurts, were first included on the list in 2014.
But initially it was registered as intangible cultural heritage from Crimea and Kazakhstan. By the 2025 meeting, Uzbekistan has joined this list, as the Karakalpak yurts most associated with the northwest of the country have been added to this designation.
Yurts can often be found in Turkmenistan and Mongolia, as well as parts of China and Russia. One reason why they are preferred over basic wooden and stone structures is their impressive resilience against earthquakes due to their circular design and flexible frame.
Security efforts in China, Croatia and the Middle East praised
The Delhi meeting also appreciated efforts to preserve and maintain cultural knowledge previously highlighted as endangered.
When the Heizen Yimakan story was first recorded, “only five storytellers were still able to perform some of the Heizen yimakan cantos, and the traditional practices associated with Heizen oral narratives faced many threats,” UNESCO wrote on its websiteThe tradition of oral storytelling is a core component of the historical worldview of the minority Hezen ethnic group,
Community and school programs as part of the safeguarding program have helped to revive the practice, meaning it was removed from the list of practices in “urgent need of safeguarding” and instead put on the main intangible cultural heritage list.
A protection program was also carried out between 2011 and 2013 to try to protect Al Sadu weaving knowledge, with “the information protected by a dwindling number of elderly women” at that time.
UNESCO said the efforts of various artists “have ensured the continuity and transmission of the element while creating employment and income-generating opportunities for many people.”
And in Croatia, efforts to engage youth with the history and tradition of the “Lastovo Poklad” carnival, taking place between January and Ash Wednesday, were praised for promoting “increased practice and awareness among younger generations”.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico