A tongue-twister as a kind of Uzbek oral folklore represents a phrase or a sentence that consists from rhymed words difficult to articulate. It can be a fascinating folk game - to quickly, cleanly and correctly pronounce the most complex combinations of sounds or long words.

The Telling Tradition of Nasreddin Hodja/Molla Nesreddin/Molla Ependi/Apendi/Afendi Kozhanasyr/Nasriddin Afandi Anecdotes is an intangible cultural heritage element on social practices and festivals related to the tradition of telling anecdotes. It is transmitted orally among generations and is shaped around Nasreddin who became a symbol of humor and wisdom. Although there are slight differences about images, names and anecdotes of Nasreddin in communities, the main features of the element have been shared as a common heritage in the Submitting States. Communities acknowledge that he was a wise person who analyzed the society well and gathered shared intelligence, thought and life experience of people in his own personality. The anecdotes of him are short and intensive narrations transmitted through oral tradition and written sources, attributed to Nasreddin whose reputation spread to the wide geographical area. Some of the anecdotes have become classic, and the epigrams of these anecdotes have turned into idioms and proverbs in time. His anecdotes are intensely practiced in the printed and visual media as well as in the oral tradition and especially in the programs prepared for children. In the anecdotes of Nasreddin, the components of wisdom, repartee, witticism, common sense, absurdity and surprise merged firm and these are distinguishing features of the anecdotes. Nasreddin breaks very often accepted norms and concepts, while finding an extraordinary way out of the situation, where he is always the winner, by the power of word. Anecdotes call for humor, satire, sarcasm, and cynicism, to reveal the negative traits of people. However, the anecdotes is a genre with an instructive, entertaining function, a profound meaning that ends with moral, intellectual, and logical results. His anecdotes include relations of different people and their behaviors in various situations. Through his anecdotes, all kinds of unpleasant behaviors are being criticized and judged through humor. Communities in the Submitting States enrich conversations with his anecdotes and support speeches with his witticism. His anecdotes are narrated easily by everyone to strengthen any thought by giving examples in the dailylife, to convince other people or to explain a situation. In some Submitting States, although there is no specific narrator or teller of these anecdotes, the artists of traditional theatre use the element to enrich their narratives and to entertain people. On the other hand, there are specific tellers of the anecdotes in some Submitting States (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). The anecdote tellers select words and perform with great care. In this sense, it mostly depends on knowledge, understanding, thinking, performance culture and skill of the performer to tell anecdotes in meaningful, impressive and funny way. It is important for performer to know various life situations, possess an impressive culture of speech, and make use effectively and skillfully his face, eye, hand, and body movements. In Submitting States, local administrations, municipalities, universities and NGOs which play significant roles in transmission of the element, organize various activities and festivals periodically for commemoration of Nasreddin at local, national and international levels. Public participation in these festivals and activities is considerably high.

Azerbaijan,Kyrgyzstan,Kazakhstan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan,Turkey,Uzbekistan 2022

It is said that besides the naked dance performed during Jampa Lhakhang Drub, there are also naked dances performed during Nabji Drub in Trongsa and Sakteng Tercham, Trashigang and in Dagana. The naked dance is honorifically referred to as a “tercham” a term usually applied to dances revealed as treasure. Just as any sacred ter (treasure or precious object) is not exposed freely to the public so also our nakedness is never exposed publicly. So the dance performed naked and exposing the genitals is exceptional and hence considered tercham or the “revealed treasure dance”. According to the book Invoking Happiness, the dance has its origins during the construction of Jampa Lhakhang, when local spirits disrupted the process45. The story recounts that King Songtsen Gampo manifested himself in the form of several people dancing naked, which fascinated the troublesome spirits. As they remained preoccupied by the dancers, the temple construction was completed and consecrated. According to Chagkhar Lama Dorje, Dorje Lingpa introduced the dance at Nabji, Trongsa. One oral account maintains that when Dorje Lingpa was constructing Nabji Lhakhang, local spirits were disrupting the process every night. In order to distract the spirits, Dorje Lingpa used his miraculous power to summon naked people from the Treasure Cliff located opposite of Nabji Lhakhang. He made them dance, and antics kept the spirits spellbound enough so that Dorje Lingpa was able to complete the temple and consecrate it. Thus, according to this account, the tercham was first performed at Nabji under the supervision of Dorje Lingpa. When Dorje Lingpa later renovated Jampa Lhakhang, the dance was performed during the initial consecration ceremony and is said to have been enacted every year since. At Jampa Lhakhang Drub, tercham is performed each of the first three nights. The performers are chosen from the five villages of Drub Tsawa: Chagkhar, Jampa Lhakhang, Changwang, Nasphey and Nobgang. After the normal mask dance performances are concluded, a crowd gathers around midnight at the performance ground in the outer courtyard of the western side of Jampa Lhakhang. Shortly after midnight, a group of ten men emerge from the chamkhang (room for dance preparations) and dance to the rhythmic beating of traditional mask dance drums and cymbals. The men are all naked except for their faces, which are covered by a white cloth to conceal their identities. The last man, who is the dance master, wears shorts. The group dances around a bonfire located in the middle of the performance ground, sometimes acting outrageously towards the spectators. The dance lasts for an hour despite the cold, which drops to around one to two degrees Celsius. Photos or any type of recording is strictly prohibited, as is the use of torches. Policemen and village locals guard the integrity of the performance, and deal harshly with anyone who attempts to break the stringent rules. Chagkhar Lama Dorje describes the dance as most sacred and says that spectators should not look at the dancer’s genitals as just male organs. As the male genitals are never exposed publicly, it is one of the world’s precious ter. All sentient beings are brought into the world, in part, by this organ. Local elders explain that though the younger generation may find the dance funny, it was started by the great saint Dorje Lingpa, and therefore one should view events with devotion rather than as entertainment. In the recent past, the dance was banned by the Dzongkhag Administration, who deemed it vulgar and embarrassing. Once banned, there was abnormally heavy rainfall and hail, and the Drub could not be properly conducted. Local astrologers attributed downpours and bad weather to the tercham ban. The local people conducted kangsol rituals to repair the relationship with the protective deities and the Dzongkhag Administration lifted the ban the following year.

Inscribed in 2014 (9.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Nongak is a fusion performing art genre that combines a percussion ensemble (with occasional use of wind instruments), parading, dancing, drama, and acrobatic feats. It has been practiced for various purposes, such as appeasing gods, chasing evil spirits and seeking blessings, praying for a rich harvest in spring, celebrating the harvest at autumn festivals, fund-raising for community projects, and professional entertainment. Any joyful community event was never complete without uproarious music and dance performed by the local band clad in colorful costumes. The resultant ecstatic excitement (sinmyeong) is often defined as a preeminent emotional characteristic of Korean people. The music frequently uses uneven beats of complex structures like simple three-time, compound time, and simple and compound time. Small hand-held gongs and hourglass drums, with their metal and leather sounds, play the main beats, while large gongs and barrel drums create simple rhythmic accents. The small hand-held drum players focus more on dancing than playing music. Dancing includes individual skill demonstrations, choreographic formations, and streamer dances. Actors wearing masks and peculiar outfits perform funny skits. Acrobatics include dish spinning and miming antics by child dancers carried on the shoulders of adult performers. Nongak was most often performed and enjoyed by grassroots people, but there were also professional groups putting on entertainment shows. In recent years, professional repertoires have evolved into the percussion quartet “Samul Nori” and the non-verbal theatrical show “Nanta,” dramatically emphasizing the music element and thereby appealing to broader audiences at home and from abroad.

South Korea 2014

Darshey is a traditional practice where a man holding a khadar (auspicious white scarf ) in his outstretched hands faces the seated crowd, and makes auspicious speeches at a ceremonial function, usually during religious and social occasions. (The origin of the tradition is attributed to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) when he introduced this practice during the consecration ceremony of Punakha Dzong in 1639.) The tradition, however, may vary slightly from village to village in the use of language and presentation such as making speeches decked with maxims or simply narratives. The worldly tradition of Darshey does not require to be sung like Gurma (Religious songs), Lu or Tsammo (Songs without choreographies) but is expressed more or less like a recitation. Darshey is usually performed during auspicious occasions. Atsara (masked clown) also makes similar speeches during Tshechus (Annual Mask Dance Festivals). Generally, ordinary people perceive Atsara as a comedian that appears during tshechus in the midst of mask dancers wearing a funny mask, usually holding a phallus and a rattle in his hands to entertain the audience. However, the word came from the Sanskrit term achāriya; a title attached to a great spiritual teacher, who can claim his place among the 84 Mahasiddhas, representing all those who have within one lifetime attained direct realisation of the Buddha’s teachings. Their appearance as clowns represents our ignorance through which we fail to see the ultimate truth. That is why our forefathers had regarded the senior atsaras as the embodiment of guardian deities and sublime beings. During such gatherings as tshechu all the dignitaries such as spiritual masters and monks, ministers, secretaries, merchants and the laities give them money as a mark of their appreciation. In return, the atsara also gives auspicious narration in the form of concluding words, which is a unique aspect of Bhutanese culture. Unfortunately, this good aspect of the atsara’s auspicious narration is now on the verge of disappearing.

"Ayai" is a popular art form that entertains audiences through dancing, singing and joke. Most Ayai singers have been ordained (Buddhist monks) or well-rounded individuals. They are eloquent with words, have a good sense of humor, fast learners who can memorize a long storyline and are flexible. They have to unexpectedly create lyrics to suit the context of the ceremony or event. There are two types of Ayai: Ayai Chhlang Chler and Ayai Reoung. Ayai Chhlang Chler performed as duel, a man and a woman pitching their wits against each other through singing, and dancing humorously. The lyrics can be sung according to the knowledge and talent of the artist in education, social issues, poems, legends, fairy tales and other stories. Whereas Ayai Reoung is a type of performance which performers follow a storyline, long or short. The story that is brought to perform, whether it is a fairy tale or a modern written story, is mostly a funny one. The performance also includes dancing, singing, and challenging with or to their performance partner, just like Ayai Chhlang Chler. The accompaniment of Ayay is called "Ayay ensemble", which includes instruments such as: Tro Ou, Tro Duong Toch (or Troso), Khim, Krapeu (Tak Ke or Tak), flute, ching and rounded earth drum. There are around 15 music used in this Ayay orchestra and those are: Hom Rong, Kanseng Krahom, Ayay worship song, Bampey klay song, Tan Chao song, Dil La song, Soy Sangvar song, Sen Sranoh song, Chab Chhay song, Yil Yog song, Teka Mong song, bird walking on the ground song and hunter Prey or Chao Phim song.

Orteke (mountain goat) is the name of an indigenous Kazakh performing art in which flexible wooden figure of a mountain goat is placed on a traditional drum called dauylpaz. Orteke’s originality comes from it being a combination of theater, music, and puppet dance. The figure begins to move from the movement of the filaments attached to the fingers of a musician playing the dombra (Kazakh musical instrument). The expressive puppet figure, called teke (goat), seems to come to life when the master starts playing the drum. The figure makes funny dance movements in time with the rhythm of the music being played. It is also said that the orteke figure once came different shapes and sizes that were created individually, each with a different number of moving limbs, depending on which kyu was performed. Some masters of this genre can be played with two or three or more puppets simultaneously.

Folklore genre, a short funny story, usually transmitted from mouth to mouth. Most often, an anecdote is characterized by an unexpected semantic resolution at the very end, which gives rise to laughter.

Inscribed in 2011 (6.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Jultagi, or tightrope walking, is a traditional Korean performing art. Tightrope walking refers to the art of not only walking, but singing, dancing or performing acrobatics, while narrating funny stories, on a single thin rope suspended between two points. Tightrope walking, however, is not a one-man show. The rope walker, called jul gwangdae, obviously is the centre of attention but he needs other artists collaborating on the ground, such as the musicians to accompany his acrobatic feats and funny narratives, and a clown to retort to his remarks or answer questions as a dialogue companion. Today, tightrope walking performers are frequently invited to local festivals that take place throughout the country particularly in spring and autumn. It is a good way to get people excited and laughing in festivals. Since almost all the local festivals host tightrope walking performance, it became one of the traditional performing arts the general public can readily access and feel familiar with. As a full-scale show lasts the whole afternoon, it has to be carefully organized with acrobatics, narratives and music to maintain the audience’s interest and stifle yawns. The tightrope walker starts with simpler feats, gradually moving to more difficult acrobatics such as bouncing up and down from the rope, tumbling and somersaulting, and sitting on the rope with his legs crossed. He displays some 40 different rope techniques. Between his feats he cracks jokes and sings songs while the audience catches its breath from the nail-biting manoeuvres. Tightrope walking, in this regard, is not a simple presentation of rope techniques but an age-old form of integrated performing arts and entertainment. The Korean traditional tightrope walking is distinguished from similar arts of other countries in that it is not all about demonstrating a series of rope techniques but proceeds with dialogue between the rope walker and the clown, who constantly interact with the audience. In other words, the Korean tightrope show is not a unilateral presentation of fun and thrill but two-way communication between the performers and spectators, where the participants can adjust the routine to the atmosphere of the show. The show is for the enjoyment of both the performers and spectators. And this is what makes Korean tightrope walking unique and significant.

South Korea 2011

"Phleng Chai Yam" is lively, and funny and captivates the audience's attention. This music is played to celebrate many festivals such as Bon Pka festivals, almsgiving, dragon baptism, and so on. Apart from this, you can also play in some other events such as marching, leading leaders or players, etc. Chaiyam musical instruments include 5, 7, and 9 long drums (may be more or less as possible), one or a pair of krab, one or a pair of chap, one gong mong (as a rhythm giver or so-called master) And sometimes there are cheong and tro to support as well. For the costume, men are wearing Kben, Sontaes shirt, using different bright colors with a scarf around their waists. Most of the characters wear funny face masks made of paper. Sometimes there is also a female character holding Chap to accompany the dance. If there is no woman, there must be a man dressed as a woman. Many festivals are held at pagodas, so each pagoda always has a Chai Yam band.