Bibaha/Vivah has been in practice for hundreds of years with its first documentation in one of the Hindu epics. As per the epic, the first official marriage was celebrated between Lord Ram and Sita (Hindhu gods). It was also practiced by RISHIS, the great saints who existed in the Ganges valley civilization, before it reached down to the common people. This practice came down in line through religious texts and personals, in the eight different types mentioned above. The Bibaha/Vivah system then spread into other parts of the world with migrating people.

The 'ie Samoa is a special finely hand-woven mat that is fastened at the hem with 2 rows of green and red feathers on each end, and a loose fringe on one end. Traditionally woven with fine strippings of the pandanus plant, the final product is silk-like in nature. Its shiny coppery color adds to its value as it is a testament to its age and the natural bleaching process it undergoes from the sun and seawater. The length of 'ie Samoa is traditionally 12x9 aga or handspans of the weaver. This demonstrates its high level of intricacy as each woven strand measures as little as one milimeter in width. Therefore, the production of a single 'ie Samoa can take up to several months and even years depending on the length of the fine mat. Nevertheless, the 'ie Samoa is more than a cultural product of exceptional skills, its true value is demonstrated in its use as an exchange valuable in traditional ceremonies and rituals that serve to reaffirm kinship ties and strengthen community wellbeing. More colloquially known as 'ie toga, the 'ie Samoa is displayed and exchanged at festive celebrations or important gatherings such as weddings, funerals, or religious ordinations. The giving and receiving of the 'ie Samoa contributes profoundly to the maintenance of social structure and is an integral part of the Samoan culture. As objects of the highest cultural value, this traditional art form lies at the foundation of Samoa's rich intangible cultural heritage.

Samoa 2019

Wood turned utensils and dishes were present in Bhutan since ancient times. Communities from different parts of Bhutan have a similar type of craft as cups and plates are necessary for all household meals. However, the labour-intensive wood turned lacquer wares from Yangtse earned a considerable reputation in the kingdom. About a century-old traditional woodturning art (Shag-zo) in Yangtse is still a vibrant and popular means of family business and occupation. The present young artisans in Yangtse who are in their 20s and early 30s are the fifth-generation descendants of Lobazang from Kham in Tibet. Like other crafts of Bhutan, Shagzo demands a long process. The extracted wood knots and burls have to be dried; soaked in water; roughly shaped (first turned); roughly turned bowls are boiled; dried again; final turned bowls are smoothened with sandpapers and dried leaves of Trema politoria (locally known as Sog sogpa-shing). After colouring them yellow or red, it becomes ready for the next step – lacquering. Lacquering is another time-consuming process. Traditionally, lacquerers mostly use an urushiol-based lacquer common in East Asia derived primarily from toxic wax trees known as Sey Shing in Yangtse. These wooden bowls are an integral part of both the Bhutanese and Tibetan lifestyles and this explains the high demand for these products in Tibet. In the medieval period, people from Yangtse and Bumdeling traded wooden plates (not Dhapas) and bowls (cups) to Assam (India) and Go-phors (wooden bowl with lid), Lha-phor (bowl with lid used by monks), Dra-phor (bigger than other Phobs originally used by Tibetan Drapas), and Bay-phor (used by Tibetans, and has a deeper interior than Bhutanese hobs) to people of Tibet. Other than products historically exported to Assam and Tibet, Shagzopas make varieties of wood-turned products.

The people of Qoma Island (Fiji) for generations have been traditional fisherfolk for the Ratu mai Verata, the overlord of Verata, an ancient kingdom in today’s Tailevu province. They also serve the Ratu mai Dawasamu and are administratively under the Ratu of Namena with the present system of provincial administration. All come under today’s Tailevu province on eastern mainland Vitilevu. They are renown for their traditional knowledge of fishing in observing the ocean currents, wind direction, the sky, understanding their fishing zones, the seasonal and temporal nature of fishing activities. It is their traditional obligation to present turtle to the chiefs of Verata and Dawasamu. There are established traditional protocols; from catching turtle to its presentation process, its taboos and strict adherence to elders who will be leading the delegation.

Meshrep, which in modern Uygur language means ‘get-together’ or ‘venue,’ is the developed version of the Uygur sacrificial offerings, blessings and ceremonial events of antiquity. Early records of Meshrep appear in the Chinese source The Biography of Gao Che in the Book of Wei (553 AD) and in the Arabic classic The Grand Dictionary of Turkic Language (1073 AD). The Meshrep is an organized folkloric event that follows certain procedures and is often held in a spacious outdoor venue on seasonal and traditional holidays, or according to the needs of the people’s life and work. There are mainly three types of participants: a) the host of Meshrep, viz, the yigetbixi who, elected by the local people, has to preside over the rituals, ballads and dances, games, mock court proceedings and other events taking place in the Meshrep; usually he is aided by several assistants that ensure the orderly progress of the activities; b) the folk artists invited to perform and c) the general public. The event is normally attended by hundreds of people and all of them participate in the activities. Meshrep contains a rich collection of traditions. A complete Meshrep event includes performances like the Uygur muqam, folk songs and dances, story-singing and drama, as well as other activities such as oral literature, tournaments and games, which people enjoy and actively take part in. Meshrep has both relation and difference with Uygur muqam. Usually, some songs and dance music from it will be sung, played in Meshrep event, for the public to enjoy it and dance by self-entertainment with the rhythm of the songs and dance music. In the Uygur “twelve muqam”, each set of muqam has such songs and dance music in its third part, therefore this part is also called “Meshrep”. Uygur muqam is the large comprehensive art form integrating song, dance and entertainment, while Meshrep is just one of the cultural space of Uygur Muqam. Meshrep is rather like a big stage for various arts or a carnival party, with the public freely participating in various activities, who are not only auditors, also players, even the participants and judge of the moral forum; there is no boundary between the spectator seats and the stage, while Uygur muqam artists are just a small portion of the mass participants of Meshrep. In conclusion, Uygur muqam is the art for the public to enjoy, while Meshrep is the important space accommodating various traditional cultural expression forms. Therefore, we can say that Meshrep is not only an important ‘moral forum’ and ‘stage’ for folk artists of various kind to display their brilliant skills, but also a ‘court’ where the host mediates conflicts and ensure the preservation of moral standards. Moreover, it is a ‘classroom’ where people learn about their traditional customs, nature, and different experience of economic production. It is a ‘playground’ where to entertain body and soul. Meshrep is the most important cultural venue carrier of Uygur traditions. There are dozen varieties of Meshrep known so far, this is evidence of the diversity of its social and cultural functions. For example: the ‘Kok (Young crops) Meshrep’ is held in Springtime; the ‘Huoxalik (Festivity) Meshrep’ takes place at weddings, adulthood rites, harvest and festivals; the ‘Namakul (Apology) Meshrep’ is held to mediate conflicts or settle disputes; the ‘Keiyet (Disciplinary) Meshrep’ is performed with the aim of criticizing immoral behaviours or educating the public; the ‘Dolan Meshrep’ is meant to show admiration for the hunting life and ravery of the ancestors; and the ‘Ketaphan (storytelling) Meshrep’ serves as a sort of review of literature. Thus, the word put in front of ‘Meshrep’ indicates the social and cultural function it is meant to perform. Meshrep is mainly transmitted and inherited by the hosts who know well its rules, sequence and cultural connotation, and by the virtuoso folk artists who frequently participate in Meshrep. They learn the tradition either from older hosts and skilled folk artists, or by frequently attending the Meshrep events. They become hosts of the Meshrep only after obtaining the appreciation and recognition of the local masses. At the same time, the transmission of Meshrep cannot dispense with the majority of Uygur people who participate in its actual practice. Being a cultural space for the practice of Uygur people’s traditions, Meshrep has already become a part of their culture and folk customs. It provides the Uygur people with abundant knowledge about their traditions and sustains their cultural identity. Hence, it is considered one of the most important cultural heritages of the Uygur nation. To rescue and safeguard Meshrep not only meets the demands for mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals, but it also answers to the need for improving its viabilityand achieving its sustainable development.

China 2010

Chinese paper-cut, a traditional handiwork created by cutting patterns on paper via scissors or graver, has been a time-honoured folk art piece for decorating purpose on festivals or coordinating with various folk custom activities. As a folk art form adored and practiced by Chinese folks, Chinese paper-cut has been developed for more than 1,500 years with its fabrication skills and sculpts being preserved to these days. Chinese paper-cut comprises two classifications including “paper-cutting” and “paper-engraving”. The former relies on manual cutting and often produces one art piece in one process; the latter relies on engraving with graver and often produces multiple art pieces in one process. The Chinese paper-cut art pieces have unified color or multiple colors. Besides, mosaic or setting-off skills are adopted to enrich the color effect of Chinese paper-cut art pieces. For many centuries, Chinese paper-cut art pieces have been extensively applied to people’s daily life and on various folk custom activities such as fete, festivals and etiquettes. They have diverse patterns including: the paper-cut art pieces on window, lintel, bed and ceiling for the purpose of interior decoration; the paper-cut art pieces on occasions of wedding ceremony, birthday party, lantern festival and dragon boat festival; the paper-cut art pieces that are taken as the sample for embroidering pillow, shoe and bellyband; the paper-cut art pieces for the purpose of praying for rain, dispelling the evil and ushering in the auspice. Among numerous patterns of Chinese paper-cut, each one symbolizes certain conventionalized meanings, i.e. pomegranate symbolizes multiplied offspring while dragon and phoenix signifies love. Usually, Chinese paper-cut artists create paper-cut works off the cuff and the themes of paper-cut art pieces relate to a wide range of scope including folk belief, myths, historical stories, daily labor activities, universe and nature. The bold and vivid sculpt in Chinese paper-cut sufficiently signifies the romantic thinking and wild imagination of Chinese people. Due to the vast territory and great difference of folk customs in the northern and southern regions of China, there are diversified styles in Chinese paper-cut. Comparatively speaking, the paper-cut art pieces in North China are characterized with bold and crude artistic styles while those in South China are fine and delicate.

China 2009

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Gangneung Nongak is a leading farmers’ music handed down in areas east of Taebaek Mountain Range in Gangwon-do. Also called nongsa puri (explanation of the farming process) music, the music is presumed to have been naturally made with the start of farming. A Gangneung Nongak troupe is composed of people carrying farming tools, swaenap (conical wooden oboe), kkwaenggwari (small gongs), jing (large gongs), buk (drums), janggo (hourglass-shaped drum), sogo (small drums), and beopgo (Buddhist drum), and mudong (dancing boys). Performers wear white jacket and trousers, with their bodies decorated with bands in three colors (red, blue, and yellow); dancing boys wear colorful clothes. Gangneung Nongak is performed on the following occasions: jisin bapgi (“earth spirit treading”); geollip nongak geollippae (fund-raising troupe)’s performance; gimmaegi nongak (performance for planting rice seedlings and weeding); jilmeokgi (party for farm laborers); geollipgut (geollippae’s shamanic performance); madanggut (courtyard ritual), etc. The foregoing events are also held in other regions, but the following are performed only in Gangneung with the accompaniment of Gangneung Nongak: dalmajigut (rite to the first full-moon), hwaetbul nori (torch play), notdari bapgi (one selected among a group of young women, who treads on their waists as they lie down), gimmaegi nongak, jilmeolki, and gil nori nongak (road performance). Gangneung Nongak plays an important role as an event that provides consolation in the hard life of farmers and helps villagers build friendship with each other.

South Korea 2014

Anggalang Magunatip, more well-known as “Bamboo Dance”, is considered as one of the most popular traditional dances in Sabah. This dance belongs to the Murut’s tribe. In the old days, Anggalang was performed in celebration of a successful battle or to welcome a successful headhunting party. Nowadays it is performed during weddings and other such occasions. The name “Magunatip” is derived from the word “apit”, which means “to press between two surfaces.” In the dance, dancers need good timing and agility to put their feet between the clapping bamboo poles, without being trapped.

Literary part called as gulbazm (flower party) in the context of wedding concert. Young men and women holding a flower sing folk poems about flower or love and pass the flower to each other.

A kind of musical party, which will be held following the wedding.

A kind of party with music and dances, which are held during the wedding.

The Bhutanese custom of greeting and farewell, known as Pheb-so, is a significant culture in Bhutan. Although this custom has disappeared over time, there are some places and regions where the custom of greeting and farewell is still pronounced. Suwa, which means greeting, welcome or arrival, is practiced when a guest or someone new visits the place or region. The receiving of guests at a distance before they reach their destination is an age-old tradition in Bhutan. Sumptuous meals are prepared along with tea or alcoholic drinks. Both the guest and the reception party enjoy the meal together and continue on their way. This tradition called suwa before arriving at home has now all but disappeared in most parts of the country due to motor road connections, which take the guest right up to the village. Nonetheless, the custom continues at the national level for the receiving of dignitaries, and elaborate preparations are made in the case of His Majesty the King and members of the Royal Family, and His Holiness the Je Khenpo. People from the village normally make a point of offering tshokchang especially to the Royal Visitors, and the ministers of the entourage. Separately visiting officials are also welcomed in this way but with less elaboration. Likewise, guests are also accompanied some distance along the way when they depart. In the family or the village, seeing off the guest takes place at the point where the transport service is available. However, the official seeing off is as elaborate as the reception, at about the same distance from the place of residence. Apart from His Majesty the King and members of the Royal Family and His Holiness the Je Khenpo, alcohol is an important item to serve both at the reception and see-off points. Chawang char is to unfold the kabney and bow down to receive the VIPs as the main host offers khadar (auspicious silk scarf ). The reception party should be formally dressed for the occasion. At the time of seeing off, the hosts unfold the kabney and bow down as a sign of respect, but do not present khadar. In traditional Bhutanese custom, the oral greeting of ‘kuzu zangpo la’ is used among people of equal rank and not to dignitaries higher than oneself. Similarly, no words of farewell are used while seeing off, except that the departing dignitary may say a few words of appreciation. Some soelre (gift, usually in the form of cash) is left in appreciation for the tshokchang or hospitality offered by the people or a household. Formerly, people waved to each other with khadar until the departing guests were no longer in sight. However, this custom has also disappeared because of travel in motor cars. Nonetheless, at the point of departure, a friendly well-wishing song is exchanged between the two parties as follows: People who are leaving: The high sky is on the other side of the pass; While the sun is on this side of the pass; Because of the distance, we could not meet last year, Yet it made us happy as we could meet this year. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are staying back: The sun is all set and going, While the high sky will remain behind; If the sun is definitely leaving, Please take the high sky along with you. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are leaving: The high mountain is on the other side of the pass, While the snow lion is on this side of the pass; Because of the distance, we could not meet last year, Yet it made us happy as we could meet this year. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are staying back: The snow lion is all set and going, While the mountain will stay behind; If the snow lion is definitely leaving, Please take the mountain along with you. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are leaving: The beautiful meadow is on the other side of the pass, While the stag is on this side of the pass; Because of the distance, we could not meet last year, Yet it made us happy as we could meet this year. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those left behind flourish. People who are staying back: The stag is all set and going, While the beautiful meadow is staying back; If the stag is definitely leaving, Please take the beautiful meadow along with you. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are leaving: The serene lake is on the other side of the pass, While the golden-eyed fish is on this side of the pass; Owing to distance, we could not meet last year, Yet it made us happy as we could meet this year. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those left behind flourish. People who are staying back: The golden-eyed fish is all set and going, While the serene lake is staying back; If the golden eyed fish is definitely leaving, Please take the serene lake along with you. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are leaving: The solitary monastery stands on the other side of the pass, While the venerable lama is on this side of the pass, Because of the distance, we could not meet last year, Yet it made us happy as we could meet this year. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those left behind flourish. People who are staying back: The venerable lama is all set and going, While the solitary monastery is staying behind; If the venerable lama is definitely leaving, Please take the solitary monastery along with you. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are leaving: The majestic fortress stands on the other side of the pass, While the powerful ruler is on this side of the pass; Owing to long distance, we could not meet last year, Yet it made us happy as we could meet this year. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are staying back: The powerful ruler is all set and going, While the majestic fortress is staying back; If the powerful ruler is definitely leaving, Please take the majestic fortress along with you. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of staying behind flourish. People who are leaving: The peaceful hamlet is on the other side of the pass, While the benevolent parents are on this side of the pass; Owing to the long distance, we could not meet last year, Yet it made us happy as we could meet this year. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish. People who are staying back: The benevolent parents are all set and going, While the peaceful hamlet is staying back; If the benevolent parents are definitely leaving, Please take the peaceful hamlet along with you. Let the wishes of those leaving be fulfilled, And let the fortune of those staying behind flourish.