Before going out to perform in public, Majipa Lakhe visits a place called Rengal at Lagan to worship and receive blessing for a successful day ahead. Earlier, Jyapu (a farmer clan in Newar) people were responsible taking care of Lakhe. During the course of time, Jyapu find this practice difficult to carry out and handed over to Ranjitkars (another Newar clan). To this day, Lakhe visits Jyapu house to drink water and light its chilaag (oil torch) to begin the procession.

In Buddhist temples, a ritual to wish for a happy and prosperous year will be held in the beginning of a year. In cases when a temple economically collapses, people sometimes try to succeed the ritual themselves, and Hiyondori and Okunai of Totoumi is one which those cases. At the night of Janurary 4th, ten kinds of dances are performed within the temple, after purifying the inside of a temple by a torch.\n01: The scene of bringing in torches for purifying inside the chapel

When Lakhe is ready to perform, a guardian (Mr. Rajib Ranjit) assists Lakhe to come out from its house called Lakhe Nuni. Lakhe's first prayer is held in Kebuche, the house of a clan in Newar known as Rajbhandari who made offerings to Lakhe. Lakhe comes out with musical instruments, Bhushyaha (a drum), Jhyali (cymbals), Jhyalincha, a bag, and an oil torch called chilaag.

The Nang is a shadow play, which uses figures perforated and cut from animal hide or leather (hence the word nang). The figures are manipulated from behind the screen; while the light(coming from a torch or a bonfire)beyond the backstage area throws the shadow of the figures onto a screen. The manipulation of the Nang is accompanied by narration, dialogue, and music.\n

Performed with grace, dignity, and deep cultural symbolism, Tebe-Lilin is a traditional dance that brings together members of a community in shared celebration, remembrance, and expression. It is practiced in several regions of Timor-Leste and is especially known for its emphasis on unity and peaceful co-existence.\n\nThe word “tebe” refers to a communal line or circle dance, while “lilin” translates as candle or light. Together, the name evokes the image of people dancing around a source of light—both literal and symbolic—illuminating shared values such as harmony, hope, and continuity. Historically, dancers would carry actual candles or use candlenuts wrapped in cotton, creating a flickering trail of light as they moved through the night.\n\nTebe-Lilin* is performed by groups of men and women—young and old—who link arms or shoulders and form lines or circles. They move rhythmically in unison, stepping to the beat of babadok drums and chanting in call-and-response style. The songs are often poetic and metaphorical, expressing themes of love, sorrow, longing, and reconciliation. Each verse is rich with meaning, serving not just as entertainment but as oral literature passed from generation to generation.\n\nThe dance is deeply woven into ceremonial life. It features prominently during sau-batar (corn harvest celebrations), barlake (marriage exchanges), community healing rituals, and memorial events. In each setting, Tebe-Lilin helps strengthen the spiritual and emotional ties among participants. Its circular form is believed to create balance and connection, while the singing creates a space for open emotional expression—an opportunity to share joys and wounds alike.\n\nIn some versions of the dance, the use of light is entirely symbolic. The “candle” represents the enduring spirit of the ancestors, the resilience of the community, or the moral light that guides people through challenges. The act of dancing around it becomes a ritual of reaffirmation—a moment when the community collectively reflects on its path forward while honoring its roots.\n\nThough Tebe-Lilin remains alive in certain communities, it faces challenges. Younger generations are increasingly detached from these communal traditions, and the ritual contexts in which the dance once thrived are becoming less frequent. Elders and cultural leaders continue to play a vital role in teaching the songs, movements, and meanings behind the dance, often through village gatherings, church events, and cultural festivals.\n\nIn its form and spirit, Tebe-Lilin exemplifies intangible cultural heritage at its finest: it is an art form, a social practice, and a vehicle for transmitting identity. Every time the dance is performed, it brings light—not just to the night, but to the hearts and memories of those who dance and watch.

Local Food preparation refers to process of harvesting through subsistence, the tools created for food preparation (such as that of fafa), and the preparation itself involves many people working together. Preparing fafa is important for many special occasions and is only carried out by men with clean hands; therefore, the men cannot have another job which would be considered unclean. Fafa comes in many different forms, including fafa fiti (pounded taro balls with a toasted coconut sweet sauce) also called sranomtuh (the pounded fafa with the sugarcane mixed with coconut milk), erah (pounded soft taro with banana and coconut cream fat solidifies around making a thin shell), srono kutak (srono-piece or part of it, kutak is soft taro, pahsruk is hard taro, it is a type of fafa that does not require water, hard working fafa, not mix. It’s difficult to pound and is very sticky), suklac (type of fafa made of bananas and taro and is purple in color), fafa spirit, also known as fafa ngun (spirit, like a ghost, something translucent and you cannot really see), fafa pot, likasringsring, among others (refer to sarfert). Some food preparation is according to the moon calendar. For example, planting and harvesting any crops during full moon is the best time. The texture of the soil is ideal during this time. Sometimes even the first three days of full moon. Torch fishing or molok (an animal for eating) is best done during full moon.

On 12 and 13 November 2020, ICHCAP and the ICH NGO Forum virtually held the 2020 ICH NGO Conference entitled “ICH and Resilience in Crisis.” The fifteen participants, including eleven selected presenters from ten countries around the world, discussed various cases and activities of each country applied under the Corona-era, and proposed solidarity for the resilience of ICH for a ‘New Normal.’\n\nSession 1: In the Vortex: COVID-19 Era, Roles of NGOs to Safeguard ICH\n\nSpecial Lecture 1: 'Resilience System Analysis' by Roberto Martinez Yllescas, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Mexico\n1. 'Uncovering the veil of immaterial cultural heritage towards and autonomous management of well-being as well as cultural and territorial preservation' by Carolina Bermúdez, Fundación Etnollano\n2. 'Holistic Development Model of Community-Based Intangible Cultural Heritage of Yuen Long District in Hong Kong of China' by Kai-kwong Choi, Life Encouraging Fund \n3. 'Indigenous Knowledge System as a vector in combating COVID-19' by Allington Ndlovu, Amagugu International Heritage Centre\n4. 'Enlivening Dyeing Tradition and ICH: The initiative of ARHI in North East of India' by Dibya Jyoti Borah, President, ARHI\n\nSession 2: Homo Ludens vs. Home Ludens: Changed Features COVID-19 Brought\n\n1. 'The Popular Reaction to COVID-19 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage among Member Cities of the ICCN' by Julio Nacher, ICCN Secretariat, Algemesi, Spain\n2. 'Innovation for Arts and Cultural Education Amid a Pandemic' by Jeff M. Poulin, Creative Generation\n3. 'Promoting Heritage Education through Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Kalasha Valleys of Pakistan' by Ghiasuddin Pir & Meeza Ubaid, THAAP\n4. 'Shifting to Online Activities: Digital Divide among the NGOs and ICH Communities in Korea' by Hanhee Hahm CICS\n\nSession 3: Consilience: Prototype vs. Archetype for Educational Source\n\nSpecial Lecture 2: 'Geographical imbalance: the challenge of getting a more balanced representation of accredited non-governmental organizations under the 2003 Convention' by Matti Hakamäki, Finnish Folk Music Institute\n1. 'Crafting a Post Covid-19 World: Building Greater Resilience in the Crafts Sector through Strengthening Ties with its Community’s Cultural System' by Joseph Lo, World Crafts Council International\n2. 'Arts and Influence: Untangling Corporate Engagement in the Cultural Sector' by Nicholas Pozek, Asian Legal Programs, Columbia University\n3. 'ICH in the South-Western Alps: Empowering Communities through Youth Education on Nature and Cultural Practices' by Alessio Re & Giulia Avanza, Santagata Foundation for the Economy of Culture\n\n

Nhịp đuổi is one of the melodies in a Chèo play, called “Trấn thủ lưu đồn”. This melody was performed through the solo of the nhị two-string fiddle by Meritorious Chèo artist Minh Nhương,a Chèo troupe artist of Thái Bình province who was born in Khuốt village.Thái Bình is the sole place preserving the ancient folk Chèo at community houses.

Sa lệch chênh belongs to the Sa lệch melody system in Chèo. This melody is lyrical. In addition, the Sa lệch melody system consists of Sa lệch bằng and Sa lệch xếp. The Sa lệch melodies often have a common feature, syncopation, which starts as soon as the beginning of the singing sentence. This act introduces the Sa lệch chênh melody through the solo of the nhị two-string fiddle.

Thảm trần tình was sung by character Thị Phương in a Chèo play called “Trương Viên”, which is about Thị Phương’s difficult circumstance when she had to take her mother-in-law back to her hometown while her husband was in the battle. Therefore, this melody has the features of grievance and mournfulness. Those emotions were expressed through the skillful and inspiring nhị instrumental music of artist Minh Nhương.

This audio is a story of two poor, young girls and a demon by the name of Yathyath that transformed into a rock. This history was told by Fithingmew, Mu’ut, and Bapilung from the Old Age Program in Yap back in the 1970s. There was a family, a couple and their two young daughters, who lived in Alog village, in the middle of the island far from the shoreline. The family was so poor that they always lacked food. When the girls grew old enough to walk far distances, their parents sometimes sent them to gather seashells on the west shore of the island. But their father taught them not to pass through the peninsula by Arngel village, so the girls had to walk a far distance from their home to the shore to collect shells and clams for the family. They never went near the peninsula. However, one evening, when they collected shells and clams across from Kanif shoreline, their torch went out. They looked ahead of them and saw a soft, shimmering light by the peninsula. They thought it was someone’s torch, so they started walking toward the light in the hope of asking for fire to light up their own torch. Soon after, they noticed that it was not fire, but phosphorescent light on a demon’s body. They were so scared that they turned around and ran as fast as they could. Yathyath, the demon, kept chasing them. The younger sister was so scared. She cried out in fear, and the older sister told her to dump some of the shells and clams from their basket to distract the demon. The demon slowed down and started eating the shells and clams, but it soon chased them again. The younger sister cried out again for help. As they got closer to their village, their father heard his little girl crying out and knew that the demon was after them. He quickly filled up the fireplace in the house with big pieces of flint stones and clamshells to heat them up. The girls made it home and were quickly let in by their father. The demon also ran into their house, where the stones and clamshells in the fire were extremely hot. The father fooled the demon, telling it to stand by the door and open its mouth wide so he could throw the two girls in its mouth. The demon did so, wishing for a big meal. Instead, the father slightly opened the fireplace and dumped the hot stones and clamshells into the demon’s mouth. The demon turned away in pain and headed back away from the village. Along its way on wulk’uf savannah, the demon threw up all the flint stones it had swallowed earlier. It fell to the ground and died on wulk’uf savannah, between Alog and Maa’ villages in Weloy municipality. Then the demon transformed into a big, black rock. The black rock and the pieces of flint stones still stand near the wulk’uf savannah.

This selection tells how native Yapese learned to use betel nuts (areca nuts) and how they learned tying patterns and techniques. It also talks about the roles and responsibilities of newly married Yapese couples and their families.\n

ICH Courier is the quarterly magazine on ICH in the Asia-Pacific region issued by ICHCAP since 2009. Every issue has its own theme under the title of the Windows to ICH, and the theme of the Vol 28 is 'ICH and Sacred Cultural Spaces.'

As part of the Cultural Partnership Initiative of 2016, ICHCAP invited ICH professionals from Malaysia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Tonga. Each participant researched ICH topics of interest that relate to comparative studies, sustainable development, traditional medicine, and safeguarding organizations. These reports were compiled into a bound publication and is now made available as an online download.

This book is the outcomes of the 2020 Expert Meeting for Building Network on Maritime ICH, or ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH, which held on October 29-30, 2020. It was hosted by ICHCAP in collaboration with UNESCO Apia Office and sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea. The theme of the webinar series is “Maritime Living Heritage – Building Sustainable Livelihoods and Ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific Region.”\n\nThe webinar is divided into two sessions, in which scholars, relevant NGOs, and practitioners of maritime ICH were invited to present cases and studies on the state of maritime ICH in the region, as well as relevant safeguarding activities. On the first day of the webinar, it focuses on traditional maritime skills and knowledge for inclusive social and economic development. On the second day, it examines how living heritage is used to enhance environmental sustainability and to achieve resilience.

Oral tradition consists of diverse narratives. It is passed on by word of mouth as everyday wisdom and transmitted through the generations. After that, it becomes infused in a region’s history, philosophy, and way of life, thus forming the foundation for a community’s knowledge systems. This volume introduces traditional tales in Sri Lanka, Palau, Kyrgyzstan, and Vietnam.