Materials
oil
ICH Materials 93
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We Work among the Pamir Mountains"It is not for nothing that the Pamir Mountains in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of the Republic of Tajikistan (GBAO) are called the “Roof of the World”—Ismoil Somoni’s peak reaches 7,495 meters. Pamir is characterized by huge permanent glaciers and narrow mountain ranges with sharp snowy ridges, and large lakes sitting 5,500 meters above sea level. The impenetrable mountain gorges go some way to explaining the emergence of an exceptional lifestyle, different languages, dialects, and monocultures. Currently, six of the oldest East Iranian unwritten languages are in use in the Pamirs: Shugni, Rushani, Bartangi, Yazgulami, Wakhi, and Ishkashimi as well as some Persian dialects and Kyrgyz lan- guages. The folklore of the Pamiri people is passed on not only in local vernacular, but also in Tajik, the official language. The Pamir highlanders have their own distinctive tradi- tions. A person from this region has their journey from birth to death accompanied by all kinds of rituals, customs, and traditions. Life events such as maternity, family and house- hold, wedding, marriage, holiday, and calendar production are marked, adding meaning to the highlanders’ daily life."Year2021NationTajikistan
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Celebrating Festivals During a Global PandemicNepal was famously referred to as “the land where there are nearly as many temples as houses and as many idols as inhabitants” by Sir William Kirkpatrick in his book Account of the mission to Nepaul in 1811 CE. This quote holds testimony to the numerous festivals celebrated throughout the year until today to commemorate these idols and temples. Since the seventh century CE, one such ancient festival has had continuity to relieve Kathmandu Valley from a long drought. The god being appeased in this festival was Matsyendranath, the god of rain, from which the festival received its name Rato Matsyendranath Jatra.\n\nAccording to legend, the drought was relieved by bringing a Matsyendranath from Kamarup-Kamakhya (now in east India). The king sent his team—the priest Bandhudatta, a farmer, and the serpent king Karkotaka. The entourage returned successfully and entered the valley through Bungamati, where the locals greeted them with much adoration and built a temple for the serpent king to reside. However, being from Patan, the farmer insisted on having the residence of the deity at Patan too. Since then, the festival has been celebrated in Patan and Bugamati without interruption.\n\nThis festival is celebrated just before the monsoon season (mid-April to May) as a harbinger of the rains. The festivity extends over a month and is the longest among the many festivals Nepalis celebrate. Astrologers are consulted for the events involved in this festival. The local community constructs an elaborate eighteen-meter-tall wooden chariot, which is assembled and dismantled annually. The deity is placed in the chariot on a throne, and the indigenous inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley pull the chariot around Patan. As the chariot rests at various locations, locals venerate the deity, offering incenses, flowers, and other items. Some people light oil lamps to ask for the general well-being of their families. The priest escorting the deity inside the chariot hands out flowers and fruit to devotees. The light from the lamps makes the chariot glow. In the evening, people invite extended families and friends and indulge in a feast of traditional food and drinks and merrymaking. After completing the tour, the deity is carried in a palanquin to its second home at Bungamati.\n\nThis year, the global pandemic changed the events of this festival. The government, rightly prioritizing citizens’ health, requested the organizing communities to cancel the festival. However, the organizers were keen to celebrate at least a low-key festival because the initial processes had already begun. Furthermore, they opined that the festival was celebrated to overcome a disaster in the past, so it should continue to avoid further tragedies. The public, impatient with the chariot festival’s delay, forcefully started pulling the chariot, disregarding social-distancing measures ordered by the state. The sight of a large mob would entice the police to use force to disperse the crowd, leading to a violent clash. The organizing committee decided to make a symbolic movement of the chariot. All other festival activities were canceled, so a ritual will be conducted to ask the god for forgiveness for the mishaps of the festival.\n\nThis is a very unpleasant situation, which could be handled better by the state. A similar chariot festival in Kathmandu, Kumari Jatra, which falls around August, was not celebrated on a joint decision of the state and the organizers. However, at Patan, the situation was slightly different; the initial rituals had already commenced before COVID 19. The government should have regarded the people’s commitment to providing continuity to ICH even during such times of crisis.\n\nNepal is known for having more festivals than the number of days in a year. If the state had been more diplomatic, it could have set an example to the world by celebrating all festivals in the presence of only the concerned people and authorities while broadcasting a live telecast for people all over Nepal and globally. With such negligence by the state, festivals and other ICH of a country can be lost.\n\nPhoto : Armed Police Force stand guard in front of the chariot of Deity Rato Machindranath. Skanda Gautam/THTYear2020NationNepal
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Traditional Baby Showers in FijiThe arrival of a newborn baby is cause for great joy particularly for a newly wedded couple if it is their first born. In traditional Fijian society, when a married maiden is expecting, her husband and his kin plant uvi (yams) dalo, a rootcrop (Colocasia esculenta) and stock pigs in the pens. The matriarchs from both the man and woman’s side also begin weaving new mats in anticipation for the birth.\n\nPrior to hospitals, traditional midwives known as VUNIKALOU were approached and on hand when labour contractions were expected. These VUNIKALOU had diverse knowledge about herbal medicines to administer to the expecting mother during and after pregnancy.\n\nThere are also elderly matriarchs on hand to administer to the expecting mother’s needs like washing, cooking, tending to the bedroom. The sleeping area is cordoned off with a huge taunamu or wall-length tapa as traditional Fijian houses do not have separate rooms. All the while mother and newborn baby must not emerge from behind this barrier until the end of the fourth night. Males too are forbidden from entering the residence where mother and newborn are until after the fourth day otherwise they will be meted out traditional punishment called ORE by the matriarchs. And young men, the baby’s father and other menfolk intentionally violate the rules as an excuse for them to bear the burdens of the ‘punishment’. This is their indirect way of showing their affection and pride towards the arrival of the newborn baby. They take a day or so to prepare their ‘punishment tokens’ which could be cooked fish, or dalo, fruits, vakalolo (grated starch with sweetened caramelized coconut milk), cigarettes, etc for the matriarchs’ enjoyment serving in the home.\n\nWhen the baby is born, it is the responsibility of the baby’s father’s kin to relay the message traditionally to the baby’s vasu or maternal kin. A whale tooth is presented traditionally to relay the joyful news.\n\nDuring the first four nights of the baby’s birth, kinship from both the mother and father’s side present raw dalo, freshly woven baby mats, oil, brooms, tapa cloth. The dalo presentation is called DREKEBA (stress on –a). The boiled dalo stalk is the primary meal of the new mother for it is believed that it improves lactation.\n\nThe mats are gifts for the matriarchs serving in the household. This occasion is called the ROQOROQO meaning ‘to carry’. When the women arrive (no males are still allowed in but they still do so eager to receive their ‘punishment’), they sing meke and folk songs. The matriarchs serving in the house entertain the roqoroqo parties and there is much joy. The reason behind the loud noise and merry making is said to make the newborn baby begin to understand in his/her spiritual mind and heart that there is a large family waiting for him/her and ready to support in the rearing. This is the actual roqoroqo! There is no actual carrying and kissing of the newborn baby until after the fourth night as it is believed that baby is still spiritually and physically vulnerable to all sorts of bad air and malevolence. On the fourth day, the baby’s paternal kin prepare a feast called VAKATUNUDRA (warming the blood) for the village to enjoy.\nThe serving matriarchs take turns in carrying the baby as the mother recovers. The one on whom the baby’s umbilical cord falls onto is the one who will provide the four night feast. This role is quietly contested as each matriarch is eager to show their affection and home network support.\n\nMuch has changed from the original notion of roqoroqo or baby showers. Today babies are born in hospitals and the ceremonies, pomp and jovial camaraderie between kinsfolk is diminishing. A version of it exists though in the modern version of visitation to a newborn baby’s family with modern gifts for both baby and mother.\n\nphoto 1 : Women from the village visiting new born baby (carried in center) and present traditional gifts to mother (Left) and family.© ITaukei Institute of Language & Culture\nphoto 2 : Men carrying dalo plants for a traditional baby shower in Kumi village, Verata, Tailevu, Fiji © ITaukei Institute of Language & Culture\nphoto 3 : Trimmed green dalo stalks for boiling to enhance mother’s breast milk production.© ITaukei Institute of Language & CultureYear2022NationFiji
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Chhaitun: A Childbirth Ritual in NepalIn some parts of Asia, childbirth ritual still exists, guided either by religion or folk belief. Chhaitun, a childbirth ritual of the Gandharba community in Nepal, is held on the sixth day after the delivery of a child into the world. This is a major ritual where a fortune writer unveils the fate of a newborn.\n\nThe Gandharba community in Nepal believes that individual fortune is written by the Vabi or the god of fate. On the occasion, after dusk, the entire surrounding of the house is purified by sprinkling it with holy water from Marsyandi, the nearest river to the community and recognized as holy since its water comes from the Himalayas. The host family invites their neighbors for a musical performance. Older men in the community sing an auspicious song with their instruments to welcome the fortune writer. The main entrance of the house will be opened throughout the musical performance. The child will be kept alone in a room with its doors and windows open. The elder person in the family keeps a notebook and a pen placed beside the child together with one mana (local measurement of the volume of rice) of uncooked rice on a brass plate; a traditional oil lamp will be kept on middle of the same plate. The entire procession of welcoming the fortune writer takes about an hour but the musical performance lasts till midnight. The host family serves snakes and home-made wine to the neighbors. The ritual ends with the neighbors giving blessings to the child.\n\nIn other words, Chhaitun is far beyond of a short ritual where a fortune writer unveils the fate of a newborn but the whole package of blessing which includes the hours of celebration.\n\nPhoto : A stage in the ritual © Anil GandharbaYear2017NationNepal
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Nuad Thai: Traditional Thai Massage as ICHNuad thai or Thai Massage is a body and mind therapy, a traditional method of healing integrating the knowledge of science and art and local wisdom. Transmitted from generation to generations since the ancient times, it is still remarkably widespread throughout the country because of its effectiveness. In the past, it was practiced only within family bounds, such that wives or children would massage their husbands, parents, or grandparents after farming or gardening to relieve muscle ache.\n\nBasically, nuad skills involve applying hands, elbows, knees, and feet to press, squeeze, chop, stretch, knead, and pound. Thai people believe that the human body consists of four basic elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Nuad can stimulate energies of the body, and thus it betters blood circulation. In 2011, the Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture inscribed nuad thai on the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage under the domain of Knowledge and Practices Concerning Nature and the Universe.\n\nNuad has two important purposes. One is to secure the capacity of one’s health to carry out the demands of professional life. In fact, people can select a kind of massage according to their individual preference such as reflexology, oil massage, hot herbal ball massage, hydrotherapy massage, or foot massage. For this purpose, plenty of spas or massage houses provide this kind of comforting service. On another hand, nuad thai is a remedy to health problems. In this case, therapists are required to be specialized and certified for this treatment to diagnose, cure, heal, or relieve the symptom. Felling off the pillow, low back pain, ankle sprain, constipation, and paralysis are some example of this treatment.\n\nNowadays, nuad thai is more extensively famous, not only for farmers or workers but also for other areas of work. As modernization, social pressure of technology, and increase of office work, burnt-out people tend to have nuad to reduce their body pain and relax their minds. Nuad has gained a wider acceptance as self-care practice for social value as the body and mind treatment. In fact, it recently becomes more popular for foreign tourists, too.\n\nPhoto : Nuad Thai 1ⓒ The Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture in ThailandYear2018NationThailand
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History and Transmission of Korean Lacquer CraftsHuman has made great progress beyond the speed of biological evolution by using tools. First, human used stones and wood as tools for hunting and gathering, and then invented earth-baked earthenware such as bowls for food, appropriate to farming life. The defects of woodenware and earthenware, however, were obvious. It was not able to contain liquid due to their moisture absorbency, and easily damaged. Earthenware has evolved into glazed ceramic but it required a high-tech kiln with high temperature, accompanied by a technology for metal refining as a key prerequisite. In East Asia, moisture proof and insect proof techniques to coat objects were invented much earlier. That is lacquer technique.\nProduction process of lacquer is delicate and complicated such as handling lacquer sap at the risk of skin disease, creating hot and humid environment for hardening process, etc. Nevertheless, in East Asia, people have used lacquer technique in many regions from the Neolithic Age, knowing its merits earlier on. Lacquer was used for adhesive and surface protection of leather, earthenware, ceramics and metalware. In particular, it has been inextricably linked to wooden objects. Whereas in West Asia and Europe various varnishes mixed with dry oil and resin has been used, in East Asia lacquer was used as a basic varnish in common. That shows that lacquer is great material and technique to represent the commonality of Asian culture.1) This article aims to briefly look into the origin of lacquer technique in Northeast Asia and share the information on it and its current status of transmission.Year2021NationSouth Korea
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Ethnobotanical use of Symplocos paniculata (Thunb.) Miq. in Punakha District, BhutanSymplocos paniculata of symplocaceae was found to be used by Serigang community under Punakha Dzongkhag. The seed of the species was widely used for extraction of oil. There appears to be a smaller number of people who make medicines in the village. The production of Pangtse makhu is on a steady decline because of the availability of a cheaper alternative. Due to heavy work and little return, most of the trees are being cut to make way for other cash crops. Although the village is equipped with modern amenities, people still depend on forest for goods and services. Ethnobotany is still apparent in every item and situation that make up their everyday life. From this study prospects of an ethnobotanical\nplant have been found in kabjisa geog. It also suggests that rural folks should also be considered as an important source of information about the use of ethnobotanical plants. The effort in this study may provide benefits for future researchers in other parts of the locality.Year2007NationBhutan
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Tihar Festival in NepalTihar (also known as Deepawali, Diwali, or Yamapanchak) is the most celebrated festival in Nepal. It takes place on Kartik Krishna Pakshya (early or end of November) every year. The five-day-long festival is observed with various activities—the longest of which is the successive worship activities of animals.\n\nOn the first day of the festival, Kaag Tihar (crow worship) is celebrated by offering sweets and foods to birds, especially crows. In Hindu mythology, crows are considered the messenger of Yama (lord of death). As the cawing of the crows symbolizes misfortune, the devotees feed crows to avert grief and death they may cause. On the second day of the festival, Kukur Tihar (worship of dog) is celebrated by offering garlands, tika (red-colored paste), and delicious food to dogs. Dogs occupy a special place in Hindu mythology. As mentioned in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva, had a dog as a vahana (vehicle). Yama, the god of death, is believed to own two guard dogs, each with four eyes. The dogs are said to watch over the gates of Naraka, the Hindu concept of hell. In the morning of the third day, Gai Tihar (worship of the cow) is celebrated by offering flower garland, tika, food, and grass to the cow. In Hinduism, cow signifies wealth and prosperity. In the evening, Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, is thanked for all the benefits families may have received by lighting diyo (oil lamps) or candles on doorways and windows; this gesture also welcomes prosperity and well-being. On the fourth day, Goru Tihar (worship of ox) is observed in similar way. Ox is regarded as the closest and most important animal as it assists Nepalese farmers to plough their land for farming. The fifth and the most notable day of the festival is Bhai Tika or Kija Puja. It is observed by sisters applying tika on the forehead of their brothers to ensure long life and prosperity. The Bhai Tika follows a traditional ritual in which brothers sit on the floor and sisters circle brothers three times, dripping the undefiled water (pure; not drunk by anyone) on the floor from a copper pitcher. Then sisters break the walnut with the stone which is placed on the middle area of the main door of the house, wishing that they could alleviate their brothers’ grief.\n\nAnother distinctive feature of Tihar is deusi or vailo, the traditional songs that are sung during the festival. Vaili, a group of people with musical instruments visit houses one by one to sing and dance mainly in the night. The host families highly appreciate the visit of Vaili to their homes and offer rice, fruits, roti (home-made round bread), and some money. A traditional oil lamp on a brass plate or on nanglo (a flat round woven tray made up of bamboo) is lit in the presence of Vaili. It is believed that Vaili blessings bring happiness and prosperity to the family.\n\nTihar is considered a culturally essential festival in Nepal as it preserves Nepalese traditional beliefs, recognizing not just the importance of human prosperity but also the significance of animals in the life of Nepalese cultural heritage.\n\nPhoto : Tihar © Anil GandharbaYear2017NationNepal
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The five-day festival of TiharTihar is one of the most popular festivals of Nepal. This five-day festival has something that relates to almost every community dwelling in the country. It is both a religious and a cultural festival that reminds us about the importance of human relations and that with nature and its various components.\n\nIn Teria, the southern region of Nepal, it is celebrated as Dipawali. Houses are decorated with oil lamps to welcome Lord Rama, who is returning with his wife, Sita, to his kingdom after 14 years of exile and defeat of the demon king, Ravana. In the hilly region, it is celebrated as Tihar with the honoring of the goddess Lakshmi, and sisters bestowing blessings upon their brothers. In the Kathmandu Valley, it is known as Swanti among the Newar community and is celebrated with much fanfare. Tihar also holds special significance within the farming community. It marks the end of the harvest season and thus the filling of the granaries and store houses or rooms with ample produce to last for a year.\n\nThe five-day festival, also referred to as Panchak, honors Yama, the lord of death, and is mainly dominated with the worship of the goddess Lakshmi, the giver of wealth according to Hinduism, as well as appreciating animals that are connected closely to humans. Houses are cleaned and decorated with oil lamps and marigold garlands, in preparation for the festival. In modern times, colorful strings of flashing electric lights have begun to replace traditional oil lamps.\n\nThe festival commences with the kaag puja or tihar, which is the worship of the crow. According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, the crow was cursed as well as blessed by Lord Rama during his exiled years. The curse was that it could use only one eye at a time and the blessing was that it could see what other eyes cannot see—spirits and departed souls. In this regard the crow is seen as the connection between the living and the dead, thus it is appeased with offerings of good food placed in an open area outside the house.\n\nThe second day honors the dog, called the kukur tihar. For thousands of years, humans and dogs have shared a very special bond and the dog has often been referred to universally as “man’s best friend.” Dogs are specially venerated on this day as an appreciation for their loyalty and for guarding our homes. Red tika is applied to their forehead and a pretty garland placed around their neck. Special treats are fed to the dogs, and the best part is that, besides domestic pets, street dogs are also treated with equal reverence.\n\nThe third day begins with the worship of the cow in the morning and the goddess Lakshmi in the evening in the hope she will bless and bring fortune to the worshiper. Posters of the deity are purchased beforehand and, for the ritual, pasted in safes, lockers, or where monetary transactions take place. The ritual is then performed in the evenings, beginning with the lighting of oil lamps, chanting of mantras, and making of offerings to appease the goddess of wealth.\n\nThe fourth day celebrates the ox, the Govardhan Puja, another faithful and very useful animal in Nepali culture. Being an agrarian state, depending heavily on agriculture for sustenance, the ox has played a major role in plowing the fields and pulling carts in the absence of modern technology. This day has another very important significance to the Newar, or locally community of the Kathmandu Valley. It is the “Mha Puja,” or the day to cleanse and worship oneself. The elaborate ritual starts in the evening with the making of a mandala and lighting an oil lamp on it. All family members are seated in front of their own mandala, cleansing themselves of the sins of the past year and enriching themselves both physically and spiritually with energies for the coming year. Coincidentally, the Newari New year (Nepal Smavat) is also celebrated the same day with much fanfare, bike rallies, and traditional music.\n\nThe fifth day is the Bhai tika, a much-awaited day for both brothers and sisters. Although different communities all over Nepal celebrate it in their own way, the meaning of the ritual is for sisters to ask God for long life, good health, and prosperity for their brothers. The sister applies the tika to her brother’s forehead, and decorates him with garlands of flowers. Traditionally, she prepared a whole array of edible goodies for her brother, although today this has been replaced with attractively packaged imported treats. In return, the brother blesses his sister and gifts her cash and sometimes various other tokens. They then sit and make merry, exchanging sibling love and respect with good food and drinks. For those who do not have a sibling to celebrate with, there is a tradition of going to specific temples.\n\nIn sum, Tihar is a celebration of humans and their relations with each other. It also celebrates the relations between humans and animals, thus emphasizing the importance of a harmonious ecology for a better spiritual and social life, a tradition that we should persevere to continue and hand down to newer generations. This year, the festival falls between October 26 and 29.\n\nPhoto : Tihar Festivalⓒ Swosti KayasthaYear2019NationNepal
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Maintenance of Cultural Identity in a Shared Context: Kırkpınar Traditional Oil WrestlingWrestling is an intense struggle between two people based on strength, endurance, and patience. In addition to power and physical capacity, this contest also requires mental strength and control of the body with the mind. Wrestling has some characteristics that reflect people’s physical struggle with nature under various circumstances. As a consequence of these two complementary aspects, this activity has long been part of relations, competitions, and some kinds of claims of superiority among human beings. Wrestling, for all these reasons, is one of the oldest sports in the history of humanity. At the same time, this means that rich traditions, rituals, and practices have formed and evolved around wrestling in different parts of the world. Therefore, it is possible to say that this sport, in a way, represents one of the aspects of the cultural accumulation of humanity, the knowledge, practices, and rituals transmitted from one generation to the next. This fact also leads us to think of the regional, national, and local forms of wrestling that may be regarded in the context of diversity of cultural expressions. Within this perspective and the focus of this paper, traditional oil wrestling embodies a living heritage with various cultural characteristics. It might be helpful to provide some information on the history and main elements of traditional oil wrestling before elaborating upon its value from the perspective of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) identity, transmission, and safeguarding efforts.\nTraditional oil wrestling is performed on a grass field by wrestlers called who are doused in olive oil and wear a type of hand-stitched, tight-fitting, knee-covering leather pants called . The roots of the relation between Turks and wrestling may be traced back long before its presence in Anatolia and the Republic of Turkey, to Central Asia inYear2020NationSouth Korea