Doma paney is a combination of areca nut, betel leaf and a little paste of lime. Although the combination was scarcely available in Bhutan earlier times, it now occupies an important place in our culture. Many Bhutanese — irrespective of age, gender, occupation or social status — enjoy chewing doma paney. It acts as an icebreaker for chitchats, serves as a gift of friendship between individuals, is an indispensable item on auspicious occasions and for some individuals the chewing of doma paney has become a regular daily habit that is very hard to break. Among the Hindu community in the south, doma paney is offered as an invitation to important occasions. Bhutanese link this custom with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava in the 8th century when the inhabitants were blessed and ordained with ge-nyen vows to refrain from killing animals and consuming their meat and blood. In the 17th century, Zhabdrung Rinpoche received gifts of betel nuts and leaves from his chief patron, the king of Gatrikha (Cooch Behar) in India, Zhabdrung included these items as the first offering item in the zhugdre ceremony. The custom became very popular after that. In earlier times, people used ingredients that were locally available, but later these same ingredients were imported from India in large quantities. More recently, people have started cultivating the areca palm and the betel vine in their own gardens, but there is still not sufficient supply to meet the demand. here is a saying associated with doma paney: Areca nut, the foodstuff from India, Dissect it as if axing summer woods. A beloved is the betel leaf, Tear it as if tearing leaves. The dazzling white lime, Paint it as if to whitewash. The culture of chewing doma paney is so strong that even old people manage to consume it by crushing it in a drechag (metal grinder, also called chagdre) or in a kodre. Drechag or chagdre is a metal tube and a metal pestle, which is used to crush the betel nut and the other ingredient in the tube. The kodre is a skin bag, which is crushed between stones with the three ingredients inside. The betel nuts and leaves are kept in a rectangular box with a hinged lid called a chaka, while the lime paste is kept in a circular box with a conical lid, called a trimi. Both chaka and trimi are usually made of silver or brass and embossed with intricate designs. Sometimes they are gold- or silver-plated. The king and the chief abbot would have doma bathra, a round silver betel nut container, which is carved with intricate motifs such as lotus or dragon.

There are many musical instruments in Kyrgyzstan. The most iconic is the komuz, a three-stringed instrument resembling a small guitar. The body of the komuz is made of a whole piece of apricot or juniper wood, and sometimes of walnut or redwood. The tool head of the instrument has three wooden hitch-pins to which ends of strings are attached. The other ends of strings go to a bridge located on the table (deque) right in front of the tone-hole. Mutton guts were used as strings until recent times. The length of komuz is no longer than 85- 90 sm. Alternatives of the tuning of komuz is one its unique features, which are, in their turn, linked with a chosen type of musical composition. It is played by hands. Kyl-kiyak (or kiyak) is a stringed instrument with a bow. It is made of the same woods as the komuz. The instrument has two strings. It is a ladle-shaped instrument with an open upper half; its lower part is covered with camel leather. The length of kiyak is no longer than 70 sm. Untwisted horsehair is used for strings and bow. The fiddle for the bow is made of a specific plant, meadowsweet. Temir komuz is a mouth plucking instrument made of the metal only (temir - metallic). It is U-shaped and 6-7 centimeters long. Materials used to make it are brass, bronze or copper. The metal reed is fixed in the middle of a “plug” of the instrument, which is held by fingers of the right hand. When played, temir komuz is held near the mouth, which is a natural resonator. The whole performing apparatus, including lips, voice box, hands, and even lungs of the musician, is used in each tone. Chopo-choor (clay chor) is an ancient wind instrument. At present, it is spread in a ceramic form and has a regular oblong shape of 20 centimeters in length and 8 centimeters in width. Performer holds it with lips and fingers holes that are arranged along the length of the instrument. Dobulbash is a national percussion instrument, representing one-sided drum, which is covered by the leather. Height of its corpus, which is cut out of a juniper, is no longer than 60 centimeters; diameter of the membrane, which is covered by camel’s leather, is 25-30 centimeters. Notes from the drum are elicited by the tail point of the Kyrgyz whip (kamchy) or palms. The instrument sounds loudly, resonantly, and lastingly.

Tea culture is an essential part of social and cultural life and is an important social practice aiming to show hospitality, celebrate important moments in lives of communities and helping them to build and maintain social relationships and enjoy moments by drinking tea for social exchange and interaction. It also represents knowledge, traditions and skills linked to cultivating, preparing and drinking tea by communities in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Tea is an agricultural plant the leaves and buds of which are used to make beverage. Tea plant transforms into dried leaves after steps such as plucking, withering, disruption, oxidation and drying. Although there are different types and brewing techniques in both countries, communities harvest and consume mostly the black tea. Traditional techniques used in preparing and harvesting tea led to development of special tools and vessels such as teapots, samovars, silver tray, woven tea baskets and tea plucking shear. Communities brew tea by using a great variety of kettles, produced in traditional craftsmanship, called “çaydan” or “çaynik” in Azerbaijan, a double container called "çaydanlık" (tea pot) in Turkey and samovar in both countries. Water is boiled in the larger pot and tea leaves are added to the smallest pot. Samovar is a traditional copper, clay, metal or brass container used to heat and boil water for brewing tea in smaller teapot, which is put on samovar. This method allows people to drink tea as they desire: strong or light. In rural areas especially, communities use metal samovars or “çaydanlık” heated with wood. Tea is traditionally served in special pear-shaped cups called “armudu” (literally, “pear-like”), made from glass, porcelain, faience, and silver in Azerbaijan and similarly small tulip-shaped glass, which is called “ince belli bardak” (thin waist glass) in Turkey. Communities traditionally serve tea freshly, brewed and hot, accompanied with various sweets, pastry, sugar, slices of lemon, jams and dried fruits. In different regions of Azerbaijan, communities also add local spices and herbs to tea, such as cinnamon, ginger and thyme. There is a special style of drinking tea with sugar called “kıtlama” or “dishleme” in both countries. In this style, tea is drunk by placing a piece of sugar between tongue and chin instead of pouring sugar directly into glass.

Azerbaijan,Turkey 2022

Tari Asyik is a Kelantanese court dance that traces its roots to the Sultanate of Pattani during the reign of Ratu Kuning (Yellow Queen) in the 17th century. The Hikayat Patani narrates that the court of Ratu Kuning cultivated a group of twelve dancing maidens, known as Asyik. Legend has it that Asyik dance was created to comfort the grieving Ratu Kuning over the loss of her favourite bird. It is also said to have been the most beloved dance of the legendary Kelantanese princess, Puteri Saadong. Over time, the dance became popular among common people and is now used as folk entertainment during festivals and marriages. The dance costume is a piece of sarong tied above the chest, with a belt and small tiara. The main dance move is sitting down with both legs folded to the side with movements that depict ‘a bird’, ‘sea wave’ and ‘ an elephant in delivery’. Nowadays, there are changes in this dance that are the dancers are fully clothed, and from sitting down with both legs folded to the side to a little body rise position. The musical accompaniment for Tari Asyik usually consists of gendang (double-headed Malay drum), serunai (Malay oboe) or rebab (spike fiddle), canang (brass percussion), kesi (cymbals), and gong.

The Mah Meri people are one of the 18 tribes of Orang Asli (indigenous people) living in West Malaysia. Most of them reside in Pulau Carey, Selangor. The Mah Meri are known for their wood carvings and also for the richness of their songs and dances. One of the most well-known dances of the Mah Meri people is the mask dance, called Mayin Jo-oh a traditional dance performed to invite the ancestral spirits, or muyang, to join in the festivity. In this dance, the performers wear grotesque masks and perform with movements and gestures to relate everyday events such as fishing and celebrations. The masks worn in the Mah Meri Mask Dance depict the spirits of birds and other animals that inhabit the Mah Meri's surroundings, such as the swamp and the sea. The female dances wear skirts of nipah leaves and plaited nipah head dress. The female performers dance anti-clockwise around an earthen mound, called a busot, while the male masked dancers performed clockwise around the women. The dance is performed accompanied by the music from the tuntog (bamboo stampers), jule (viola), tambo (double-headed drum) and a-tawa (brass gong).

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Yugijang refers to a brassware making skill, or to an artisan with such a skill. On the Korean Peninsula, brassware was first made during the Bronze Age. During the Silla Period (57 BC – AD 935), there was a government agency in charge of production of brassware. The skill continued to develop, and thin brassware with beautiful luster came to be made during the Goryeo Period (877 – 1394). Then, there was a lull in development, but brassware enjoyed popularity again by the 18th Century. Anseong, Gyeonggi-do was known for the production of good-quality brassware items, and noble class people placed orders for custom-made brassware goods with producers there. Brass may be any one of a broad range of copper alloys, usually with zinc as the main additive. Brassware displays a yellowish color with subdued luster. Cupronickel ware displays a white color. There are three types of yugi (brassware), depending on the production technique used. To make bangjja yugi, ingots are first made with melted brass and then people strike them with hammers. Examples of articles made with this method are jing (large gong), kkwaenggwari (small gong), food bowls and wash basins. Jumul yugi (forged brassware) is made by using molds. The term Anseong Machum was coined to refer to an object or item that was custom-made for a particular situation, as brassware made in Anseong satisfied specific needs of customers. Semi bangjja yugi refers to brassware made using both bangjja and forging methods. Yugijang is the country’s leading traditional metal artifact-making skill with wide practical applications.

Nomadic Mongols created variety forms of music instruments, developed performance techniques and a rich repertoire over a long span of historic period. In terms of sound, Mongolian national music instruments fall into the categories of strings, wind and percussion. Bowed and plucked stringed instruments include khuur (fiddle), ekil (two-stringed wooden fiddle), khuuchir (four-stringed instrument), bivleg, tovshuur (two-stringed lute), yatga (zither), yanchir or yochin (dulcimer), shudarga (three-stringed lute) and biba (lute). Wind instruments include limbe (side-blown flute), tsoor (panpipe flute), tsuur (three-holed vertical flute), bishgüür (shawm) and ever büree (horn-trumpet). Brass instruments, which are often used in celebrations and for calling and cheering, include the ikh büree (the long trumpet) and tsordon büree (small trumpet). A variety of percussion instruments, such as khengereg (big drum), tsan (cymbals), bömbör (drum), kharanga (gong), denshig (miniature cymbals), khonkh (bells), damar (double-headed hourglass drum) and duudaram (gong-chimes), were used during wars and hunting as well as during shamanic and Buddhist rituals and practices.

Kulintangan is a traditional musical instrument of many ethnics in state of Sabah which combines the rhythm of music with the gong drum.  This was first introduced into west Sabah by the Bruneis but it is also traditionally used by the Bajaus and some Kadazandusun people. It is usually played on festive occasions, such as weddings and religious ceremonies, where it is often accompanied by other traditional gongs. The instrument consists of a set of about eight to nine small brass kettle gongs. Each sounds a different pitch when struck. The gongs are arranged horizontally in a row on a low wooden bed-like frame. The player sits down on the floor in front of the gongs and beats them with two small wooden mallets.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Duseokjang refers to the skill of making metal accessories, including hinges, used in wood furniture or buildings, or to an artisan with such a skill. Nickel silver is used to make more luxurious metal accessories. Brass accessories are used for drawer chests, chests, wardrobes, windows, etc. Patterns used are: “亞” shaped letters and the shapes of butterfly, bat, fish, and crane. Brass accessories were specially made to the order of a chief carpenter.

A dance of the Suluk people from the east coast of Sabah. The name derived from the word ‘Darling” in English. Women dancer wear an elaborated traditional Suluk costume with trousers (kantiu), crown like headpiece (malkota) and long spiked brass finger caps (janggai). The characteristic movement of fingers bending backward to accentuate the janggai curve can be noticed. Its normally performed at weddings or important social gatherings.

The element consists of the traditional craftsmanship of a community called Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India. The Thatheras craft utensils are of both utilitarian and ritualistic value made of copper, brass and kansa (an alloy of copper, zinc and tin). The metals used are recommended by the ancient Indian school of medicine, Ayurveda. In Ayurvedic texts, copper is regarded as an ideal metal for making cooking utensils and possessing medicinal properties. On the other hand, kansa is the prescribed metal for retaining the nutritive values of food. The settlement of the craftspeople in Jandiala Guru is laid out along a series of narrow lanes, lined on both sides by small home-cum-worksheds with families living and working on their hereditary profession. Both male and female members participate in the processing and creation of the artefacts. The process begins with procuring cooled cakes of metal which are flattened into thin plates, and are then hammered into curved shapes, creating the required pots, urns, plates and bowls and other artefacts. Heating the plates while hammering and curving them into different shapes requires careful temperature control, which is done by using tiny wood-fired stoves (aided by hand-held bellows) buried in the earth. The utensils are manually finished by polishing with acid, sand and tamarind juice. Designs are carved by skilfully hammering a series of tiny dents on the surface of the heated metal. Using basic tools that are handmade, the craftspeople create ritualistic, ceremonial and utilitarian vessels for both individual and community use.

India 2014

It is a customary social and cultural practice related with Pyongyang Raengmyon (cold noodle), on various meaningful occasions such as weddings, birthdays and holidays. Pyongyang Raengmyon is served in a brass bowl. The main ingredient is buckwheat regarded as conducive to health. The noodle strips are topped by trimmings of meats, Kimchi, vegetables, fruits and garnishing. Cool meat stock or Tongchimi (watery radish Kimchi) juice is poured around noodle strips to finish the preparation. There are certain knowledge and skills related to Raengmyon's taste and form. A historical record praising noodle in the 12th century reflects its development well before that time. Pyongyang Raengmyon is a special folk food deeply rooted in the life of Pyongyangites expressing long life, happiness, hospitality, convivial and friendly atmosphere. A day before Jongwoldaeborum (one of Korean folk holidays in winter), family members or neighbourhood would together enjoy noodles hoping their life to be as long as the noodle strips. At celebrations like birthdays and weddings, Pyongyangites serve it to elders, relatives, neighbours and friends coming with blessings, and share happy and delightful moments of life in a convivial and friendly atmosphere, fostering respect, intimacy and harmonious unity. Housewives make Raengmyon with great pleasure and devotion. To have some liquor before Raengmyon is a customary practice even set as a phrase "Sonjuhumyon". Expressing the common wish and aspiration of people, today, the element is practised and spreading beyond special occasions and regional differences along with establishment of scores of Pyongyang Raengmyon restaurants like Okryu Restaurant.

North Korea 2022