Traditional Balinese dances are performed by male and female dancers dressed in exquisite traditional costumes consisting of brightly coloured cloths painted with gold motifs of flora and fauna, and gold leafed and jewelled accessories. The dances are inspired by nature and symbolize the traditions, customs and religious values, composed in four elements: agem, basic body posture with knees turned out and stocmach pushed in; tandang, locomotive movements in different tempo and directions; tangkis, transitional movements with dynamic changes; and tangkep, facial expression with eyes movements showing happiness, sadness, anger, love, fear, etc. They are accompanied by music of Balinese gamelan instruments with symphonic poems that contain moral messages taken from religious teachings. Dancers portray various characters as strong or refine male role, female role, and mixed role. For Balinese, dance is a part of religious ceremonies conducted periodically according to the Balinese calendar. A dancer should also have taksu, charisma, a special spiritual energy which makes the performance become alive (dynamic). Balinese dances can be categorized as Wali (sacred), Bebali (semi-sacred) or Balih-balihan (entertainment). The three categories is applied with respect all over Bali using different dance forms according to the principle of desa (place), kala (time), and patra (occasion). In Balinese communities, dances are mainly transmitted informally to children from early ages in traditional groups (sekaa) and at formal schools in various levels. Traditional Balinese dances are rich in noble values and are an important part of the Balinese cultural heritage and identity, now studied almost all over Indonesia.

Indonesia 2015

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.

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

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea This refers to the ritual enshrining of objects within a Buddhist statue or painting. Through this process, an inert image is animated and reborn as an object of worship. This ritual has been practiced in Korea for more than 700 years, since at least the Goryeo Dynasty. Instructions on the performance of the ritual were compiled into a book during the Joseon Dynasty with the title Josanggyeong. The practice continued through the Japanese colonial era and has been transmitted to the present. Compared to China and Japan, Korea is unique in establishing the process of interring objects in Buddhist images as a ritual. There are diverse ritualistic factors encompassed within this ritual, each of which is equipped with its own religious meaning. All these attributes were considered positively during the designation process of this element. * Jakbeop (作法): This term is commonly understood as referring to Buddhist dances like those performed in such ceremonies as Surykjae ("Water and Land Ceremony") and Yeongsanjae ("Celebration of Buddha's Sermon on Vulture Peak Mountain"). Here, however, the term denotes that the interment of objects in a Buddhist image is practiced as a ritual.

Thagzo or the art of weaving is one of the oldest and widely used skills that have been practised for ages. The all-encompassing use of textiles represents prestige, artistic skills, discipline, determination, familial sentiments, tangible form of asset, and expressions of devotion towards the dharma. Bhutanese textiles are the product of knowledge and skills developed and nurtured over centuries of experiences and family traditions. Our textiles are valued and renowned for their richness of colour, sophistication and variation of patterns, including the intricate fibre preparation, dyeing, weaving, and embroidery techniques. This rich and complex art of weaving is an inseparable part of our culture and history. Today, the wide availability of imported fibres and dyes are transforming the palette, textures, and surface qualities of the clothes produced. There are more than eleven types of yarns and dyes including the five main colours (white, yellow, red, green and blue) and six subsidiary colours (orange, dark green, light yellowish green, pink, light white, blue and black). These different colours are woven in accordance with different designs and patterns. Women from central and eastern regions of Bhutan are famous for their weaving skills and each region produces their own specialty. a. Weaving with Designs and Patterns: Every textile product has a name that expresses its particular combination of colour, design, pattern and fibre. Weaving pattern is either stripes - vertical for men, and horizontal for women in cotton, silk or wool. Required extra designs are made by adding warp threads. Patterns like the vajra (thunderbolt), the swastika, the tree or the wheel, each has symbolic meanings. Although the symbols used in Bhutanese textiles are primarily of geometric nature, they also have deep religious meanings. Some common geometric symbols include the dorje (Vajra), the drame (nets), the phenphenma (butterflies), the phub (Kiliya), the yudrung (Swastika), and the shinglo (leaves). The drame or the eternal knot is a classic Buddhist symbol. The phenphenma is a symbol of butterfly and the eight-pointed star, while the dorje or the thunderbolt represents the indestructible powers of Buddhism. The phub or the rainbow is a triangle pattern in successive rainbow colours. When dorje symbol is incorporated within the phub symbol, the pattern becomes dorje\u0002phub. The shinglo symbol is used mostly on the royal and noble family dresses since this symbol is the most difficult to weave. The shinglo symbol represents the “tree of life”. The therpochay ( Jana chagri) or the China Wall pattern is usually seen next to the phub design on kiras. The therpochay symbol is believed to have been derived from the designs on Chinese brocade. The yudrung portrays the crossroads where the four directions meet. A yudrung represents the balancing forces of the universe, when rotating. The yudrung is an ancient pattern and its epicentre is considered a spiritual place. Yudrung is depicted on the royal thrikheb as the centre most design. Bhutanese weavers usually weave two types of textiles; the plain woven meaning kar chang, and the pattern woven textile called metochem. These are described below. a.1. Karchang: The plain woven textiles include pangtse, mathra, sethra, adang mathra, shardang thara, and pe sar. Plain woven clothes are worn at home or work since they are cheaper than the pattern-woven clothes. Mathra (red pattern) is a varicolored plaid woven on a maroon or red field, sometimes woven with stripes (khaja) at the edges. Sethra (gold pattern) is a plaid weave usually with yellow or orange field as the dominant colour. Sethra has two popular colour combinations; red with black or blue plaid on a white field; and yellow, white and black on an orange field. Sethra dokhana consists of black colour in it while buechapgi sethra does not contain black. Thara has horizontal stripes with white as a dominant field. Shardang thara has multicoloured stripes while Samkhongma have narrow red-and-blue stripes, and Mondre which has a similar pattern to Samkhongma is worn mainly by older people in rural areas. Kamtham Jadrima is a striped textile with colours of the rainbow. Kamtham thara consists of simple warp stripes or plaids, which are gifted to a religious person. Pesar (new design) is a modern innovation with small patterns in striped plain cloth. Yu tham or the country cloth which is made of wild silk or cotton is very popular in the rural areas. Kawley is a completely black fabric of wool, which is believed to have healing properties. a.2. Meto Chem: Aikapur and Ku shu thara are the two specific kinds of pattern-woven textiles. Pattern-woven clothes are considered special, and are valued and saved for special occasions like festivals, marriages and for New Year celebrations. Bhutanese weavers weave many different types of clothes with intricate designs such as leaves, birds, trees and other animal patterns. These are briefly explained below. Aikapur: Aikapur is a textile woven of cotton or silk, and appears to be embroidered. Aikapur has double faced pattern bands called hor which alternate with rows of plain weave; with always an odd number of legs ‘kangpa’ or cross hatches. A textile is referred to as a b-sampa (with three legs; b-napa (with five legs); b-zumpa (with seven legs); b-gupa (with nine legs); b-songhthurpa (with eleven legs); and b-songsampa (with thirteen legs). Aikapur is differentiated by the colour of the background thread, and the supplementary thread used. The common colours used in aikapur are: dromchu chema, literally meaning ‘little boxes’, with red, green, yellow, and white pattern bands. Mentse mathra is a material with a yellow base, and with red and green stripes. Montha has a blue or black background with red pattern bands between colourful stripes. Lungserma has green and red pattern bands on a yellow background. Shinglo or ‘tree of life’ patterns made on the fabric are used to assess the quality of an aikapur. The delicate branches and leaves of these trees are inspected when judging the quality of a textile. Kushu Thara: Kushu thara used to be considered aristocratic and the most prestigious dress for women. Ku shu thara is woven from vegetable dyed cotton and raw silk (bura) or entirely from silk. Ku shu thara has spectacular brocade design which take up to a year to weave. Ku shu thara is always embellished on a white base, and a similar kira with a blue or black background is called ngosham .Sapma, the continuous weft patterns, and tingma, the alternative weft patterns are used as base pattern for kushuthara, ngosham or shinglochem. Shinglochem can be either a gho or a kira, woven with alternate rows of warp pattern bands. b. Weaving Materials: Bhutanese produce fibres such as raw cotton, wool, nettle fibre, yak hair and bura (raw silk). The most expensive and the most valued fibre in Bhutan is raw silk. The Bhutanese do not kill the silk worms that remain inside after spinning its cocoon, but are left until they escape, which breaks the thread before it is unrolled. That is why, Bhutanese raw silk feels and looks relatively coarse compared to Indian and Chinese silk. Several types of yarn like seshu (cultivated from mulberry silk moth Bombayx mori), bura (produced by wild non-mulberry silk moth), namdru kuep (parachute silk), and varieties of silk imported from India are notable. b.1. Nettle: Nettle or stinging nettle, though now rarely used, is said to have been the original and chief fibre used by weavers in ancient Bhutan. Nettle fibre is coarse but strong and durable. That is why people in villages used it to weave sacks, bags, kurel, pagi, pakhi, bundi and tabden. Owing to its strength it is also used as bow string. Nettle is herbaceous flowering plant that grows in temperate and sub-tropical zone. The plant grows up to 2 meters in height with spiny stems and leaves and bears white to yellowish flowers. Nettle bark contains baste fibre which is strong, smooth and light. In Bhutan, nettle fibres are harvested in the months of October and November. After peeling the stems, the fibres are dried, and then cooked with ash for about 6 hours. The fibres are then washed with cold water, and beaten in order to remove the outer cover. After removing the outer cover, the fibres are dried and dyed with natural dyes. The nettle plants are shredded, and twisted into thin fibres using a drop spindle. Nettle fibres are used to weave bundi or carry bag. Bundi is usually woven with brocaded yudrung motif at the centre of the middle panel, on a white colour base. The bundi or carry bag consists of three lengths of cloth sewn together to form a square panel. Ropes on the diagonal sides of this piece are tied together to carry possessions and bedding. b.2. Wool: Yarns from yak, sheep and goat wool are spun using phang (drop spindle) and moved to a chaphang (spinning wheel). The herders of the high valleys of Merak and Sakteng weave shingka (tunic-style dresses), women’s jackets and belts. They also make hats, ropes, tents, and bags out of yak hair, and floor mats and blankets from sheep wool. The Layap women’s dress includes a black woollen jacket, a long woollen skirt, adorned with lot of jewels, which often include teaspoons. Women also wear conical bamboo hats with a bamboo spike at the top, held by beaded bands. Shingka, an ancient tunic-style textile that was woven with either a ngoshingkha (blue) or a laushingkha (red) wool base, was worn by a high lama during religious ceremonies. Char khab, woven from wool (of yak or sheep) either on a pedal loom or back strap loom is used for protection from snow, cold, and rain. It is water-resistant and an essential item for the herders in cold the region. Sephu charkhab (rain cloaks from Sephu) is a colourful textile with bands of green, blue, white and orange. Bumthang and Trongsa were known for a woollen fabric called yathra, which was used as a cover from rain and cold. In the late 1990s, farmers in Trongsa had stopped raising sheep which inevitably put an end to the practise of weaving yathra. Yathra is used as bed covers, blankets, rain cloaks, cushion covers, sofa set covers, and as jackets for both men and women. b.3. Cotton: Kershing (cotton) is used to separate the cotton seeds, and then fluff out to make it ready for spinning into yarn with the help of a wooden spindle or spinning wheel. Usually cotton woven with traditional designs on white background, chagsi pangkheb was put on laps to wipe hands before and after meals by persons of higher positions. In the early days, Bhutanese women used to put on an apron-like wear called dongkheb as a sign of respect while approaching the king or a high official. Phechung is a cotton woven carry bag woven but its usage is now limited to ceremonial receptions along with chagsi pangkheb. Thrikheb (throne cover) is a rare textile used as the King’s throne cover. It is also used for the lamas during religious ceremonies. Chephur gyaltshen (banner with frills), gyaltshen (pair of cylindrical hangings with valance), bumgho (bumpa covers), kheb and tenkheb (altar covers),phen (pair of triangular topped hangings) and chephur (a pair of cylindrical hangings) are some of the other cloth products that are used in altars and monasteries. Hingthub is a time-consuming but highly cherished textile woven for loved ones or for use by the weaver or their ‘lord’. The finer product demonstrates the dedication of the weaver. It is also used by the weaver’s family or to stitch outer attire for statues or as wall hangings. Today most of the yarns for weaving like raw silk, cotton and acrylic are imported while some of the yarn is spun and processed locally. The availability of cheap machine spun yarns from India has overtaken the local cotton cultivation. b.4. Types of Loom: There are three types of looms used by weavers in Bhutan. Traditionally pangthag was the most commonly used loom for weaving larger size garments. The smaller version of this loom called kethag is used for weaving narrow items like belts. In the 1970s, another type of loom called thri-thag (khri-thags) was adopted from India. This loom gained popularity in the growing urban centres. This later type is a horizontal loom with pedals. Each region has a speciality in terms of designs and types. Kurtoe is known for Ku shu thara, while marthra and serthra are mostly produced in Bumthang. Trashigang district is well known for weaving aikapur, while pangkheb and montha come from Kheng. b.5. Dyes: Bhutanese weavers consider the coordination of pleasing colours more important than the designs, patterns and techniques. Strong taboos are associated with the dyeing process and the weavers are very particular about colour shades. They believe that malevolent spirits, certain weather conditions, strangers or pregnant women can ruin the dye. Like the weaving techniques, the recipes for dyeing are closely guarded family secrets and the formula is usually passed down from mother to daughter. There are a number of dye-yielding plants. Weavers obtain dyes using simple methods from barks, flowers, fruits, leaves, and roots of plants, and minerals. Today, chemical or synthetic dyes called tsho-sar are easily available while the natural dye is called tsho nying. They are easily recognisable by their hue. Some of the natural dyes obtained from plants are described below. - Indigo: Shades of green, purple, blue and black are obtained from leaves of trees locally called yangshaba (Strobilanthus flaccidifolius) in Tshangla dialect. Indigo (lndigofera spp.) plants are cultivated in household gardens as a source of blue dye. Alum earths, sour fruits, and dug shing (Symplocos) leaves are used as a mordant in dyeing to fix the colouring matter. Indigo plant leaves are fermented for two weeks, and then passed through acidic ash water. - Lac: Jatsho (Lacifer lacca) is an organic dye that produces colours ranging from pink to deep red. Lac is boiled in water until it becomes sticky dough. The pulp is mixed with roasted wheat and allowed to ferment for 10 days. The selected yarn is then put into the boiling mixture until the colour gets absorbed. Churoo (Phyllanthusemblica) is used as a fixating element in dye. - Madder: Dried stems and leaves of madder called tsoe (Rubia cordifolia) are chopped into small pieces. This material is boiled together with the yarn to produce several colours ranging from pink to deep red. It is good for dyeing raw silk, cotton and wool. Madder can be preserved in dry place for years. The ripe berries of berberis, locally called kepatsang (Berberis aristata) are used as a source of red colour, while the barks of nut of the walnut tree can be used to obtain orange colour in woollen yarns. - Pangtse: Leaves from pangtse shing (Symplocos paniculata) are gathered from the forest, which can be used fresh or dried, to make yellow colour .Pangtse leaves are boiled in water along with woollen yarns. The yarn is then allowed to drip. Sometimes, yung ga (Curcuma longa) or turmeric is also used to obtain a bright yellow colour. Lemon, also called churoo (Emblica officinalis), variety of other berries, herbs, plants, and roots are used along with alum mordant to boost colours in the yarn. However, since dyed yarns from India are available at cheaper price, only a few Bhutanese weavers practise the tradition of natural dyeing processes these days.

The Lảnh Giang Temple Festival relic site is located in Yen Lac village, Moc Nam commune, Duy Tien town, a relic complex with long-standing historical - cultural - architectural and artistic values. The temple worships three generals of the 18th Hung Due Vuong era who had great merit in defeating the Thuc invaders, keeping the country's borders peaceful, and worships Chu Dong Tu - Princess Tien Dung. Currently, Lảnh Giang Temple preserves many valuable Chinese documents and worship objects. The Lảnh Giang Temple Festival takes place twice a year in June (from the 18th to the 25th) and August (20th) of the lunar calendar, to express gratitude to the gods who protect the people and pray for a prosperous and happy life. The Lảnh Giang Temple Festival was only restored in 1996 - the year the temple was recognized as a National Historical and Cultural Relic. Currently, the June festival is considered the main festival by the people, the August festival is only held by the people to offer incense and make offerings. The festival takes place with rituals: water procession, saint procession, sacrifice ceremony, announcement ceremony... On the 18th day of the 6th lunar month, the local people organize the palanquin stacking ceremony, raise the God's flag in front of the temple, on the 21st day they start the announcement ceremony. The days from the 22nd to the 24th of June are the main days of the sacrifice and the procession of the Saint's palanquin around the temple. In which, June 24 is the main day of the Third Great Official's banquet, the head of the Lảnh Giang temple organizes a performance to welcome the saint from early morning. This is the occasion for singing to be performed in a cultural space imbued with the sacred Mother Goddess worship beliefs of the Vietnamese people at Lảnh Giang temple. On the 25th of June, a thanksgiving ceremony is held and the flag is lowered, the temple is closed. On the 25th day of the 8th lunar month, Yen Tu Temple (Moc Bac Commune, Duy Tien Town) worships Princess Ngoc Hoa and carries her palanquin to pay homage. The festival in June also includes a rowing game on the Red River and a water procession. The water procession from the Red River to Lảnh Giang Temple follows the custom of worshipping the Water God. Water is taken from the middle of the Red River and brought back to be used as offerings and to bathe the statues of the temples in the relic site. The festival is extremely rich, such as: rowing, dragon dance, lion dance, cheo singing, chau van singing, wrestling, human chess, cockfighting, to tom diem, lion dance, cooking rice on a carrying pole, sports activities, chasing ducks underwater, stick fighting, walking on monkey bridges, tug of war... The festival represents the agricultural beliefs, the desire for protection by the natural gods and the desire to control the power of nature of the indigenous people. In 2017, Lảnh Giang Temple Festival was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Bhutanese paintings are quintessential of the arts and crafts tradition known as Lhazo. Bhutanese paintings are religious in their orientation and are not created in isolation. The traditional painters are called Lhadrips (one who makes drawings of lha - higher beings). A lhadrip paints and decorates a new house with traditional symbols, paint a chosham (an altar) or a Thangka or Thongdroel with the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and deities with strict adherence to the already accepted norms. Another striking feature of Bhutanese paintings is anonymity. Bhutanese lhadrips would never sign on their works. It is, however, the names of the patrons who are mentioned on the paintings, if mentioned at all. By the same token, it is believed that the traditional painters gain lots of merits by the act of painting these religious arts. These paintings are aimed at providing spiritual lessons to the viewers and therefore assume meditative functions. The painters use naturally pigmented soils that are obtained from different parts of the country. The yellow colours are found in the districts of Gasa and Bumthang while the red colour is found in Wamrong under Trashigang District, black soil comes from Phuentsholing and Trashigang and white soil from Paro. Lhadrip apprentices learn to paint a wide range of images including simple motifs like the eight lucky signs and gradually move on to more complex subjects such as thangkas – large painting scrolls. Thangkas are complex because they depict various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and the deities and saints with their follower and appropriate backgrounds. They are often painted on canvas and then stitched in silk frames. Traditional paintings are classified into four categories: a. Mural Painting: The mural painting is called debri.The inside walls of the temples are usually filled with mural paintings of different kinds. The surfaces of the inside walls are first smoothened and plastered with fine clay and then left to dry. Sometimes they use another technique by carefully laying a fine sheet of cotton cloth over the plastered walls which is not easily visible. The mural paintings vary from the images of Lord Buddha and Guru Rinpoche and their activities, bhavacakra (sidpa khorlo) or wheel of existence, varied icons of deities (lhatshog), adepts and saints. We also find the paintings of Mandala. These frescos are, therefore, strictly religious and strikingly beautiful. b. Statue Painting: Statues are either moulded from clay or cast out of bronze and metal. Once they are completed, then the lhadrips paint them using appropriate colour. The clay statues are painted all over while the metal statues are painted only on the face, often with gold. c. Scroll Painting: Scroll (thangka) paintings are different from mural paintings as they are painted on canvas for hanging on the walls. Scroll paintings can be kept folded in a safe place and unfolded and displayed on auspicious occasions. In order to make a thangka, the painter fixes a damp piece of canvas onto a wooden frame. Then a mixture of lime and gum is scrubbed on the surface. The surface is then polished and smoothed. The artist then draws a grid to guide him. When the colour is applied these lines disappear. A thangka is stitched with silk and brocade border of appropriate colours and has two frames fixed to the upper and lower borders to suspend and stretch. Thongdroel is a much larger version of a thangka. It is believed that merely seeing the painting can liberate sentient beings from samsara. Thus, it brings merit not only to the believers but for the painters as well. d. Wood Painting: Shing tshon (Shing means wood and tshon means colour painting) is done on the wooden structure. The outside walls of the temples, monasteries and farm houses are normally whitewashed while the wooden structures are painted with varied patterns and symbols often in accordance with different names accorded to different parts. These are bow, phana, pem, choetsi, norbu and bagam. Although the choice of colours may vary from one painter to another, often depending on the choice of the owner or main architect, the style of paintings are generally uniform. Paintings on the walls depict the traditional patterns like flowers, traditional symbols, eight lucky signs or Tashi Tagye (eight lucky signs), and the four lungta signs of Tag Seng Chung Druk (Tiger, Snow Lion, Garuda and Dragon). The painting of the Four Friends is popular on the walls. Some walls are also painted with phalluses. In order to paint on the wooden walls, the method called ‘pounce and spray’ is used. A painter uses an outline of a pattern or the design on a piece of paper to be painted on the walls. The outlines have pricked holes through which a powdered colour contained in a cloth is pressed to produce dotted pattern of the original patterns on the paper. The painter then traces these outlines to paint.

The Lacquerware Making in Cát Đằng was born more than 600 years ago (from the end of the Tran Dynasty) associated with festivals to worship the village's ancestors (the founders are Mr. Ngô Đức Dũng and Mr. Ngô Ân Ba) and annual ceremonies taking place on January 14-16. Rich materials: wood, rattan, bamboo, reed... The main material is lacquer processed according to a secret recipe. It takes the craftsman a month or more to complete a product. Wooden objects for lacquer are not nailed but only use mortise and tenon joints with paint mixed with sawdust. Of all the stages, the most outstanding skills/techniques of the lacquer craft are the way of mixing paint, spraying paint, gilding gold, silver, inlaying, and drawing. These are also the most typical secrets of the Lacquerware Making in Cát Đằng. To make a product of the craft village, it is necessary to have the main materials such as: lacquer, tung oil, resin, sawdust, soil... Materials for making the core (vóc): wood, bamboo, rattan. Decorative materials: gold leaf, silver leaf, pearl shell, snail shell, egg shell, etc. Tools for making lacquer: beak, bucket, earthenware pot, etc. Tools for making lacquer: steel hair, sandpaper, whetstone, broom, curtain cloth, jackfruit leaves, xoan charcoal, tangled hair, paring knife, slotting knife, iron rod, etc. Decorative tools: cat hair pen, steel hair, slotting knife, etc. Currently, in addition to traditional lacquer materials, mainly industrial paints such as PU, cashew nuts, Japanese, etc. are used, and there are many other supporting tools such as: peeling machines, quilting machines, sharpening machines, sanding machines, paint sprayers, etc. to make bamboo patchwork products. The products of the craft village currently include two main product lines: Fine lines goods (worship items) and patchwork goods (handicrafts). Fine lines products are usually made from wood with two stages: making the frame (wooden blank, attaching, wrapping, tying, jamming, lining, giving, holding) and decorating (using silver leaf, gold leaf, mother-of-pearl, snail shell, eggshell... to inlay or paint on the product including the stages: gilding, covering. After each stage, it must be polished). Patchwork products are usually made from bamboo, rattan. To complete a patchwork lacquer product, in addition to the same process as patchwork, it must go through stages such as: soaking, drying, splitting, whittling, quilting, creating product blanks, bathing, shaving, smoothing, sanding the product, jamming, sanding, drying the product, spraying paint, and painting. Today, on the basis of inheriting the traditional Lacquerware Making craft, Cat Dang artisans have been creating and absorbing new techniques and new materials to create a variety of products to serve the needs of religious activities, decoration and consumption such as thrones, chairs, palanquins, statues, paintings, betel boxes, engagement trays, gilded lacquerware decorated at relics, tables and chairs, mother-of-pearl inlaid mahogany beds, vases, lampshades, pen holders, trays, bowls... with many rich and diverse designs, suitable for the needs of the domestic and export markets. The development of Lacquerware Making in Cát Đằng contributes to solving employment, improving local social life, building a rich and beautiful homeland. At the same time, it has gradually introduced traditional values, the quintessence of Vietnamese culture in general and Cat Dang locality in particular to the world. With the historical, cultural, artistic, usage and economic values of the heritage, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized "Lacquerware Making in Cát Đằng" as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017.

Mr. Huỳnh Bá Quát played a pivotal role in introducing stone carving from Thanh Hóa to Non Nước. The villagers commemorate both the village festival and the anniversary of their ancestors' deaths on the sixteenth day of the third lunar month each year. For their part, the stone masons celebrate the arrival of spring with an ancestral ceremony on January 6. Stone carvers pass on their craft from father to son. Because the method of teaching the job is to teach the job by hand, the team of workers is divided into three basic levels: apprentices, secondảy workers, and master workers. Rough stone/marble miners are called “Civil Mandarin”. The worker who creates the raw product is called "Military Mandarin". Craft tools used in stone sculpture include sledgehammers, crowbars; the soar, the touch; nasal hooves; tarpaulin; nose tick; corn nose; Measure; saws sawing stones and saws cutting rings; drill; and grater. The process of developing a product involves mining and choosing raw stone, making blanks (figuring out the base, making drawings and prints, chiseling blanks, forming products), engraving patterns, embellishing forms, grinding and polishing products. To achieve a stunning color, the laborer needs to apply food coloring to the stone along with bits of green tea, brown shoe polish, and indigo. Based on usage, products include products serving daily needs (flower vases, column bases, teapots) and products serving spiritual needs (feng shui objects, statues, portraits, mausoleums, tombs).

The Traditional Bronze Casting of Che village (Tra Dong) has a history of thousands of years and has been preserved, maintained and promoted to this day. According to legend, the profession dates back to the end of the Tien Le dynasty and the beginning of the Ly dynasty, brought to the village by two people with the surname Vu. The mold-making stage with two types of outer molds and molds is the most important. Bronze casting tools include: a pot, a tube and a fire-blowing tank. The main materials are copper and metals mixed according to a secret formula. The fuel for cooking copper is coal. The melting temperature is about 800 to 1000 degrees Celsius. The practitioner is male. When cooking, the craftsman observes by experience to know when to pour it into the mold. When pouring copper into the mold, the copper must flow evenly and pour continuously until it is full. They have experience so that the copper expands and releases gas quickly, does not stick to the mold and cracks the product. The final stage is to cool and polish the product. Many bronze casting products are rich in form and diverse in types and are consumed nationwide and exported abroad. With skillful and talented hands, artisans have restored traditional products such as: casting bronze drums, bronze gongs, bronze statues, worship items, incense burners, animal figures... and the most outstanding is the art of casting Dong Son bronze drums with sophisticated patterns and details according to ancient patterns and designs. Currently, the number of establishments maintaining and developing the bronze casting profession in Tra Dong craft village is more than 130 households. These establishments provide regular jobs for nearly 400 workers. In 2018, The Traditional Bronze Casting of Che village (Tra Dong), Thieu Trung commune, Thieu Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Rain Praying Ceremony of the Raglai people is held in the middle and end of April every year, to pray to the gods for rain. Raglai people call rain "Hơ Jan" and they worship Hơ Jan. The shaman - the fire king's assistant - Pơtao Apui is the master of ceremonies. The most important item of the shaman is the bronze magic sword. There are also copper bowls, white porcelain bowls, and bamboo wine sticks. Before the main worship day, the shaman and the council perform 3 rituals: Offering to ward off evil spirits and poultry diseases around the village; Offering to the water dock at A Yun River; Offering to the village. On the main holiday, all the villagers gather at the shaman's house to prepare offerings, materials, and tools for worship. The offering to pray for rain is a black male pig, weighing about 30-40 kilograms; together with 3, 5, or 7 jars of wine. The indispensable offerings are 7 jars of wine taken from the water source of A Yun River and statues of the 7 founders of the village. The ceremony to pray for rain begins when the sun rises, the master of the ceremony sits in front of three wine jars, placing his hand on the first wine jar. The priest bowed three times to greet the gods and then poured water into the wine jar. The shaman prays, scatters rice around, and holds the pork to the front to invite the Mountain God, River God, Wood God, and Stone God; Then he pours wine and meat into bronze bowls and pours them into Pơ Tao's graves, praying for rain to come. After that, the master of ceremonies scoops water from a copper pot and fills each jar of wine, then takes a sip of wine; Villagers take turns enjoying wine together. On the day the village prays for rain, villagers are not allowed to go to work, pick up hoes or machetes.

"Plowing” has been a traditional royal ceremony of the Khmer kings since ancient times. That is why to this day, the Royal Palace still plays an important role in organizing this ceremony. The rainy season, a king or a representative plow the fields to be the first to follow the path, because in the belief, the king is considered a deity who is in human appearance to rule over the kingdom. Therefore, the king is the king of the earth or the lord of the earth, that is, the "master of the field." On the other hand, even though the king does not farm directly, this ceremony shows the king's concern for the livelihood of the people. The plowing ceremony is also to pray for good rain according to the season, abundant harvest, prosperous district and free from all diseases. The history of the Khmer plowing ceremony probably dates back to the time when the Khmer came to know Indian civilization, as there are statues of Preah Pol Ream or Preah Tep (the avatar of Preah Nareay), the main deity of agriculture, holding a plow in Phnom Da (Takeo province) since pre-Angkorian times. Preah Pol Ream is probably quite popular, as there are sculptures in Banteay Srei, Angkor Wat, Baphuon, Banteay Sarae .... In the inscriptions, there are names of Preah Pol Ream who have different functions in the temple and are known as the name of Preah Pol Ream, for example, "សង្កស៌ណ" which means "plowed" or "pulled out". The evidence that Preah Pol Ream was the god of agriculture became clearer in the Middle Ages: the role of an official in charge of agriculture in the whole country is called "Oknha Pol Tep" and until the law governing this field, the Khmer people called it "Krom Pol Tep" (or called "Krom Peak Huk Pol Tep"). Therefore, it is not a coincidence that Preah Pol Tep, a deity, has a duty in the Royal Plowing Ceremony. His image was on a flag that was solemnly flown at the ceremony. Not only that, they built a statue of Preah Pol Ream (modeled after the statue of him at Phnom Da temple) in a stall for the ceremony and offerings that emphasize the importance of Preah Pol Ream in the plowing ceremony. Every year, the Royal Plowing Ceremony is held on the 4th of Roch Pisak (May-June), the beginning of the rainy season, and is celebrated in a designated field, sometimes in the capital and sometimes in the provinces. If it is done in Phnom Penh, the field of Preah Meru is used, and if it is done in Siem Reap, the field in front of the terrace of the elephants is used as the field. Before the day of the ceremony, they usually build a pavilion at Veal Preah Srae and other five pavilions as a place where the deities can watch the plowing from all five directions. According to tradition, before the 4th day of Roch, Visakh, from the 1st day of Roach, 2nd Roach and 3rd Roach, 5 Brahmins perform the Pali ceremony in the middle of Preah Srae to ask permission from Krong Pali, Preah Phum and Neang Kong Hing Preah Thorani Ceremony. After offering to Krong Pali, it is time to offer to Deva Rub in the ceremony hall by inviting Preah Panchakset (other Devarub) to be displayed in the ceremony hall and to hold ceremonies in the five directions. In the east, the Brahmins Preah Reach Kru invited the Preah Komjay to set up and perform Horm ceremonies. In the southeast, the Brahmins Thireach invited Preah Narayan to set up and perform Horm ceremonies. In the southwest, the Brahmins Preah Jeak Yea Thib Dei invited the Preah Chanti to set up and perform Horm ceremonies. In the Northwest, the Brahmin Preah Minthor (Mahenthor) invites Preah Ey So to set up and perform Horm ceremony. The northeast, the Brahmin invited Preah Kanes, to set up and perform Horm ceremonies. When the Brahmins perform the ritual for three days, the fourth day is the day of plowing. Previously, the king was the direct plowman. But if he does not perform this, a representative of Oknha Pol Tep must be appointed. If Oknha Pol Tep had other business, Oknha Pochnea was assigned to replace from time to time. Nowadays, it is rare to see a king plowing, often his representative, sometimes as a royal family and sometimes as a high-ranking official in the government. Representing the King is called "Sdach Meak”, wearing a robe like the King is a plowman." As for the wife of King Meak, called "Chumteav or Preah Mehua", she wears a robe in the manner of the king's wife, who sows rice crops. Early in the morning ... King Meak and Neang Mehua went to worship His Majesty to be appointed. The king put incense on the foreheads of the king Meak and his wife as a symbol of appointment, and the King gave Sdach Meak a sword. Meak. The King Meak holds his sword and travels to the procession which is waiting. The King Meak sits on Preah Sor Leang, and Preah Mehua sits on a hammock accompanied by a procession led by the music of Pin Peat (play the song called Klom). Upon entering the Royal rice fields, King Meak and Preah Mehua must worship at the southwestern center before starting the plowing ceremony. This plow has three plows: the front plow is called "Lead plow", the middle plow is held by the king Meak and there is another plow in the back. Preah Mehua must follow the third plow and sow the seeds such as the sesame, bean, corn, and the rice crops following the path. After plowing three rounds of the royal rice fields, the plowing procession stopped at the eastern Mondob so that the king Meak could enter to worship the deity of the Mondob. The last task is for the Brahmin to perform a prayer ceremony, the cows are removed from the yoke of the plow to eat the seven kinds of food prepared on a table with pedestal dishes, including water, rice, grass, corn kernels, sesame seeds, beans and wine. The cow’s prediction is predicting the well-being and productivity of the people this year. If the cows drink a lot of water, the prophecy predicts that this year there will be enough water and enough rain. If the cows eat a lot of grass, the animals will get sick. If the cows eat a lot of rice, beans and sesame, these crops will bear a lot of fruit. But if the cows do not eat, the prophecy is that this year there will be wicked people, many drunkards, and the nation will suffer and war. At the end of the ceremony, people, young and old, compete to pick rice, corn, and soybeans to be used for seed, because it is believed that when all these seeds are mixed with their own seeds, the yield will be good. What is special is that Cambodians believe that when everything goes through the ceremony, "Mongkol, Serey Soursdey, the yield will come.