The Cầu Ngư Whale Worship Festival is held annually for 3 days, at the end of the second lunar month (from February 22 to 24), to pray for calm seas and favorable fishing season for the year. According to the elders, the Cầu Ngư Whale Worship Festival in the ancient Diem Pho and present Ngu Loc regions has appeared since the Le Dynasty, and has been preserved and promoted for many centuries. To prepare for the festival, people organized the making of a Long Chau boat, because this is the sacred object used for the main worship during the festival. Long Chau is a dragon boat, made of bamboo, bamboo, colored paper, foam and dyes, used as a dragon-shaped worship boat, to simulate the functions and powers of the gods of the river and sea regions and to send offerings along with the people's prayers, hoping to bless them in their life at sea. The festival consists of 2 parts: The ceremony part with rituals solemnly organized by fishermen such as: Long Chau boat procession, installation ceremony, peace-praying ceremony, food procession, palanquin procession... Here, offerings are offered to the gods with the purpose of thanking the gods for giving favorable weather, calm seas, full holds of fish and shrimp, good crops, a prosperous and happy life. When all preparations were completed, on the morning of February 21st of the lunar calendar, the temples and pagodas in the commune were opened one by one, the incense offering and worshiping teams began. By the next morning (February 22nd), the worshiping teams, the eight-tone troupe, the palanquin-carrying troupe, the village associations, the council of elders, the dignitaries in the village, and the heads of the clans were present at Thanh Ca temple to carry out the palanquin procession. The procession was organized to start very early from Thanh Ca temple to " Phúc land" (now the cultural center of the commune). After the ceremony to pray for coolness and peace here, the clans, people and tourists from all over the world came to worship and pay homage, until the afternoon of February 24, when it ended with the ceremony to send Long Chau back to the sea. The Cầu Ngư Whale Worship Festival often attracts a large number of people and tourists from all over the world to participate, with 81 clans and 450 fishing boats from Ngu Loc commune coming to participate in the festival, with a procession about 2 km long and hundreds of incense altars of the people worshiping Long Chau along the way to the altar. The Festival is organized in a lively, joyful and healthy manner, with exciting activities imbued with the traditional culture of the coastal area such as: water music performances, lion dances, festival drum performances, Chau Van performances, love songs, chess competitions, squid fishing competitions, net weaving competitions, duet singing competitions, human chess competitions... The Cầu Ngư Whale Worship Festival is an opportunity for people to express their aspirations for the fishing profession, go out to sea to pray for protection, and aim for a prosperous and happy life. The Cầu Ngư Whale Worship Festival is a large festival, especially valuable in the spiritual life of the residents of Thanh Hoa coastal area. At the end of 2017, the Cầu Ngư Whale Worship Festival of Ngu Loc commune was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This element was inscribed in 2008 (3.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2001) The Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul is the setting for a Confucian ritual dedicated to the ancestors of the Joseon dynasty (14th to the 19th century) that encompasses song, dance and music. The ritual is practised once a year on the first Sunday in May and is organized by the descendants of the royal family. It offers a unique example of a Confucian ritual, which is no longer celebrated in China. The tradition is inspired by classical Chinese texts concerning the cult of ancestors and the notion of filial piety. It also includes a prayer for the eternal peace of the ancestors’ spirits in a shrine conceived as their spiritual resting place. The order of the ceremony was defined in the fifteenth century and most elements have remained unchanged until today. During the rite, the priests, dressed in ritual costume with a crown for the king and diadems for the others, make offerings of food and wine in ritual vessels. The Jongmyo Jerye is music played to accompany the rituals and is performed on traditional instruments, such as gongs, bells, lutes, zithers and flutes. The dances are performed by 64 dancers in 8 lines representing the opposing yet complementary forces of Yin and Yang as set out in the Confucian texts.The Munmu dance, accompanied by the harmonious and soothing Botaepyong music, is characterized by a first step to the left. While the Munmu dance symbolizes the force of the Yang, the Mumu dance, accompanied by Jeongdaeeop music and characterized by a movement to the right, represents the force of the Yin. The ancestral ritual is nowadays often considered to be devoid of meaning, especially in the context of the growing importance of Christianity. However, the ritual and its music are protected through the National List of Intangible Heritage and the 1982 Law for the Protection of Cultural Property.

South Korea 2008

The origin of this ethnic group dance is not known but it is strongly believed to be in existence along with the Iban ethnic group since the 16th Century. The Ngajat dance is believed to been performed by warriors on their return from battles. This dance is now performed to celebrate the most significant harvest festival called ‘Gawai’, to welcome important guests to the longhouses for the celebration. The male dancers wear large feathers as part of their headgear, hold an ornate and long shield in their hand with chains, beads and a loincloth called the ‘cawat’. The female dancers have an elaborate headdress, chains, beads and a ‘dress’ that reaches to below their knees with intricate weaving. Traditionally this dance was only performed by male dancers but been innovated and perform by all. The dance is arranged in straight lines and a circle and does involve dramatic leaps and jumps performed by the male dancers. Gongs and other ethnic percussion instruments such as the ‘enkeromong’, ‘bendai’, ‘canang’ and ‘dumbak’ or ‘ketebong’ assemble the music. There are in fact several types of Ngajat dances, such as Ngajat Induk, Ngajat Bebunoh, Ngajat Lesong, Ngajat Semain, Ngajat Berayah and Ngajat Ngemai Antu Pala. The ‘Ngajat Lesung’ for example is one of the famous Iban traditional Ngajat dance in Sarawak. The knees are bent and kept close together as they twist from side to side, ending with a simple tap of the heel on the ground. The arms move from left to right in front of the body. The dance is done gracefully. The hornbill, an iconic bird of Sarawak, symbolizing all the movements. The male dancer in this dance represents the warrior who shows off his strength by biting a wooden mortar called the ‘lesung kayu’ with his teeth while dancing. It weighs about seven kilogrammes.

Literally meaning a “play ground”, Gầu Tào is often hosted by three families of the same blood line or by marriage. The festival takes place at the Gầu Tào hill from the 2nd to the 4th days in the first lunar month. A ritual master will be invited by the families to help carry out the ritual ceremonies. Some of the important rituals are cutting a bamboo tree and erecting it as the ritual pole. After cutting the bamboo, the ritual master ties two black and one red pieces of hemp fabric onto the tree’s top as a symbol for communal solidarity and invitation of ancestors to the festival. He will also attach one wine container made from gourd fruit and three small bundles of rice flower as symbol for fortune and luck, and a bunch of sưi fern plant as fecundity before erecting the pole, facing East for the three-day festival. The ritual master will do chanting, while making offerings before erecting the ritual pole. Members of the family will sing traditional ritual songs during these rituals. During the festival, there are games and performances, especially khèn music and dances, which the village members and visitors can take part in. On the last day, ending the festival, the ritual master holds an umbrella walking counterclockwise around the ritual pole while singing khâu dìn sê (descending the ritual pole). The bamboo pole is later used make bed and the linen to make baby clothes as a wish for good luck.

Kara Zhorga (kaz. 'Kara zhorga','black horse') - is the Kazakh folk dance, when a dancer performs an experienced rider, horseman, prancing on the pacer. Dance promotes horsemanship. Initially, it was considered male kind of dance. Gradually Kara Zhorga was danced by girls too. The Kazakh dance has reflected peculiarities of worldview and material culture of cattle-breeding nomads, embracing different aspects of labor, spiritual activity and way of life in the steppe. For the nation who poeticized everything within its environment any move could be the impetus for creating a dance element. A horseman that rode past at a gallop was compared with a darted arrow. A girl strolling slowly in the steppe was compared with a lonely grass-blade swinging in the wind, or a bird’s flight in the endless blue. The nature of Kazakh dances reflects the depth of a specific world-perception of the nation, which is spilled over into a certain style of performance and expressed in a particularly upright proud bearing of a performer, in certain positions and movements of her/his hands. Kara-Zhorga dance reproduces a picture of a traditional horse competition called bayga. "... The Maman village gathers for a feast (‘toy’). The young joyful horsemen step out from the crowd. The young men, bending their bodies slightly forward and swinging harshly with their whips, eagerly enter the competition. The horsemen, moving in circles, lines and diagonals, outrun each other, demonstrating the agility of a leap or an intricate hop. The imitation of horserace - rhythmically sharp-cut hops from one foot, big leaps with a curved body – have interspersed with dance technique. A sharp-cut, rough and springy folk tune of Kara-Zhorga dance and the movement which coincides with the horserace rhythm, successfully merge into a single image of bold horsemen (‘dzhigits’) who have equestrianism at their finger tips." (Sarynova, 1976: 37) “Kara-Zhorga is a dance that embodies a variety of nuances and technique. Kara Zhorga dance differs by nuances and technique of execution. It combines the 'militancy and buffoonery, softness and mobility, speed and peace' (A. Ismailov). The folk dance has various performance types: as 'a pair of zhorgas' ('qos zhorga') and 'male zhorga' ('erkek zhorga').

The Mevleviye is an ascetic Sufi order founded in 1273 in Konya, from where it gradually spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. Today, the Mevleviye can be found in many Turkish communities throughout the world, but the most active and famous centres of the order’s activity are in Konya and Istanbul. The Mevleviye are renowned for their whirling dances. Following a recommended fast of several hours, the whirlers begin to rotate on their left feet in short twists, using the right foot to drive their bodies around the left foot. The body of the whirler is meant to be supple, with eyes open but unfocused so that images become blurred and flowing. At their dancing ceremonies, or Sema, a particular musical repertoire called ay›n is played. Based on four sections of both vocal and instrumental compositions, it is performed by at least one singer, a flute-player, called neyzen, a kettledrummer and a cymbal player. Dancers used to receive 1,001 days of reclusive training within the mevlevi-houses (mevlevihane), where they learned about ethics, codes of behaviour and beliefs by practising prayer, religious music, poetry and dance. After this training, they remained members of the order but returned to their work and families. As a result of secularization policies, all mevlevihane were closed in 1925.The Turkish government began to allow performances again, though only in public, in the 1950s, restrictions were eased in the 1990s. Some private groups are re-establishing the original spiritual and intimate character of the Sema ceremony. However, over the thirty years the tradition was practised clandestinely, transmission focused rather on music and songs than on spiritual and religious traditions, which has deprived performances of part of their religious significance. Consequently, many sema ceremonies are no longer performed in their traditional context but for tourist audiences, and have been shortened and simplified to meet commercial requirements.

Turkey 2008

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea As a drum dance handed down in Tongyeong (Chungmu), Gyeongsangnam-do, it was performed by barmaids and boys. During the Japanese Invasion of Korea (1592-1598), Admiral Yi Sun-sin had this dance played to boost the morale of his troops or celebrate the victory of battles. Many dances performed in Tongyeong, a naval town, were called Seungjeonmu (Victory Dance). Only the Mugo (Drum Dance) was designated as important intangible cultural heritage under the name Seungjeonmu in 1968. Nine years later, Geommu (Sword Dance) was included in said designation. Looking at how a victory dance is performed, four dancing women in ceremonial dress with long white cuffs make movements, gathering in the direction of the drum placed at the center and then scattering in four directions with soft steps after beating the drum; thus creating a grand, joyous atmosphere. Samhyeon dodeuri (dodeuri rhythm music by three strings) and taryeong (Korean folk song) were used as accompaniment in music. The overall dance movements are simple and antiquated, carrying unique local characteristics. Dancers performing a sword dance wear white jacket, red skirt, black sleeveless coat, military official’s hat, red belt, and jacket with long, multicolor-striped undershirts while holding a sword in each hand. The tools used and dancers’ movements in Seungjeonmu are similar to the Mugo performed at the Royal Palace. The elegant dance movements, melodies of music, and overall exquisite arrangement make it a dance with high artistic and traditional value.

Kushtdepdi rite of singing and dancing is a performing art combining the genres of creative poetizing focused on good feelings and wishes, its singing with vocal improvisation and dancing with movements of hands, gestures and footsteps in accordance with the tune of the song. The element serves as a tool and a medium for conveying good wishes for happiness, mutual respect, solidarity, social cohesion to the wide public and youth. The element is considered as an inseparable part of child birth ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and national celebrations. Its introductory part starts with singing poetic words of best wishes for well-being, happiness and sermon for the youth to keep close ties with elders that is performed by a seated group of respected women dressed in traditional costumes. Its next stage continues with inviting performers to start the rite and then the performance is led by singing of a couple of poetry singers (traditionally a woman and a man) with dances to the accompaniment of songs in a semi-closed or closed circles. Dancing movements start with three steps on right foot and then simultaneously tramping and clapping which are intended to drive maleficence and misfortune away from the future life. The element is performed at the end of events concluding in a positive note as a prayer to the nature for fertility, procreation, solidarity and peace.

Turkmenistan 2017

Yike Theater is a typical folk performance art form of the Khmer people. Yike Theater was born in the Ba Sắc region of Sóc Trăng province with the great contributions of his ancestor Lý Cuôn. The theme is exploited from the treasure of Khmer folk literature. The stage and scenery are of the nature of a "gourd stage", and a landscape backdrop (available, can be pulled up and down). Basic dances such as military training, congratulations, good harvest, water invitation... Dance movements are divided into two character lines: the front line has poise and decisive movements (men) and graceful and soft movements (women); The villain line has exaggerated, fierce movements. The choreography has separate rules for different types of characters: people (13), python (02), and animals (01); individual choreography (04) and combat choreography (06). Music: the main musical instruments are strings and percussion, the most important being "trô u" (dip lute); Pinpet (pentatonic) orchestra. Music has its own characteristics, is methodical, has clear patterns and rules, and is used for each subject and character's personality. Songs and melodies: there are a total of 163 songs (tunes, including Lôm songs and Nô kô rek songs), of which 34 are traditional and official songs; The remaining songs are influenced by other art forms. The songs are divided into male and female voices, with specific characters such as hunters, fairies, male, female, and clown roles. The characteristic of Yike singing is that at the end of all the songs, there is a collective chant inside the stage. The art of makeup according to specific regulations shows the character's personality: bold, clear makeup (human - white, pink red; fox - red, black; fairy - blue). This is a combination of art forms from singing, dancing, music, martial arts, costumes, makeup, painting, and cuisine with unique characteristics of the community. Before performing, they worship the ancestors. The game exploits fairy tales and Khmer folk mythology.

This ancient theatre form created by Malaysia’s Malay communities combines acting, vocal and instrumental music, gestures and elaborate costumes. Specific to the villages of Kelantan in northwest Malaysia, where the tradition originated, Mak Yong is performed mainly as entertainment or for ritual purposes related to healing practices. Experts believe that Mak Yong appeared well before the Islamization of the country. It was performed as a royal theatre under the direct patronage of the Kelantan Sultanate until the 1920s. Hence, the tradition was perpetuated in a rural context without forsaking the numerous refinements acquired at court, such as sophisticated costume design. A typical Mak Yong performance opens with an offering followed by dances, acting and music as well as improvised monologues and dialogues. A single story can be presented over several consecutive nights in a series of three-hour performances. In the traditional village setting, the performances are held on a temporary open stage built of wood and palm leaves. The audience sits on three sides of the stage, the fourth side being reserved for the orchestra consisting of a three-stringed spiked fiddle (rebab), a pair of doubleheaded barrel drums (gendang) and hanging knobbed gongs (tetawak). Most roles are performed by women, and the stories are based on ancient Malay folk tales peopled with royal characters, divinities and clowns. Mak Yong is also associated with rituals in which shamans attempt to heal through song, trance-dance and spirit possession.

Malaysia 2008

Kỳ Yên Peace Begging Festival at Bình Thủy Communal House, Can Tho city, is held twice a year: Thuong Dien (mid-April lunar calendar) and Ha Dien (mid-December lunar calendar). In which, Ky Yen Thuong Dien is the biggest festival of the year at the communal house, held on April 12-15 of the lunar calendar to pray for favorable weather and a good crop. On the 11th, rituals take place to prepare for the festival, including: Opening ceremony of the three-door gate, land worship ceremony, offering to the ancestors, and presenting the birth ceremony. The festival includes the following rituals: Than Nong worship ceremony, Thay Khăn sắc Thần Ceremony, Xay Chau - Dai Boi Ceremony, Chanh Te Ceremony, Son Quan worship ceremony... Early in the morning of the 12th, the Than Nong worship ceremony takes place at the temple to commemorate the God of Agriculture. The offerings are the three animals in the previous day's presentation ceremony, which have been slaughtered and roasted pig, wine, cakes, fruits, incense, and lamps... Next, the first ritual is the ceremony to invite the divine decree to travel by royal palanquin, after which the procession returns to the communal house for the enthronement ceremony. While the divine decree is traveling, families on both sides of the road set up trays of offerings to welcome the god to pray for health, peace, and prosperity. At noon, at 12 o'clock, is the ceremony to change the divine decree's scarf. The celebrant performs the ceremony to ask for a new scarf for the decree. After that, there is the Xay Chau - Dai Boi ceremony at Binh Thuy communal house, in the form of building a semi-literary and semi-martial art, harmoniously and balancedly combining the literary and martial arts of the Xay Chau. Before starting the Xay Chau ceremony, the celebrant performs the ceremony to invite Thanh Hoang to attend and listen to the opera. After that, the Chau drum beats with 360 drumsticks to begin the ceremony. The Xay Chau ceremony represents the meaning of opening the supreme ultimate, harmonizing the two principles, and praying for peace. The Dai Boi ceremony is performed by the actors and actresses in the opera troupe, materializing the Xay Chau ceremony with the image of the characters combined with costumes, dances and lyrics through the rituals: nhat thai (nhut tru), luong nghi, tam tai, tu tuong, ngu hanh in sequence with the number of performers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… On the morning of the 13th, there is a ceremony in the main hall. On the morning of the 14th, there is a Tuc yet ceremony to welcome the gods. Special offerings include a shaved pig, 1 cup of blood, 1 cup of hair. After the celebrant reads the Van Te, it is burned. On the morning of the 15th, there is a Chanh Te ceremony, the most important ritual in the temple worship ceremony. This is a ceremony to worship the Gods during the Thuong Dien festival, to thank the Gods, to worship the Ancestors, and to worship the Later Ancestors. The offerings to the Gods are a white pig, a cup of blood and other offerings. After the Chanh Te ceremony is the Ton Vuong ceremony performed by the opera actors of the Ban Te Tu Dinh. Next is the Son Quan worship ceremony at Son Quan temple, also known as Ong Ho temple. In addition to the rituals and performances of traditional opera, Binh Thuy Communal House Festival also organizes activities such as: sticky rice blowing contest, local cuisine performance, traditional opera singing, along with folk games such as: boat racing, tug of war, pot smashing (blindfolded), sack jumping... attracting many participants. The Kỳ Yên Peace Begging Festival at Bình Thủy Communal House with its humanistic rituals is an opportunity to unite the community, people gather to have fun and relax to start the new crop. The Kỳ Yên Peace Begging Festival at Bình Thủy Communal House is an important testament to the history of Vietnamese settlement in this land. The royal decree and the communal house worshiping Thanh Hoang show the recognition of the monarchy in terms of administration and the formation of villages and communes. With its typical value, the Kỳ Yên Peace Begging Festival at Bình Thủy Communal House was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2018.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Ogwangdae refers to a form of traditional folk performance developed in the southern part of Korea including Tongyeong, hence the name Tongyeong Ogwangdae. Initially, Tongyeong Ogwangdae was performed on the eve of the Daeboreum (full moon of the 15th day of the first lunar month), but it gradually came to be performed on other festive days in spring and autumn. Some specialists claim that Tongyeong Ogwangdae originated from a form developed in Changwon Ogwangdae (Mask Dance Drama of Changwon) about a century ago - either by a group of local entertainers or Yi Hwa-seon, an Ogwandae player who moved from Changwon to Tongyeong. Each performance of Tongyeong Ogwangdae is composed of five episodes in which a total of 31 players play diverse characters by donning masks intended to represent them, including Leper, Malttugi, First Yangban, Second Yangban, Hongbaek Yangban, Faltering Yangban, Pockmarked Yangban, Black Yangban, Jorijung, Eight Heavenly Maids, Yeongno, Yeongnong Yangban, Halmi, Jeja Gaksi, Sangjwa, Blind Man, Sangju, Hunter, Mongdori, Lion, and Dambi. Each episode is focused on the complicated relationships between commoners and their views on Korean society and the ruling class. The words exchanged between the characters are typically barbed with sharp satire, effectively mocking the absurdity and hypocrisy of Confucian aristocrats and Buddhist monks. Tongyeong Ogwangdae is also famous for some of its dances, and most particularly the Leper’s Dance, which convincingly expresses the bitter life of a leper, and is also the only Ogwangdae troupe to present the Lion Dance during its performance. Tongyeong Ogwangdae is inscribed on Korea’s list of Important Intangible Cultural Heritages.