The culture of the Central Asian steppes expresses itself vividly in the lifestyle of traditional nomadic practices. Mongolian culture has been in practice in the nomadic life and the traditions surrounding the nomad’s home (ger). And it is present in religious celebrations, national festivals, art and crafts, music and dance, language and literature, which form the backbone of Mongolian intangible cultural heritage of Mongolia. Mongolia is filled with valuable cultural properties and intangible cultural heritage of humanity that have been kept or practiced for thousands of years.\n\nGer, Mongolian Traditional Dwelling\nThe traditional architecture of the Mongols differed strongly from that of the settled peoples of Asia and other continents. Centuries ago, there the ger, also known as a yurt, appeared. It still offers shelter to nomads in particular places in Central Asia. Its development and fundamental principles are determined by the specific features of the way of life of Mongol tribes, which made it necessary to evolve a light and collapsible structure to be used as a dwelling or for public functions.\n\nMongolian Language and Literature\nMongolian is the language of most of the Mongolian population and inner Mongolia. By origin, Mongolian is one of the Altaic family of languages, and the history of the Mongolian language is long and complicated. Significant literary work of early Mongolia includes The Secret History of the Mongols, which was published in 1228).\n\nMongolian Religion and Beliefs\nThe Mongols have practiced several religions, of which Shamanism and Buddhism were the most common. The faith in Mongolia is Buddhism, though the state and religion were separated during the socialist period, but with the transition to the parliamentary republic in the 1990s, there has been a general revival of faiths across the country\n\nMongolian Art and Crafts\nMongolian arts and crafts have been passed down across generations from the Paleolithic times to today, leaving behind deep impressions on all facets of life and conscious, aesthetic, and philosophical thinking. Highly developed Mongolian arts and crafts come from the second millennium BCE. The works included sculptured heads of wild animals with exaggerated features. Other items include knives, daggers, and other items of practical and religious use.\n\nMongolian Music and Dance\nMusic is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among Mongolia’s unique contributions to the world’s musical culture are the long songs, overtone singing, and morin khuur (the horse-headed fiddle). The music of Mongolia is also rich with varieties related to the various ethnic groups of the country. Among the most popular forms of modern music in Mongolia are Western pop and rock genres and the mass songs written by contemporary authors in the form of folk songs.\n\nHorse Culture of Mongolia\nIt is famously known that horses play a large role in the Mongols’ daily and national lives. Common sayings are, “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings,” and “Mongols are born on horseback” these are arguably true words. Even today, horse-based culture is still practiced by nomadic Mongolians.\n\nVisit https://www.toursmongolia.com/tours for additional information about Mongolian culture.\n\nPhoto 1 : Prairie meadow grass inner Mongolia traditional clothing © Batzaya Choijiljav\nPhoto 2~7 : © Batzaya Choijiljav

Navruz (Nowruz) is not just about the first day of spring, but it is also not just a celebration of the New Year marked by indulging in a feast; it has a much wider historical and cultural context with deep doctrinal significance.

Of the fifty-four ethnic groups in Vietnam, the Kinh (also known as the Viet) people account for 85 percent of the entire population of Vietnam while the remaining 15 percent of the population is made up of the other fifty-three minorities. Within the group of minorities are the Nung people who have a population of around one million and reside in the northern mountainous provinces on the border with China.

Dao Mau, the Mother Goddess ritual, is an ancient Vietnamese ritual that has been around since the sixteenth century. For the first time, Dao Mau ritual was performed on 18 August 2017 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The performance was organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in Sofia in collaboration with the State Cultural Institute to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The ritual pays tribute to three spheres of the universe: heaven, water, and earth (mountains and forests).\n\nLieu Hạnh is a leading Mother Goddess figure in Vietnam. Referred to as the Mother of the World, she is a nymph who descended to Earth, lived as a human, and became a Buddhist nun. The biggest annual festival celebrated is held in Phu Day Temple, Nam Dinh Province. The Mother Goddess ritual includes music, songs, dance performances; performers are dressed in traditional Vietnamese costumes.\n\nIt is believed that practicing this ritual maintains culture, history, and heritage as communally shared richness. The ritual encourages good nature in each individual and enhances the connection among community members. Worshipping the Mother Goddess is also a sign of appreciation to the role and contribution of women in society. Recognized by UNESCO, this Vietnamese ritual was inscribed on Representative List in December 2016.\n\nPhoto : Practices related to the Viet’s beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms © UNESCO

For thousands of years, Nowruz has been celebrated by the Persians. This ancient ceremony is celebrated every year on 1 Farvardin (the first month in Persian Calendar), roughly 20 April, to welcome the new year and the spring, which brings life back to Earth for a new beginning. However, preparations begin a few weeks before, and the actions and performances continue for almost two weeks.\n\nPreparing for New Spring\nNowruz preparations begin a few weeks prior to the new year, with a traditional spring cleaning called khaneh yekani. It is also customary to purchase new clothing for the family and maybe new furniture for the home as a way of welcoming the new year and spring.\n\nHaft Seen Table\nWhile preparing for Nowruz, the people create the Haft Seen Table, a special family activity that begins by spreading a special family cloth on a table and setting the table with the seven S (seen) items including:\n\nSumac: The crushed spice of berries for the sunrise and the spice of life\nSenjed: Sweet dry fruit of the lotus tree for love and affection\nSerkeh: Vinegar for patient and age\nSeeb: Apple for health and beauty\nSir: Garlic for good health\nSamanu: wheat pudding for fertility and sweetness of life\nSabzeh: sprouted wheat grass for rebirth and renewal of nature\nBesides these items, other symbolic items go on the Haft Seen Table, depending on the tradition of each family. For example, a mirror symbolizes a reflection on the past year, an orange in a bowl of water symbolizes Earth, colored eggs represent fertility, and coins for prosperity in the new year. Special flowers called Hyacinths symbolize spring, and candles radiate light and happiness. Families also put Qur’an or Shahnameh, an epic Persian story of colorful kings and princes written around 1000 CE by the great Persian poet, Ferdowsi.\n\nChahar Shanbe Suri\nIt is also a tradition to celebrate the last Wednesday of the old year, Chahar Shanbe Suri by lighting small bonfire in the streets and jump over the flame shouting “Zardie to az man, sorkhie man az to” which means “May my sickly pallor be yours and your red glow be mine” with which, the flame symbolically removes all the unpleasant and unwelcomed things of the previous year.\n\nQashoq Zani\nWhile others are jumping over the bonfire, others are busy performing Qashoq Zani, which is very much like Halloween. Children—with some of the adults—wander around the alleys making sounds by tapping a pan or pot to bring out the neighbors. The neighbors open their doors and give the children treats.\n\nFalgoosh\nA group of unmarried woman and teenagers huddled in the corners of dark alleys and stand falgoosh, listening to the conversations of passersby. The content of the first sentence of a conversation is regarded as an omen (fal) or portent for the future. This continues until there is no more wood to burn.\n\nTraditions\nIt is also a custom to make ash (a kind of soup) and serve it after the ceremony to end the Chahar Shanbe Suri program. After ending the ceremony, in a few days, all people around the country wait for the exact time of changing seasons, when the new year comes, the tahvil moment.\n\nThe Moment of Tahvil\nThe exact time of the new year is calculated by astrologists and occurs during the venereal equinox; this is tahvil. Throughout history, people have been informed when they hear “Haji Firooz” being sung. A special person crossing through their neighborhood and the singing and dancing would spread the news of Nowruz. He is dressed in a red satin outfit and has his face painted as a disguise. A few minutes left to tahvil, families and friends gather around the Haft Seen Table.\n\nTo Visit Elderly\nThe joyful moment of tahvil is delightful for people, and they want to share the good feeling with those beloved and close friends and relatives. The priority is to visit with the elderly on the new year, where they serve fruit, sweets, and nuts, and children receive small gifts or an amount of money called eidi from their grandparents. This is why children are so passionate for these visits. These visits continue depending on how busy the adults are or until the last day of the Nowruz holiday.\n\nSizdah Bedar\nOn 13 Farvardin, the last day of the Nowruz holiday, people will leave their places to spend the day in the countryside. It is called sizdah (thirteen) bedar (out) to accompany nature through the change of the seasons. They bring their sabzeh and get to tie grass and make wishes like making a wonderful spouse or wishing for money, and after that they throw it into running water.\n\nPhoto : Celebratory foods for Nowruz © Mohammad Shirkavand

The Nepali annual calendar is full of life and filled with celebrations and festivals enjoyed by communities from different castes, ethnicities, and religions. Shrawan (July/August), the fourth month of the Nepali calendar, reflects greenery in the environment and in the lifestyle of women.\n\nThe entire month of Shrawan is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the supreme deity in Hinduism. Devotees offer their prayers and seek blessings from Shiva for success, prosperity, and a better conjugal life. Shrawan is filled with religious celebrations.\n\nLegend\nIt is said that samundra manthan (the churning of the ocean) took place during Shrawan. Through that process, a number of valuable rubies emerged from the sea along with the halahal (a deadly poison with the potential to destroy the world). Lord Shiva came to the rescue by consuming the poison himself. It is believed that his neck turned blue due to the poison’s toxic effects, thus earning him the name Nilkantha (the one with a blue throat). The other gods came to help Lord Shiva using the water from the Ganges. He wore crescent moon over his head to reduce the effect of poison and maintains the temperature of his body. It is also believed that Lord Indra came to help by showering him with rain to reduce his body temperature. This is why water (particularly of the Ganges), leaves of the bel plant (bilva leaves), and milk are offered to Lord Shiva during Shrawan to earn good fortune.\n\nFasting and Bolbam\nShrawan is one of the most sacred months of the year in the Nepali calendar, and people devote themselves to religious activities. Although devotees visit temples regularly, it is believed that offering prayers on Mondays during Shrawan has special significance. People perform pilgrimages, also known as bolbam, barefoot and in orange attire to bring pure water from the holy river and offer it in temples to Lord Shiva. There are different practices of fasting. Some avoid grains, salt, oils, and spices on this particular day only, whereas others avoid meat, garlic, onion, and ginger for an entire month. Mostly Hindu women and girls continue fasting during this month. A married woman observes a fast for their husband’s healthy life while unmarried women do so in the hope of finding a better life partner.\n\nHenna and Bangles\nNepali women and girls are often seen wearing green and orange attire, hennas, and bangles to mark this month. Nepalese markets are filled with brightly colored accessories and apparel for the whole month. The green color signifies not only the cultural spirit but also the environment, which is verdant after the monsoon season. Married women can be seen wearing colorful glass bead necklaces, known as potay, a symbol of marriage in the Hindu culture. The potay is an important piece gifted by a groom to his bride during the wedding ceremony.\n\nPhoto 1 : A holy pilgrimage bolbam ⓒ Riwaj Rai\nPhoto 2 : Bangles and glass beads necklace potay ⓒ Smriti Rai\nPhoto 3 : Henna ⓒMamta Acharya

Jathilan (Javanese horse dance) combines dance, music, and altered states of consciousness in a spectacular cultural performance. Despite not being known to the outside world (even tourists visiting Java are hardly aware of its existence), it is popular among the locals.\n\nA folk performance encompassing both ritual and entertainment purposes, jathilan is commonly described as ‘horse dance’ because the woven bamboo horse effigies are the hallmark props used by the performers. The dancers are believed to be possessed by spirits that make the dancers act differently and allow them to perform various feats based on physical invulnerability. Thus, performances might include demonstrations of eating glass, husking big green coconuts with bare teeth and hands, whipping performers, walking on hot coals, or being ran over by a motorcycle—all without inflicting any harm.\n\nOther than the dancers, who are in the spotlight of the audience’s attention and dressed in bright costumes reminiscent of ancient Javanese warriors, the pawang is another key figure. The pawang conducts the performance and holds all the knowledge of the spirits’ nature and desires and the ways of inviting them and making them leave. All the dancers emphasize their trust in the pawang as the trance master, making sure that every performance will run safely and smoothly. None of the performers remember what has happened to them in trance. It is generally believed that anyone can learn to perform jathilan; not a particular talent but good personal relationship is the key reason for someone to be absorbed by a performing group. Jathilan groups are like big families where everyone helps and supports each other. Although the performers are paid for their shows, it is never expected to become their main source of income. Typically, performers have a day job. What drives them to keep performing jathilan is their desire to see their culture living—as they always say.\n\nHorse trance dance is popular all over the island of Java. It can also be found in almost any area where Javanese immigrants are present—in other Indonesian islands, in neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia (under the name kuda kepang), and even in South American Suriname, which has a 13 percent Javanese population. Jathilan is one of the many manifestations of Javanese folk religion that still remains quite widespread nowadays despite the official statistic indicating that over 90 percent of Javanese adhere to Islam.\n\nPhoto : Entranced dancer with horse effigies © Eva Rapoport

For hundreds of years, Thai people drew images of animals, Khom scripts, and mystic diagrams (yantra) on their skin, believing that these would protect them against misfortunes. Sacred tattoos, known as sak yant (sak meaning “to tap” or “to tattoo”; yant meaning “sacred design or geometry”), were originally worn by warriors before a battle, but now they are enjoyed by the general public like a lucky charm. Sak yant is traditionally rendered using a bamboo needle by tattoo masters (ajarns) among Buddhist monks. But the magical power of such tattoos is not permanent, so it is believed they should be recharged on a regular basis. The popularity of sak yant led to an annual tattoo festival in March in Wat Bang Phra, a Buddhist temple/monastery about fifty kilometers west from Bangkok.\n\nBefore dawn people start gathering at the vast monastery compound. They sit on the ground facing the altar with the statue of Luang Phor Pern, a famous meditation monk renowned for his mastery of sacred tattoos. Temple monks begin a ceremony called Sak Yant Wai Kru in the morning though prior to this, peculiar occurrences take place. Some of the tattoo-bearers become possessed by their own images: of a warrior, an old man, a tiger, a crocodile, or Hanuman, a monkey demigod of Hindu mythology. All of a sudden they jump up yelling or roaring like animals and run toward the altar. Frenetic in their trance, they are held above the ground, their ears are rubbed or blown, which swiftly brings them back to their normal consciousness, then they do wai (Thai gesture of reverence; a bow with the palms pressed together), and peacefully return to their seats.\n\nThe tradition of writing protective tattoos has a long history in Southeast Asia. Sak yant, sacred geometrical designs tattooed by revered monks, in particular, is an old social practice that continuously reaffirms the heritage of Thailand.\n\nPhoto : Ceremony participant believed to be possessed by his tiger tattoo. © Eva Rapoport

Marking the beginning of spring, Navruz (meaning March equinox) is one of the largest traditional holidays in Central Asia. Located in the heart of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has been celebrating Navruz (Nooruz in Kyrgyz) for a long time as its national holiday. When the Navruz holiday comes, Kyrgyz families gather to make holiday desserts: sumolok and boorsok.\n\nIn the old times, sumolok was a ritual dish prepared before the start of spring sowing. Sumolok is a sweet paste made from germinated wheat and stir cooked in a kazan, a large traditional pot in Central Asia. Sumolok has become an important cuisine in Kyrgyz culture since almost all of Kyrgyzstan celebrates the holiday by making it. In villages and towns, families gather around a kazan full of sumolok and take turns to stirring the sumolok. Usually it takes a whole day and night to finish the cuisine, which is why a typical Navruz scene in Kyrgyzstan is pictured as a group of families sitting around a Kazan while singing and stirring sumolok.\n\nBoorsok, on the other hand, is cooked faster than sumolok. Also a traditional sweet in Central Asia, boorsok is a type of fried dough in various shapes. Kyrgyz boorsok is typically shaped like a pressed doughnut.\n\nThis year, Boorsok National Record was held in the Arashan village near the capital city, Bishkek. The event was organized by Ethnographic Complex Kyrgyz Aiyli (meaning Kyrgyz village), successfully attracting an estimated 1,500 local residents and tourists. The main programs included making boorsok, singing songs, and competing in horse riding and other national games. The participants in the boorsok cooking competition used about a ton of flour and made more than 800 kg of boorsok. Later, boxes of boorsok were sent to nearby orphanages and the elderly in Arashan Village.\n\nMarking the beginning of spring, Navruz (meaning March equinox) is one of the largest traditional holidays in Central Asia. Located in the heart of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has been celebrating Navruz (Nooruz in Kyrgyz) for a long time as its national holiday. When the Navruz holiday comes, Kyrgyz families gather to make holiday desserts: sumolok and boorsok.\n\nIn the old times, sumolok was a ritual dish prepared before the start of spring sowing. Sumolok is a sweet paste made from germinated wheat and stir cooked in a kazan, a large traditional pot in Central Asia. Sumolok has become an important cuisine in Kyrgyz culture since almost all of Kyrgyzstan celebrates the holiday by making it. In villages and towns, families gather around a kazan full of sumolok and take turns to stirring the sumolok. Usually it takes a whole day and night to finish the cuisine, which is why a typical Navruz scene in Kyrgyzstan is pictured as a group of families sitting around a Kazan while singing and stirring sumolok.\n\nBoorsok, on the other hand, is cooked faster than sumolok. Also a traditional sweet in Central Asia, boorsok is a type of fried dough in various shapes. Kyrgyz boorsok is typically shaped like a pressed doughnut.\n\nThis year, Boorsok National Record was held in the Arashan village near the capital city, Bishkek. The event was organized by Ethnographic Complex Kyrgyz Aiyli (meaning Kyrgyz village), successfully attracting an estimated 1,500 local residents and tourists. The main programs included making boorsok, singing songs, and competing in horse riding and other national games. The participants in the boorsok cooking competition used about a ton of flour and made more than 800 kg of boorsok. Later, boxes of boorsok were sent to nearby orphanages and the elderly in Arashan Village.\n\nMore information about Navruz is available in ICHCAP’s e-Knowledge Center.\n\nWatch Other Navruz Videos\nNavruz is celebrated throughout Central Asia, with each ethnic group having its own take on the holiday. The videos of Tajik and Uzbek celebrations below are from ICHCAP’s Central Asia ICH Collection.

Malaysia is a developing nation of Southeast Asia. A few of their famous slogans reflect the diversity of its present ethnic groups in terms of language, customs and traditions inherited from past generations, ‘One Malaysia‘ and ‘Malaysia Truly Asia‘. Malaysia’s cultural fusion is the result of immigration, trade and cultural exchanges over many centuries with Arab nations, China, and India, where the arrival of the first foreigners brought along with them their wealth as well as their cultural heritage and religion. Presently, these ethnic groups still maintain their cultural traditions, but managed to come together to develop Malaysia’s unique and contemporary diverse heritage.

The Yakan is one of the major ethnolinguistic groups of the Philippines. Among the Yakan of Basilan in Mindanao, Philippines, instrumental music is given much importance. For instance, the kwintangan, an instrument of five to seven bossed gongs laid in a row, are used for courtship and celebrations.

After the Angkor was inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List, it was necessary to establish working mechanisms to promote national and international collaboration.