"About the Centre for Intangible Heritage Studies (CIHS) The Centre for Intangible Heritage Studies (CIHS) is an academic center based at the Sree San- karacharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady (SSUSK) in the state of Kerala in India. It is the first academic center in India established exclusively for the study of intangible heritage. It should be noted here that the discipline or subject of intangible heritage is relatively new, coming into existence only with the launch of the 2003 UN Convention for the Safeguard- ing of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Up to then, all discussions on heritage were restricted to its tangible aspects. More than a decade since the 2003 Convention, there remains a lack of awareness about."

Vernacular martial arts (VMA) occupy a special niche within the diverse phenomena classified as martial arts. Cross-culturally, “Martial arts can be defined as systematic bodies of knowledge, belief, and practice that are associated with methods of attack and defense against … adversaries” (Green and Svinth, 2010, p. 331). On close examination, we learn that the behaviors we attempt to gather under this umbrella term are quite diverse, ranging from life-and-death struggles through rule-governed sporting contests to expressive forms, from globalized combat sports to localized martial culture. The systems that fall on the latter end of this spectrum I have applied the VMA label to, and among the various martial expressions these are the ones that most clearly qualify as intangible cultural heritage (ICH). The following distinctions are useful for the current discussion.

On 17 December 2020, the rite and pilgrimage to St. Thaddeus Church were added to the Representative List of intangible cultural heritage with a joint nomination file with Armenia and Iran. It marks Iran’s sixteenth heritage element to be registered on UNESCO’s lists. The Pilgrimage to St. Thaddeus is a religious rite held in West Azerbaijan, Iran, at the Church of the Holy Qara (Black Church). Every year, thousands of Armenians from all over the world come to this historic site to perform this ritual.\n\nQara Church is one of the world’s oldest churches and one of the most significant Armenian churches. According to some scholars, it is the world’s first Christian structure, and it is located 20 kilometers northeast of Chaldoran city, next to a village of the same name. Qara means ‘black’ in Azeri, and the name comes from the fact that a portion of the church is black. The church’s main structure is made of black stones, which have been replaced with white stones following the reconstruction of some of the stones.\n\nThe Church of Thaddeus, along with the Dzordzor Chapel and St. Stepanos, was added to the World Heritage List as a collection on July 7, 2008.\n\nThis ceremony commemorates the martyrdom of Thaddeus, one of Christianity’s first apostles, and Santukhd, the first female Christian martyr.\n\nThaddeus, also known as Tataeus, was one of Christ’s apostles who visited Armenia in the year forty AD and preached Christianity. Many groups converted to Christianity because of his preaching, including Armenia’s King Sanatrok and his daughter Santukhd. However, the king later regretted it and became opposed to the new religion, ordering the assassination of Thaddeus, Sandakht (his daughter), and others.\n\nThe history of this ritual dates back to 1954, and it has been organized every year in St. Thaddeus Church by Armenians for 66 years with the presence of Armenians and Christians from Iran, Armenia, and other countries around the world. In addition to the Armenians, Assyrian families and some Catholic families also attended the ceremony.\n\nThe ceremony is a social and cultural event that incorporates religious, ethnic, and traditional motives. Every year in July, rituals, and pilgrimages to St. Thaddeus Church (Qara Church) are held. During these three days, ceremonies such as infant, child, and adolescent baptisms, weddings, candle lighting, and church bell ringing are held inside the church and in the surrounding area.\n\nPicture 1: © Mr. Mohammad Reza Domiri Gangi\nPicture 2: St. Thaddeus Monastery © Soheil Callage, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, Changed: Size, Contrast