Wrestling is an intense struggle between two people based on strength, endurance, and patience. In addition to power and physical capacity, this contest also requires mental strength and control of the body with the mind. Wrestling has some characteristics that reflect people’s physical struggle with nature under various circumstances. As a consequence of these two complementary aspects, this activity has long been part of relations, competitions, and some kinds of claims of superiority among human beings. Wrestling, for all these reasons, is one of the oldest sports in the history of humanity. At the same time, this means that rich traditions, rituals, and practices have formed and evolved around wrestling in different parts of the world. Therefore, it is possible to say that this sport, in a way, represents one of the aspects of the cultural accumulation of humanity, the knowledge, practices, and rituals transmitted from one generation to the next. This fact also leads us to think of the regional, national, and local forms of wrestling that may be regarded in the context of diversity of cultural expressions. Within this perspective and the focus of this paper, traditional oil wrestling embodies a living heritage with various cultural characteristics. It might be helpful to provide some information on the history and main elements of traditional oil wrestling before elaborating upon its value from the perspective of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) identity, transmission, and safeguarding efforts.\nTraditional oil wrestling is performed on a grass field by wrestlers called who are doused in olive oil and wear a type of hand-stitched, tight-fitting, knee-covering leather pants called . The roots of the relation between Turks and wrestling may be traced back long before its presence in Anatolia and the Republic of Turkey, to Central Asia in

The Tao Foundation for Culture and Arts is a Philippine non-profit, non-governmental orga-nization based in Quezon City, National Capital Region, Luzon and in Agusan del Sur, Caraga Region, Northeastern Mindanao. Established in 1994, the Tao Foundation is led by an all-fe-male Board composed of Filipino scholars, artists, and Indigenous community leaders engaged in cultural regeneration initiatives in response to the five centuries of colonial and neocolonial histories and the need to help build strong cultural communities. The Tao Foundation’s mission is to (1) facilitate the exchange, transmission, and development of Philippine ICH/TCH; and to (2) contribute to the empowerment of culture bearers or those who possess ancestral practical and theoretical knowledges that have endured and transformed to remain relevant through colonial and neocolonial histories as a result of day-to-day and more large-scale acts of resistance.

Annually, from 13 to 15 April, the people of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia celebrate their traditional New Year—Paveni Pi Mai Muang or the Songkran Festival, which is also known as the Water Splashing Festival. According to Northern Thai or Lanna culture, Songkran is traditionally celebrated during the seventh lunar month of the Lanna calendar. Establishing April as the first month of the year coincides with the movement of the sun through the zodiac, a pattern that reflects the changing seasons and accords with the natural rhythm of nature and the universe. This time of year provides an opportunity for family members to gather and make merit through traditional rituals, such as washing Buddha images and other water blessing ceremonies. Each day of the New Year festival serves a particular purpose as outlined in this article.

Filipinos believe in a two-dimensional world: one of the living and another in a parallel spiritual plane. When the living unintentionally disturbs the spiritual world, unexplained ailments, maladies, and misfortunes befall them. When medical science in the world of the living cannot cure unexplainable conditions, Filipinos resort to traditional methods, reaching out to the spiritual world in various ways.

Old Polish sabre fencing fits within the limits of broadly understood Polish martial art, which in addition to sabre fencing includes fighting on war horses with a hussar lance, pickax (horseman’s pick), scythe, or Polish lance. The basis for the claim that Poland has its own sabre fencing pattern is the fact that it developed its own type of sabre pattern called the hussar sabre (Kwaśniewicz, 1988, p. 66) and the existence of Old Polish fencing with palcaty (short sticks) (Kwaśniewicz, 2017, p. 473)—an important element in the preparation of noblemen and courtiers for fencing with this weapon known as “cross art” (Jezierski, 1791, p. 213), and in the case of short sticks, “striking the clubs ( )” (Kitowicz, 1985, p. 113). This had its origins in the 16th century and its tradition was cultivated until 1939. It was resurrected as a Polish martial art in 1986 under the name Signum Polonicum, functioning as a contribution of Polish national heritage to the world family of national sports and martial arts.

I started the Manipuri Theatre group when I was 20 years old. Our first production was held in Ghoramara, and the experience and feelings of it were inexplicable. The word ‘theatre’ was alien to us until then. We realized that the villagers were not accustomed to such an indigenous production. It was not like traditional folk theatre on religious tales—the subject delved into vagaries of everyday life and struggle. However, the idea was incepted in a casual way. At that age, our usual recreation was sports or picnic. Drama production had never been an option. The idea came from watching traditional Manipuri religious drama Ras Leela.

The Tao Foundation for Culture and Arts is a Philippine non-profit, non-governmental orga- nization based in Quezon City, National Capital Region, Luzon and in Agusan del Sur, Caraga Region, Northeastern Mindanao. Established in 1994, the Tao Foundation is led by an all-fe- male Board composed of Filipino scholars, artists, and Indigenous community leaders engaged in cultural regeneration initiatives in response to the five centuries of colonial and neocolonial histories and the need to help build strong cultural communities.

Wedding ceremonies in Thailand are generally divided into two parts: a Buddhist component, which includes reciting prayers and offering food and other gifts to monks and images of the Buddha, and a non-Buddhist component, which is rooted in folk traditions and centers on the couple’s families.

Traditional Mongolian medicine has a history of more than 2,500 years, and it is one of the most valuable heritages of the Mongolian people. During this long period, although keeping its own distinct features, traditional Mongolian medicine developed a close relationship with Indian Ayurvedic, Tibetan, and Chinese medicines. In fact, Mongolian and Tibetan medicines have the same theory, diagnostic methods and treatment. Traditional Mongolian medicine was the only available method of healthcare before Western medicine was introduced around the turn of the last century. The service provided by practitioners of traditional medicine covered the entire healthcare spectrum and dealt satisfacto-rily with most health problems at that time. As one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization, Mongolia was one of the earliest areas where medicine developed. Our ncestors discov-ered treatment for sicknesses that grew out of their lifestyle and passed these treatments on to the known world at that time.

In many traditional ceremonies and rituals, the use of baked clay pots and objects in Nepal is common. Even for everyday uses, these potteries include those for cooling water, cooking, flowers, curd, and many more. Until a few decades back, these potteries were more commonly used in everyday life. Pots for storing water and grains, for steaming, for carrying water, and even for washing clothes were made of various potteries. Today, many of these traditional potteries have been replaced by durable modern materials, such as plastics.\n\nBecause of the extensive use of the pottery in daily life, there used to be quarters in the cities and villages within Kathmandu Valley dedicated to pottery making. Now there are only a few places within the valley that have continued to make pottery using ancient techniques. These places are now famous due to the influx of tourists.\n\nOne of the most famous quarters for pottery in the valley is pottery square in Bhaktapur that is known to locals as Kumha Twa. Kumha are pottery makers, and twa is the quarters. Walking through this quarter we can see people making shapes out of clay on pottery wheels. Some giving finishing touches while some are busy drying pottery goods in the sun. This quarter also has communal kiln for baking. This quarter seem like an open-air museum for the pottery making, which has been continued for several generations.\n\nMr. Krishna Shyam Prajapati, 44 years old, is one of the pottery makers of the square. He has worked in this profession since the age of 13 or 14. He learned pottery-making skills from his father and his father learned from his father. This continuity has been going on for generations. According to Mr. Prajapati in the old days, they used to make pottery hand-operated wheels that had to be with the help of pole. Now, most pottery makers use electric motor wheels.\n\nThe pottery is made from the black clay, which is abundant in the valley. The clay from the field is smashed and smoothed with the help of feet. When it is smooth enough, it is ready for making pots and other things. Now machines have taken over much of the manual work. After the pottery is shaped, it is sundried and later baked in a kiln. In old days, hay was used to make fire, but now the kilns are fueled with wood. These kilns are communal, people take turns baking their pottery.\n\nWith the arrival of tourism, pottery makers shifted from the traditional pottery to products targeting tourists. The souvenirs like bells, candle stands, miniature animals, and many wares are commonplace. But with the pandemic, the lack of tourist has hampered the pottery business, so pottery makers like Mr. Prajapati have shifted back to traditional products. He has been sustaining his business in the pandemic by making piggy banks commonly known as khutruke.\n\nThe pottery-making business has been directly and indirectly affected by modernization. Consumers prefer to use plastic products instead of clay ones due to durability and economic circumstances. Also the massive growth in the city is creating difficulty for the pottery makers to get the required clay.\n\nThough tourism has given a boost in business and pottery square has contributed to tourism in the city, there is a need to recognize and value the traditional profession by state and contribute in the future sustainability.\n\nPhotos 1~4 : Pottery souvenirs displayed in shops. © Monalisa Maharjan

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

Loy Krathong Festival is a yearly event in Thailand on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, usually in November. This festival has a long history dating back to the Sukhothai era and continuously maintains its popularity in the present. It is a local ritual in honor of the goddess of water to get rid of misfortunes for a better future. During the festival, people gather by a river or canal float krathong, a basket made of banana trunk and leaves in the shape of a blooming lotus. This performance is more of a prayer that the krathong will take their hardships and bad luck far away. Traditionally, families make at least one krathong as beautiful as they can, decorated with various flowers, candles, and joss sticks. Strands of hair, nails, clothes, and money are sometimes placed in the krathong, too. Before floating it, people light the candle and joss sticks and make a wish, asking for forgiveness from the goddess of water for any deeds that may have disappointed her, and ask her to take their bad luck away.\n\nThis ritualistic performance is practiced throughout Thailand, though each location has its own way of performing it. There are also some fun activities during the festival such as the Best Krathong Competition to honor the most beautiful and creative krathong, Noppamas beauty pageant to crown a beautiful and smart girl (named after Noppamas, a beautiful consort of the King Lethai’s grandson during the Sukhothai era), fireworks display, traditional costume display, and many other traditional entertainment and performances.\n\nLooking into how the festival has been carried out over the last decade, people have come up with more resourceful and impressive ways to participate in the festival. Some have used foam or plastic and artificial decorations to make a lighter krathong that can float well on water. In response to global warming, people have also become more vigilant in using eco-friendly materials in creating Krathong. For example, a krathong-shaped bread has already been created for the festival; it didn’t leave waste on the water, and it also served as a fish food. Commonly, banana trunks and leaves have also been used to create krathong.\n\nPhoto : Loy krathong ⓒ Department of Cultural Promotion