Materials
gift
ICH Materials 162
Videos
(9)-
The Wonder Woman of Wood Painting highlight
Foshan Woodblock Painting is a kind of well-known folk woodblock paintings of South China. It is mainly produced in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, Consequently it was named Foshan Woodblock Painting.\nThere has been much important research on the history of Chinese New Year pictures, but there are still different opinions on how to rescue New Year pictures from the brink of disappearance and how to fit them into the modern life. As far as Liu Zhongping can see, the revival of New Year pictures is not something that can be achieved by making one or two field visits and publishing one or two articles, but something that needs to be acted out. That is to say, it is necessary to carry out social practice that help to activate traditional culture with a focus on inheritors rather than researchers.\nIn this regard, from the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritors’ Training Program” to the “Revitalization Program of Chinese Traditional Crafts” to the recent “New Year Pictures Back to Spring Festival”, some explorations and attempts have been made around the inheritance and innovation of New Year pictures. From inheritor’s study and training to holding exhibitions and cross-disciplinary dialogues, from developing experience-oriented craft courses to developing new products and expanding sales channels, under the guidance of the intangible heritage protection concepts of “Seeing People, Seeing Things, Seeing Life” and “Leading by Usage” in the new era, New Year pictures practitioners, local people and all stakeholders have gradually regained confidence in the revival of New Year pictures.\nThe first step is always the hardest. On top of a good start, further progress is needed. It’s imperative to know the sticky issues and difficulties and come up with targeted, creative and feasible solutions. As a practitioner, She takes the liberty of thinking about several key points in practice, offering advice and suggestions to practitioners and decision-makers, and hoping to contribute to the revival of New Year pictures. China has entered the twenty-first century. The social scenes that endow New Year pictures with meaning year after year have vanished. It is very difficult for us to ask people to change their house gates back to the old-fashioned style, and it is also very difficult for young people to observe the traditional festival customs. However, what we can do is not only to enshrine New Year pictures in museums, but also to keep pace with the times and find a place for New Year pictures in modern life.\nThrough her effort and hardwork, she focuses on the innovation of Foshan Woodblock Painting and meets the needs young people She updates some painitngs, such as the mobil phones shell, schoolbags, notebooks as well as painitng gift packs. By the resurrection of the gods through a number of newly designed derivatives,now the paitings are popular among the local people. And she believes her master's dream as well as hers of continuing and spreading the national intangible cultural heritages have been realized
China 2019 -
Sau-batar (Corn Harvesting Ceremony)
Sau-Batar is one of Timor-Leste’s most cherished agricultural ceremonies, marking the successful harvesting of corn—batar, the staple crop that lies at the heart of both sustenance and spiritual life for many communities. Far more than an agricultural routine, this ritual reflects a worldview where nature, ancestors, and community are deeply intertwined.\n\nThe ceremony typically begins with a symbolic act called “taking out the old corn and bringing in the new.” This signifies a transition between agricultural cycles and expresses gratitude to the spirits of the land for their blessings. Families gather at their sacred houses (uma lulik), bringing both harvested corn and cooked rice to share in a ritual meal that reaffirms communal bonds.\n\nCentral to the ritual is the lia-nain—a customary elder responsible for oral tradition and ritual practice—who recites prayers, chants, and invocations handed down through generations. These words are not merely spoken; they are believed to activate ancestral protection and ensure future abundance. The corn offered during the ceremony becomes sacred, often preserved in specially designated granaries or placed on altars within the sacred house as a gesture of respect to the ancestors.\n\nMusic and dance are vital parts of Sau-Batar. Performances of Tebe Lilin (Candle Dance) and other local dances transform the occasion into a festive gathering, where movement and rhythm mirror the unity and joy of a successful harvest. The babadok drum keeps the beat as men and women, elders and children, participate in a shared expression of thanks and renewal.\n\nThe ceremony also involves the symbolic sharing of corn among relatives and neighbors, emphasizing that harvest is not an individual achievement but a collective gift. In some cases, leftover corn from the previous season is burned or ceremonially discarded to make room for the new yield, representing a fresh start and spiritual cleansing.\n\nBeyond its religious and social meanings, Sau-Batar also serves as a moment of informal education. It is during this event that younger generations hear the stories of how rituals are performed, why they matter, and what each gesture or offering means. Through active participation, children and youth absorb the knowledge of land stewardship, spiritual ethics, and cultural identity.\n\nIn recent years, as commercial farming methods expand and traditional schedules shift, Sau-Batar has faced challenges. Yet in many rural areas, the ceremony continues to be practiced with dedication, often with support from local schools and cultural preservation initiatives.\n\nFor the communities that uphold it, Sau-Batar remains a vital link between past and present, the visible and the invisible, and the land and its people. It is a ceremony not just of harvest, but of harmony—a living tradition that continues to nourish both body and spirit.
Timor 2024 -
Festive Day on Sapwuahfik Atoll, Micronesia
This video was taken as part of NGO Pasifika Renaissance’s efforts to document oral heritage of Sapwuahfik Atoll. It depicts a festive day on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, which was celebrated in a traditional manner, by welcoming those visiting Sapwuahfik islanders from the main island of Pohnpei. It includes footage of preparation of food and dance attire, ceremonial procession of a gift float and accompanying chant, and traditional dance on that day as well as recording of a historical song composed to commemorate WWII and a traditional sailing canoe.
Micronesia 2016 -
NA VILA: Sacred Power Over Heat and Fire_Traditional fire walking in Fiji
Firewalking (Vila) an intangible gift to the people of Sawau (Beqa, Fiji) performed only on solemn ceremonial occasion. This is the mystical phenomenon of walking on hot stones passed through generations from the Sawau ancestors. \n\nTraditional fire walking in Fiji.\nThe entirety of the vilavilairevo performance visual presentation by the dauvila of the Sawau Tribe of Beqa.
Fiji 2017-08-03 -
NA VILA: Sacred Power Over Heat and Fire_Costume Preparation (Traditional fire walking in Fiji)
Firewalking (Vila) an intangible gift to the people of Sawau (Beqa, Fiji) performed only on solemn ceremonial occasion. This is the mystical phenomenon of walking on hot stones passed through generations from the Sawau ancestors. \n\nCostume Preparation (Traditional fire walking in Fiji)\nThe liku (skirt) is the main component of the ensemble of the dauvila firewalker. This is the entire process of preparing the vilavilairevo (firewalking) costume.
Fiji 2017-08-03 -
NA VILA: Sacred Power Over Heat and Fire__Pit Preparation(Traditional fire walking in Fiji)
Firewalking (Vila) an intangible gift to the people of Sawau (Beqa, Fiji) performed only on solemn ceremonial occasion. This is the mystical phenomenon of walking on hot stones passed through generations from the Sawau ancestors. \n\nPit Preparation.\nWhile it maybe a cumbersome activity, the preparation of the irevo is pivotal to ensure the sanctity of the fire walking ceremony is maintained.This is the entire process captured.
Fiji 2017-08-03 -
NA VILA: Sacred Power Over Heat and Fire_Introducing Beqa Island and Firewalking
Firewalking (Vila) an intangible gift to the people of Sawau (Beqa, Fiji) performed only on solemn ceremonial occasion. This is the mystical phenomenon of walking on hot stones passed through generations from the Sawau ancestors.\nThe making of costumes for the dauvila (firewalker) is a very significant part of the ritual as it re-enacts the moment when the gift of Vila becomes the Sawau collective intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Women, mostly, participate in its preparation. The costumes are vibrant and intricately woven, symbolic of power and strength. Wearers project a different self allowing them to walk on hot stones.\n\nIntroducing Beqa Island and Firewalking.\nSir David Attenborough: introducing the gift!
Fiji 2017-08-03 -
Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Ferghana Valley: Social Practices, Rituals and Festive Events
Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Ferghana Valley: Social Practices, Rituals and Festive Events\n\nOne of the most ancient cultural locations of Uzbekistan is the Ferghana Valley, which is especially attractive for its peculiar social practices, customs, rituals and folklore song traditions.\n\n1. Shombarak Event\nThe term shombarak means ‘evening welcome’, the name given to the process of taking the bride to the groom’s house. The event is conducted as follows: After the groom puts on the wedding clothes sent by the bride, he goes to the bride’s house accompanied by his friends. Meanwhile, at the bride’s house, the bride’s relatives and neighbours gather and wait for the groom’s arrival. When the groom and his friends are seen from afar, two to three boys go into the bride’s house shouting, ‘The groom is coming’. Shortly thereafter, the groom and his friends, singers, and musicians walk into the house dancing and singing the song ‘Shombarak’. In Shahrikhon, the song is performed in Uzbek and Tajik languages. In addition, after the groom and his friends enter, they also sing folk songs ‘Hay Yor Do‘st, Aylanaman’ (Hey Beloved Friend, I am Enchanted) and ‘Vohay Bola’ (Hey, Guy). In the Asaka District, events connected with conducting a wedding party were studied. The customs associated with the groom’s arrival were recorded. These include laying a cloth under the feet of the groom, spreading a kerchief in front of him (a tradition called ‘blocking the road’), presenting a knife to the bride’s young brother, throwing candies over bride’s head, and singing the song ‘Deydiyo’.\n\n2. Lachak Event\nLachak is another wedding-related event, which takes place when the bride is leaving her family home to join her new husband. The bride's relatives and her mother-in-law attend the lachak event. During a special ceremony that takes place during the lachak, the bride wears a lachak scarf and receives presents from her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. Following the gift-giving ceremony, a number of folksongs are performed, including yor-yor and lapar songs. When the bride is ready to leave, two breads are laid on her head to express wishes of fertility and prosperity. Then the bride bows to each present while the song `Kelin Salom' is performed. Thereafter, the bride is seen off to groom's house accompanied by a yor-yor song. Through practicing the lachak event, a number of folk songs and practices in Ferghana Valley are preserved.
Uzbekistan 2012-01-01 -
Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Ferghana Valley: Collection on Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Ferghana Valley (Performing Arts)
It includes folklore music, dancing, and art performance shows. The folklore music sphere includes various forms of maquoms, feruzs, and tanovars, and different genres, including alla, o‘lan, yalla lapar, madhiya, terma, and khalfachi. The dancing sphere includes geographically diverse national styles as solo performances, duets, group dancing, men’s dancing, women’s dancing in addition to the forms of Khorazm, Bukhara, Ferghana, and Surkhon oasis dances.\n\n1. Katta Ashula\nKatta ashula (a song performed with a plate) is specific to the Uzbek traditional song trend of Ferghana Valley. Usually, it is performed a cappella by two to five singers of the same vocal range who use a plate or tray to project their voices in different ways. In most cases, katta ashula is performed by singers with a high-pitched, wide-ranging voice, and these are some of the distinguishing features of the complex performance style.\n\n2. Lapar\nLapar, a folklore song genre performed without musical instruments, is characterised by the narrow diapason and rhyme reiteration, which are not complicated by the melodic composition. The lapar is performed by girls and boys who compete with each other in the form of dialogue. In this competition, any girl in the circle can address any boy with lapar question, and the boy has to respond with lapar song. If the answer is appropriate, the boy is presented with gift of a handkerchief or a belt-kerchief.\n\n3. Askiya\nAskiya (witty joking) is a national art peculiar to Uzbek people. Askiya cannot be found in the cultural traditions of other people, in terms of humorous wit with the participation of many people in the form of live contest. Askiya is made up of plays on words and puns, both of which require life knowledge, skill, creativity, wisdom, and a high level of intelligence. Askiya masters who compete before big audiences openly and good-heartedly make sharp and witty jokes about the events and shortcomings of daily lives of their contemporaries.\n\n4. Show Arts\nIn Ferghana, the unique national customs, habits, and traditions are preserved. One of them is dorbozlik (ropewalking), which has been passed down for centuries from one generation to the next. These show programmes demonstrate colourful performances of diverse groups such as puppeteers, askiya jokers, lapar and o‘lan singers weightlifters, ropewalkers, snake charmers, all of whom are held with high regard and interest.
Uzbekistan 2012-01-01