Phu Dong Village in Vietnam holds a traditional festival to celebrate Saint Giong from the seventh to the ninth days of the fourth lunar month every year. One of the most important figures in the festival is Hieu, the Flag Commander. It is the Flag Commander's responsibility to select young men of good character from decent families in the village to serve the saint. Those selected are honored by the local residents after taking part in the festival.\n\nThis video shows the social and religious aspects of the lives of local people who worship their local god, as well as the spiritual life of the local community reflected in the festival.

The film is about the traditional village festival in Phu Dong village that is organized annually to commemorate the Giong God from the 7th to the 9th days of the fourth lunar month. Among the Commanders, the Commander of the Flag is the most important, symbolizing the communal God. It is the task of Hieu to choose good people from decent families to serve the God. After taking part in the festival, they are honored by people in the area. The film emphasizes the social and religious aspects of the life of the local village people who worship their local god and the festival reflects the spiritual life of the community.

Kathak is a beautiful and elegant dance which expresses stories through elaborate hand movements and steps. It can be performed by both male and female dancers, and it is called the ‘dance of love’ as it is often performed together by men and women. Dancers wear ghungroo (bell instrument worn on the ankles) on both ankles and dance to the tabla (small drums played in pairs) and sitar (traditional stringed instrument with 18-21 strings). The relentless rhythm of the ghungroo heightens the excitement in the atmosphere, while the quick steps called ‘tatkar’ and spins executed to the fast paced rhythms are elaborate, sophisticated and full of energy.\n\nIn ancient Hindu temples, storytellers used to tell legends through song, music and dance. The name 'Kathak' is derived from the sanskrit word ‘katha’ which refers to the professional art of storytelling, and ‘karhakas’, which means ‘storyteller’. Kathak originated in Northern India in the 3rd to 4th century BC, and was transmitted as a form of puja (prayer ritual) until the 15th century, when it developed into a dance for court banquets under the influence of Persia and the Mughal empire.\n\nCharacteristics:\n∙One of the 8 major traditional dances recognized by the Indian government\n∙Uses the ghungroo (a bell instrument worn around the ankle)\n\nPerformed by Amit Khinchi\nChoreographed by Amit Khinchi

The sudden emergence of Covid19 pandemic dramatically impacted world systems. In the Philippines, the national government imposed the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and grappled with ways and means to contain the transmission of the disease and sustain the lives in communities. It promulgated the Bayanihan Heal as One Act which allowed local government units (LGUs) a latitude of protocols to implement in the town level. In the Mt. Province of the northern Cordillera Region, communities had been practicing community quarantine popularly called teer or tengao, the compulsory “rest” day according to different needs and contexts. Eric Zerrudo shares the study of Teer/Tengao, which was one of highly contextualized practice that emerged as an integral experience for a specific construct of ICH in the COVID 19.\n\nASSOC. PROF. ERIC BABAR ZERRUDO is the Director of the University of Santo Tomas Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and the Environment in the Tropics (CCCPET) and faculty of the Graduate School-Cultural Heritage Studies program. Concurrently, he serves as the national coordinator of the CBCP Episcopal Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church and heritage consultant for Department of Tourism and NCCA Philippine Cultural Education Program.

The artful Tajiks of Central Asia invented and preserved their crafts and traditions since ancient times. One popular craft among the people is textile weaving, mainly silk weaving, which has its own local features throughout Tajikistan. Atlas and adras silk fabrics as well as chitgari (block-printing) made with natural colors are known in northern Tajikistan while gulbast is known in southern regions.

The artful Tajiks of Central Asia invented and preserved their crafts and traditions since ancient times. One popular craft among the people is textile weaving, mainly silk weaving, which has its own local features throughout Tajikistan. Atlas and adras silk fabrics as well as chitgari (block-printing) made with natural colors are known in northern Tajikistan while gulbast is known in southern regions.

New rice festival of the La Chí ethnic group (Lùng Vi village, Nà Khương commune, Quang Bình district, Hà Giang province)\nNà Khương commune is located 31 kilometers far from the southwestof Quang Bìnhdistrict center; Like many other ethnic groups in the Northern mountainous region of Vietnam, the La Chí in Nà Khương communecultivate wet rice and other crops in fertile terraced fields.\n

The hne or oboe- like wind instrument occupies a critical position in the Myanmar music troupe. It belongs to the group of wind instruments and can cover the chromatic scale. It is found portrayed on the wooden door of the northern building on the platform of Bagan's Shwezigon Zedi. There are two kinds of hne, the big and the small. The hne consists of five parts:\n1. Reed which is made of the leaf from the toddy palm;\n2. Mouth piece made of gold, silver, brass, bronze or steel\n3. Tube or body of wood from padauk, yindaik, pyinkado, teak\n4. Horn\n5. "dano" or "cheek- guard" made of metal which encircles the upper moulding of the body; it guards the cheek which swells when blowing.\nThe big hne is an essential instrument which is played pleasantly occasions such as the ploughing ceremony or royal regatta when it accompanies the big drum, the bjo, sidaw, boating song, yeginthan theme. The big hne plays mournfully on inauspicious occasions when lamentation is called for. It accompanies the braintaung (egret wing) theme. In earlier days the big hne was accompanied by two short drums and one vertical drum when propitiating the nats (spirits) with bpunza (drum food). The small hne is played briskly to accompany the pot-drum and dobat. Currently used is the hne which produces C sharp note when four holes are closed. The tones produced by the hne are;\n1. one hole closed for the fifth degree\n2. two hole closed for the sixth degree\n3. three hole closed for the seventh degree\n4. four hole closed for fundamental C\n5. five hole closed for the second degree\n6. six hole closed for the third degree\n7. seven hole closed for the fourth degree\nWhen all holes are open the tone produced is of the fourth degree.

The various forms of traditional Tajik dances can be differentiated according to region, from Pamir state, to the mountainous region, Bukhra, Khatlon region in the south, Hissar valley, and northern Tajikistan. Huboni Khatlon is a traditional dance of the Khatlon region in southern Tajikistan, bordering Afghanistan. True to the title which means ‘Beautys of Khatlon’, the dance depicts young women living in Khatlon. The dancers wear beautiful traditional costumes called ‘chakan’, which is elaborately embroidered with the bright colors of spring flowers.\n\nCharacteristics:\n·Dance performed by dancers wearing chakan, a traditional costume decorated with colorful embroidery\n\nPerformed by Bazmoro Tajikistan National Dance Ensemble\nDirected by Qurbonali Kholov

Naqshkhoni, a genre of folk music, has an old history and is performed only during weddings and festivals. Currently this musical genre has survived only in northern Tajikistan. The main characteristic of naqshkhoni is that it is sung a cappella by a group of old and respectful people. Special attention and interest has been shown in reviving this genre over the past few years, especially by young people. The film is dedicated to the performance of this folk expression.

The Yao people are one of the 54 ethnic groups of Viet Nam, residing primarily in the northern provinces of the country. According to the tradition of the Red Yao people, when a man gets married, he must go through a 12-lamp initiation ritual with his new wife. This initiation is an important ritual in the life of the Red Yao man - their rite of passage from an ordinary person to a member of the community. The film covers the entire ritual process with the ritual acts that reflect the belief system and the world view of the Red Yao people.

Kieu Ky Village is located on the northern bank of the Red River about 15km from Hanoi. The village is known in Vietnam as the only place that handcrafts thin, sophisticated gold leaves. The master artisan credited with passing on the craft, Nguyen Quy Tri, is honored by the villagers of Kieu Ky as the father of gold craft. \n\nGold craft is primarily used to elevate the sanctity of temples and communal houses and further to elaborately decorate daily objects, such as furniture, painting, and other lacquered items. This video shows the process of crafting gold leaves and gilding in Kieu Ky Village.