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

Under Our SG Heritage Plan, Singapore has been stepping up its efforts to strengthen research and documentation of its ICH, increase community participation in such research and documentation work, and leverage new technologies to promote ICH and increase both public awareness and appreciation of Singapore’s ICH elements.\n\nAs part of these efforts, the National Heritage Board of Singapore (NHB) has partnered with source communities and use new technologies for safeguarding ICH. One such recent partnership is “A Journey of Devotion—Celebrating Thaipusam in Singapore,” where the NHB partnered the Hindu Endowments Board and Indian temples to document the festival of Thaipusam and produce digital resources related to the festival.\n\nAbout Thaipusam\n\nThaipusam is an important festival among Singapore’s Tamil Hindu community, and it is celebrated every year on the full-moon day of the Tamil month of Thai. For many believers, Thaipusam is a time of devotion, sacrifice, and thanksgiving dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Murugan, who symbolizes bravery, power and virtue.\n\nThe festival commemorates Lord Murugan’s victory over evil forces, and one of the most recognizable elements of Thaipusam is the ceremonial procession of the kavadi-bearers—men who walk carrying large metal structures known as kavadi that are fixed with spikes or hooks that pierce their bodies.\n\nDuring Thaipusam, kavadi-bearers and their supporters walk along a designated route, which starts at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road, and ends at Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on Tank Road. These kavadi-bearers walk barefooted along this route while other worshippers carry offerings such as paalkudams or milk pots, fruit, and flowers.\n\nLive music forms a key part of the Thaipusam procession, and hymns are often sung by friends and family while religious songs (known as bhajans) are also performed by groups of musicians who follow the kavadi-bearers to boost their spirits as they make their arduous journey from temple to temple.\n\nAlong the route, there will also be community volunteers at various thaneer panthal or water points, and these volunteers will pour water onto the feet of kavadi-bearers to provide much-needed relief from walking barefoot on the hot tarmac and to offer food and water to the rest of the community.\n\nA Digital Campaign Journey\nWhen conceptualizing the campaign, NHB sought feedback from a younger audience (18–35 years old) and noted that most youths did not understand Thaipusam—what it represents and its associated practices. To better engage this younger and more digitally savvy audience, NHB put together a digital engagement plan to create content that would be engaging, informative, and participatory.\n\nThe title “A Journey of Devotion” was chosen with reference to two aspects of Thaipusam. First, it refers to the physical journey as devotees walk along their route. Second, it also refers to the personal journey devotees take upon themselves in the lead-up to Thaipusam, which includes making their own kavadis and adopting fasting practices that include consuming only vegetarian meals for up to forty-eight days.\n\nUnder Our SG Heritage Plan, Singapore has been stepping up its efforts to strengthen research and documentation of its ICH, increase community participation in such research and documentation work, and leverage new technologies to promote ICH and increase both public awareness and appreciation of Singapore’s ICH elements.\n\nAs part of these efforts, the National Heritage Board of Singapore (NHB) has partnered with source communities and use new technologies for safeguarding ICH. One such recent partnership is “A Journey of Devotion—Celebrating Thaipusam in Singapore,” where the NHB partnered the Hindu Endowments Board and Indian temples to document the festival of Thaipusam and produce digital resources related to the festival.\n\nAbout Thaipusam\nThaipusam is an important festival among Singapore’s Tamil Hindu community, and it is celebrated every year on the full-moon day of the Tamil month of Thai. For many believers, Thaipusam is a time of devotion, sacrifice, and thanksgiving dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Murugan, who symbolizes bravery, power and virtue.\n\nThe festival commemorates Lord Murugan’s victory over evil forces, and one of the most recognizable elements of Thaipusam is the ceremonial procession of the kavadi-bearers—men who walk carrying large metal structures known as kavadi that are fixed with spikes or hooks that pierce their bodies.\n\nDuring Thaipusam, kavadi-bearers and their supporters walk along a designated route, which starts at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road, and ends at Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on Tank Road. These kavadi-bearers walk barefooted along this route while other worshippers carry offerings such as paalkudams or milk pots, fruit, and flowers.\n\nLive music forms a key part of the Thaipusam procession, and hymns are often sung by friends and family while religious songs (known as bhajans) are also performed by groups of musicians who follow the kavadi-bearers to boost their spirits as they make their arduous journey from temple to temple.\n\nAlong the route, there will also be community volunteers at various thaneer panthal or water points, and these volunteers will pour water onto the feet of kavadi-bearers to provide much-needed relief from walking barefoot on the hot tarmac and to offer food and water to the rest of the community.\n\nA kavadi-bearer being cheered on by friends and family near the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple © National Heritage Board, Singapore\n\nA Digital Campaign Journey\nWhen conceptualizing the campaign, NHB sought feedback from a younger audience (18–35 years old) and noted that most youths did not understand Thaipusam—what it represents and its associated practices. To better engage this younger and more digitally savvy audience, NHB put together a digital engagement plan to create content that would be engaging, informative, and participatory.\n\nThe title “A Journey of Devotion” was chosen with reference to two aspects of Thaipusam. First, it refers to the physical journey as devotees walk along their route. Second, it also refers to the personal journey devotees take upon themselves in the lead-up to Thaipusam, which includes making their own kavadis and adopting fasting practices that include consuming only vegetarian meals for up to forty-eight days.\n\nFor the campaign, NHB decided to focus on telling the story of the festival through the perspective of four practitioners: a kavadi-bearer, a piercer, a musician, and a water point volunteer. By focusing on these individuals, NHB hopes to make the content more relatable to the audience. The video interviews were then uploaded on NHB’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, and to date, have attracted more than 650,000 views.\n\nNHB also noted that Thaipusam has always been a vibrant and colorful festival that attracts photographers every year. As a result and as part of NHB’s efforts to increase community participation in ICH documentation, NHB created the hashtag #Thaipusamsg on Instagram to encourage community photo contributions. This has resulted in the collection of a wide array of photographs.\n\nFinally, NHB created a comprehensive NHB’s webpage at https://www.roots.sg/thaipusam, which includes photographs, a brief history of the festival, and how it was brought into Singapore by early migrants as well as relevant artifacts in the National Collection that are associated with the festival, such as the kavadi from the collection of the Asian Civilizations Museum and photographs of the festival from the early twentieth century from the collection of the National Museum of Singapore.\n\nMoving forward, NHB will be developing and implementing similar digital campaigns to document and promote other ICH festivals and practices from other communities such as the upcoming campaign on Ramadan, a month-long fasting period observed by Muslims in Singapore in the lead up to Hari Raya Puasa, also known as the Day of Celebration.\n\nPhoto 1 : Singapore’s digital campaign to engage the Indian community and educate the public about the practices associated with Thaipusam © National Heritage Board, Singapore\nPhoto 2 : A kavadi-bearer being cheered on by friends and family near the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple © National Heritage Board, Singapore

"This presentation paints a broad portrait of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Canada. In the first section, I examine the political and legal situations of a country that has not signed the 2003 UNESCO Convention. My focus rests more specifically on the recent legislative recognition of ICH in the Canadian province of Quebec, which adopted the Cultural Heritage Act on 19 October 2011. I explain the safeguarding mechanisms prescribed in this act and describe how the legislation will be put into practice. In the second section, I examine safeguarding initiatives that support ICH directly and indirectly at the federal and provincial levels. The presentation analyses more specifically the inventories undertaken in Quebec since 2003 and 2004, revealing their benefits and drawbacks. I conclude by demonstrating how international cooperation has strengthened efforts to develop ICH in Canada and abroad. Important aspects of these efforts include the exchange of expertise, political legitimacy conferred by external recognition, and professional networking."

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost Canadian province. Situated on the Atlantic, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador to the northwest, with a combined area of 405,212 square kilometers. The population is just over 514,000, with the greatest concentration on the eastern portion of Newfoundland.

After gaining independence and under the initiative of the president, Uzbekistan commenced on a large-scale project to revitalize historic cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. These efforts resulted in the restoration of hundreds of historic sites, and they created better conditions to research, safeguard, and propagate folk arts, knowledge, and skills of traditional craftsmanship, which were traditionally transmitted by word of mouth, from master to apprentices. In 1995 the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted a law that grants taxation immunity to crafts-men working individually. The law gave a huge impetus to the revival and development of popular craftsmanship.

The island of Madagascar is among the last, if not the last, large coastal region where openocean, sailing vessels remain the predominant crafts being used for both fishing and transport of goods and people. A rich diversity of sailing vessels and associated cultural heritage exists that are fundamental to the daily life of coastal communities. Awareness and knowledge of this heritage is largely unknown outside of the local communities and even here, it is not clear that it is highly appreciated. Development pressure to adopt “modern” boats and methods of propulsion are intense, but this would result in large dependencies and negative consequence for the sustainability and wellbeing of these communities. There is an urgent need for concerted efforts and programs to foster and safeguard this sailing heritage that will motivate preference for its continued utilization. This work needs to include a large element of local participation and involvement. Its focus needs to be on documenting the role and value of these vessels in terms of their economic and social importance as well as recording the skills involved in building, sailing, navigating and maintaining them. Such documentation should aim to foster a pride and appreciation in their vessels, skills and knowledge. This information needs to be distributed and presented widely within the coastal communities as well as those involved with management and development in Madagascar and beyond. Without such efforts, this highly valuable cultural heritage will likely be lost with devastating local consequences.

The Azerbaijani Carpet Makers Union (ACMU), founded in January 2010, is a voluntary self-governmental public association of citizens rallied to support Azerbaijani carpet weaving.The ACMU seeks to promote a revival of the powerful spiritual heritage of carpets, the national traditions of the Azerbaijani people, a consolidation of the creative potential of seen figures of society and culture, support for talented children and youth, and creative carpet dynasties. The purpose of the ACMU is also to convey objective information about the unique national culture, rich historical heritage, and diversity of the carpet art of Azerbaijan to the international community.

The Azerbaijani Carpet Makers Union (ACMU), founded in January 2010, is a voluntary self-governmental public association of citizens rallied to support Azerbaijani carpet weaving. The ACMU seeks to promote a revival of the powerful spiritual heritage of carpets, the national traditions of the Azerbaijani people, a consolidation of the creative potential of seen figures of society and culture, support for talented children and youth, and creative carpet dynasties. The purpose of the ACMU is also to convey objective information about the unique national culture, rich historical heritage, and diversity of the carpet art of Azerbaijan to the international community.

What do sauna bathing, folk dance tikkuristi, rag rug weaving, picking mushrooms and snow games have in common? They are all part of living intangible cultural heritage, present in the everyday life and celebrations of the people in Finland. They are practised by people of all ages, in different corners of Finland. And yes, they are very much alive! \nAll of the Nordic countries have ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Web-based inventories have been created in all of them to make it possible for strong standing of grass-roots communities to create more awareness for their ICH and to dig deeper into safeguarding. This paper looks more closely on the example of Finland with its Wiki-Inventory for Living Heritage. As a good example of Nordic cooperation, the web platform Nordic Safeguarding Practices is introduced.