The Cambodian teanh prot (“pulling the rope”), which is generally rendered in English as “tug-of-war,” is one of the most important ritual games played nationwide during certain times of year, especially around the three-day New Year holiday in mid-April. Although the game can be played at any time for entertainment, it is ritually played in the afternoon on the last day of the New Year and/or in the afternoon of chlong chet, a rice-associated ceremony observed shortly after the New Year. The event takes place in an open space of the village or Buddhist monastery.

In December 2011, Rumah Angklung was founded by a group of young people who loved and cared about the Angklung (a traditional Indonesian musical instrument) and finally had the initiative to create a community. That community is now a serious foundation committed to preserving and developing Indonesian art and culture, especially related to angklung.

Prabartana is a social enterprise working in diverse sections for revival which includes: arts, crafts, food security, and community-led responsible tourism. The organization provides training to weavers and has contributed to technical enhancement through documentation of patterns in computers instead of the manual style of Jacquard pattern design. As safeguarding action, they involve artisans in exhibitions and workshops for cultural exchange, audio-visual documentation and publication of books, social media-based promotions and audience development through the Web, newspaper articles and festival-relevant brochures. The organization also promotes community-led responsible tourism through AJIYER, where the community has the rights and knowledge to operate tours and promote and conserve cultural heritage, apart from safeguarding their environment.

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.

Guru Purnima, which literally translates as the day for the teachers, is a unique festival celebrated in South Asia on full moon. The full moon, the time when our natural satellite emanates its most vibrant and luminescent energies, has special significance. This unique festival is not only linked with teachers but also the social obligations we each should perform in our lifetimes. Since the festival is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, the date according to the Gregorian calendar changes. In 2019 it falls on 16 July.\n\nAncient Hindu texts claim that every human is born with three debts, or tri rin, they must pay in their lifetime. These three debts are Deva rin, Pitri rin, and Guru rin, respectively debt to the gods, debt to ancestors, and debt to sages or gurus (who in ancient days were regarded as teachers). The religious texts also prescribe methods of repaying these debts, which ultimately leads us to the path of salvation or moksha. By fasting, praying, and performing rituals to gods and goddesses, one can pay back the Deva rin. The Pitri rin, the debts to our ancestors, are repaid through unconditional love, nurture, support, and respecting our parents, taking care of them in their old age, and performing rituals for their salvation after they pass on. This is the reason most people in Nepal still live in joint families: the responsibility to take care of their parents in their old age weighs heavily. \n\nThe third debt, Guru rin, the debt to teachers, is the topic of this article. In ancient times schools as we know them today were non-existent; education was instead conducted at gurukuls (the gurus’ residence) through the Guru-shishya (teacher–student) relationship utilizing the shruti-smriti (listening and remembering) technique. In this system, the students, or shishya, resided with the teacher in the same premises, learned from him, and helped him in his day-to-day life, including carrying out mundane chores like cleaning, washing clothes, cooking, and so on.\n\nGuru Purnima, which literally translates as the day for the teachers, is a unique festival celebrated in South Asia on full moon. The full moon, the time when our natural satellite emanates its most vibrant and luminescent energies, has special significance. This unique festival is not only linked with teachers but also the social obligations we each should perform in our lifetimes. Since the festival is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, the date according to the Gregorian calendar changes. In 2019 it falls on 16 July.\n\nAncient Hindu texts claim that every human is born with three debts, or tri rin, they must pay in their lifetime. These three debts are Deva rin, Pitri rin, and Guru rin, respectively debt to the gods, debt to ancestors, and debt to sages or gurus (who in ancient days were regarded as teachers). The religious texts also prescribe methods of repaying these debts, which ultimately leads us to the path of salvation or moksha. By fasting, praying, and performing rituals to gods and goddesses, one can pay back the Deva rin. The Pitri rin, the debts to our ancestors, are repaid through unconditional love, nurture, support, and respecting our parents, taking care of them in their old age, and performing rituals for their salvation after they pass on. This is the reason most people in Nepal still live in joint families: the responsibility to take care of their parents in their old age weighs heavily. \n\nThe third debt, Guru rin, the debt to teachers, is the topic of this article. In ancient times schools as we know them today were non-existent; education was instead conducted at gurukuls (the gurus’ residence) through the Guru-shishya (teacher–student) relationship utilizing the shruti-smriti (listening and remembering) technique. In this system, the students, or shishya, resided with the teacher in the same premises, learned from him, and helped him in his day-to-day life, including carrying out mundane chores like cleaning, washing clothes, cooking, and so on.\n\nMany students lived together learning good conduct, discipline, respect for each other, good brotherhood, and the ethics of humanity, along with academic education. At that time there were no fee structures for education. At the end of the student’s studies, they made an offering, Guru-dakshina, to the teacher. These offerings were gestures of gratitude, acknowledgment, and respect, made in kind or through special tasks the guru wanted the student to accomplish. \n\nThe special festival of Guru-Purnima was observed to celebrate the teachers and repay the debts to them. In modern times this festival is still celebrated all over Nepal, in ways different than in days of old. Our education systems have changed, and so have our ways of celebrating festivals. What is important is that the reverence, respect, and gratitude for teachers remains. Students from schools and colleges perform dances and talent shows, entertaining the teachers. Sometimes they raise funds to organize refreshments for the teachers, and may offer gifts too. \n\nThis tradition of respecting teachers is not limited to schools and colleges: adults in various professions often visit their teachers, bringing fruit and flowers to honor them on this special day. Teachers are not only those who teach us in academic institutions: those who implant in us knowledge of various types are also regarded as teachers. It is a day when teachers are made to feel special and motivated. Such socio-cultural festivals decorate our culture and motivate us to be better human beings; their continued observance, even in today’s societies with their twists of modernity, is most vital.\n\nPhoto 1 : GuruPurnima CelebrationⓒKailash K Shrestha, Artudio\nPhoto 2 : GuruPurnima CelebrationⓒKailash K Shrestha, Artudio

Members of the Vaka Valo Association on Tau\u0002mako island, one of the Solomon Islands in the Western Pacific, still build authentic canoes called Tepuke and Tealolili and sail them using ancient navigational methods. Voyaging in these traditional canoes was once popular in this remote part of the Santa Cruz island group, now part of Temotu Province.

Kyrgyz traditional medical knowledge formed and developed from ancient times based on empirical observation and personal experience. Along with other methods and techniques of preventing specific diseases, importance was placed on herbs. A good level of knowledge about the medicinal properties of plants was required. Healers (tamyrchy or tabyp), by feeling the pulse and making observations in other ways, determined the cause and nature of an illness and prescribed certain medicines, where the stems, leaves, roots, grasses, and shrubs played a considerable part.

The parent organization of CEE Himalaya is the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), which was established in August 1984. CEE is a national institution with its headquarters in Ahmedabad and has been given the responsibility by the central government of promoting environmental awareness nationwide. It undertakes demonstration projects in education, communication, and development that endorse attitudes, strategies, and technologies that are environmentally sustainable. Based in the city of Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh, CEE Himalaya has been working in the states of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) for over two decades. The mission of CEE Himalaya is to enhance understanding of sustainable development in formal, non-formal, and informal education through its work with schools, higher educational institutions, local and Indigenous communities, policy makers and administration, youth, and the general commu-nity. The primary objective of CEE Himalaya is to improve public awareness and understanding of environmental issues with a view to promote the conservation of nature and natural resources by integrating education with traditional streams of knowledge and cultural expressions. This approach demonstrates and grounds sustainable practices in rural and urban communities and facilitates the involvement of the business and public sectors to respond to the effects of climate change and variability.

"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."

Co-orgarnized by ICHCAP and Hue Monuments Conservation Centre (HMCC), this year’s Asia-Pacific ICH NGO Conference was held in Hue, Vietnam under the theme of ICH NGOs towards Sustainable Development of Communities.