Newar culture has different lifecycle rituals, performed at different stages of life from birth to death. These rituals are complex and embedded in the socio-cultural environment. With every lifecycle ritual, a person gains certain rights, responsibilities, and maturity within the society.

The Law on Cultural Heritage of Vietnam (adopted in 2001, revised in 2009) is the most important legal tool for safeguarding heritage, both natural and cultural, and tangible and intangible, in Vietnam. Compatible to UNESCO’s 2003 Convention on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, the Law on Cultural Heritage of Vietnam acknowledges and protects the cultural creations of the community produced out of their own needs, through their awareness and labour. Such cultures have a strong attachment to them from one generation to another and become the identity of the community or groups of people in society and their heritage and the heritage of the nation and humankind. Lên Đồng (mediumship) is a religious practice of the Viet/Kinh, the majority group in Vietnam. This ritual originated from the worship of the Mother Goddess. Lên Đồng possibly started in the 15th century and has existed continuously in the people’s life. Yet, in some periods of time, it was not recognized and thus was not practiced openly. Today, Lên Đồng and the worship of the Mother Goddess are open, common and developed in Vietnam. Their values and practice are being studied, clarified and acknowledged for their protection as a national heritage. This work has been carried out with good results thanks to the participation of many scholars, cultural policy makers and especially the self-awareness of identifying and introducing the values of this cultural heritage of the Mother Goddess Worship community. We’d like to express our thanks to ICHCAP and the authorities of Jindo City for inviting us to this Workshop “Safeguarding Shamanism Heritage in Asia”. My paper will present a case study entitled “Together with the community identifying the values, safeguarding Lên đồng mediumship, a Shamanism heritage in Vietnam”

The Republic of Fiji is home to a multitude of cultures and traditions. In 2013, Fiji’s new Constitution was promulgated designating that all ethnicities that make Fiji their home be called “Fijians”. This includes the following:\n\n ‘iTaukei’ or indigenous Fijians;\n Rotuman people (a minority indigenous group);\n Indians who were mostly descendants of indentured laborers in Fiji;\n Pacific Islanders who were descendant of labourers in Fiji such as Ni-Vanuatu and Solomon Islanders;\n Descendants of early migrants to Fiji (Chinese, Indians, European/Australian/American &s Traders, Sailors and Beachcombers)\n Descendants of Banabans (Ocean Islanders) now known as Rabi Islanders.\n Descendants of Tuvaluans (Vaitupu Islanders) now known as Kioa Islanders.\n\nFiji therefore has a unique array of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), and if one was to ask what would be a representative ICH of all Fijians, there is none as each ethnic group is distinctively diverse and each practice their own form of ICH which are far most different from another.

Bangladesh, situated on the tropic of Cancer and due to its close proximity to the Bay of Bengal, has hot and humid weather throughout the year, except for a brief, moderate winter. These climatic conditions have made Bengal an ideal habitat for hundreds of venomous snakes, such as the king cobra. The high number of deaths caused by snakebites instilled a sense of helplessness in the people, compelling them to worship gods and goddesses for protection against snakes. Before converting to Islam, the people of Bengal were devoted to Hinduism, which has 330,000,000 guardian gods and goddesses. And Manasa, the snake goddess, is one of the most potent members of the Hindu pantheon.

Mudiyettu is a ritual art form practiced in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is performed annually in different villages throughout Kerala along the rivers, Chalakkudy Puzha, Periyar, and Moovattupuzha among the Marar and Kurup communities in venues known as bhagavati kavus, temples, which are dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. The temple provides as the focal point for this ritual, and all villagers, irrespective of their caste, participate and play a specific role in its organization.

A durae is a cooperative labor organization that was established as the culture of agriculture developed in Korea during the latter part of the Joseon dynasty when rice transplantation methods became widely implemented. Rice transplantation is simply the method of transplanting rice seedlings to a rice paddy, after first sowing them in a seedbed. By using this technique, the need for weeding could be reduced to only two times per year from the typical three times or more with the normal way of seeding. Work could be finished in a much shorter period by transplanting into this type of rice field filled with water.

The small sun-soaked village of Molela, located approximately fifteen to twenty kilometers from the city of Udaipur in Rajasthan, is home to a vibrant community of terracotta clay artists. Over the years, Molela has emerged as a focal point in the art of making attractive votive plaques or idols of gods, with terracotta. While the early creations were originally cast as standing idols of local deities and various forms of the Hindu god Vishnu, today these figures are often mounted on tiles or plaques and are hung from the walls of homes and temples. These votive figurines can be multicolored or can have a terracotta hue, as is represented in the various temples in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

A Bonkar (refined Bon religion that doesn’t involve animal sacrificial offering) traditional rite, Yak-lai is performed in some villages in Ura and Tang Gewogs (blocks) who owns la-nor (highland cattle) esp. Yaks. Colloquially, Yak-lai means ‘yak deity’ and if translated in Dzongkha (national tongue) it is called Yak Lha. However, the ritual is not strictly practiced by the Yak owners but, those households who owns tha-nor (normal cattle) also propitiate the god for prosperity of their livestock. The rite specifically invokes the yak deity Lha Wodue Gongjan, who is considered one of the principal deities of Bon who is believed the ultimate source of any blessings possesses supreme ability to fulfill the desires of worldly beings. Residents of Bumthang who have highland cattle, or otherwise practice animal husbandry take part in the three-day Yak-lai ritual every year.

At first reckoning, puto, a traditional Filipino rice cake, may not seem to fall into the category of fermented food. But a whiff of it or a bite reveals a very slight but pleasantly sour taste, with a subtle tinge of alcohol. After all, proper puto is made of fermented rice. It is “cooked” twice, first fireless by fermentation, then over fire as steaming.

The Giáy ethnic group belongs to the Kradai (Tai – Kadai) language family and the Tày - Tai group residing mainly in Lào Cai, Hà Giang and Lai Châu provinces, in Văn Chấn, Văn Yên districts of Yên Bái province and in Bảo Lạc district of Cao Bằng province.\nThe Giáy are occasionally called as the Nhắng, Dẳng, Pâu Thìn, Cùi Chu, Xạ, especially the Giáy in Tát Ngà commune, Mèo Vạc district, Hà Giang province are identified with such names as the Giấy, Giáy Nắm, Pu Nắm.\n

Namhaean Byeolsin-gut, a shamanic ritual of the South Sea area of Korea, is a village gut (shamanic ritual) held on the islands of Hansando, Saryangdo, Jukdo, and many other islands of the southern archipelago of the Korean peninsula. Hundreds of islands are densely located in the South Sea, with some smaller islands giving scenic views of the region. Behind the beautiful scenery, the majority of islanders depend upon fishing for their livelihoods. In recent years, island populations have decreased, with a particularly sharp decline among younger generations aged between twenty and forty. As a result, difficulties in the economic, social, and cultural situations of the islands have become more pronounced.

One phenomenon that distinguishes humans from other animals is the use of music and language. Musical instruments are a major tool in making music, which is sound organized by humans. In many regions, music, singing, and dancing are used interchangeably, and musical instruments and music are inextricably closely related. The word Ngoma in Africa is the name of a drum, but it is a comprehensive term that includes all the music, songs, and dances played by the drum and has the meaning of ritual ceremonies.\n\nMusical instruments have been with humankind since the Paleolithic era. Musical instruments are among the oldest and most widespread objects made by humans. Humans began making musical instruments to imitate the sounds of nature such as wind, rain, thunder, and the sound of birds singing as well as the howling of animals. Such a tradition of using nature sound continues to this day. We can see wind chimes that dangle by the wind in Buddhist temples throughout Asia; wind bamboo tubes in Bali of Indonesia; Đan Nu’o’c, created by Sedang people in Vietnam, which is a clicking bamboo musical instrument using water; and Suikinkutsu using a bamboo tube and water pot in Japanese gardens. Since the Neolithic era, people soothed the hardships of labor with songs, learning the power of the rhythm by pounding a pestle in a mortar. Humans began to think about transcendental beings and had ritual ceremonies, and they tried to impress their existence by using music and musical instruments.