Materials
tree
ICH Materials 224
Publications(Article)
(19)-
Singapore Launches Street Corner Showcases for Traditional TradesSingapore launched its Street Corner Heritage Galleries scheme for traditional trades on 7 March 2020. The new scheme will involve the National Heritage Board of Singapore (NHB) collaborating with qualifying local traditional trades and businesses with significant history in selected precincts to co-curate “street corner heritage galleries” that will showcase the history of their respective shops, trades, and products as well as other intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements through displays of historical documents, photographs, and artefacts.\n\nUnder the scheme, NHB will also provide training to owners of these traditional trades and businesses in the areas such as the development and delivery of heritage programs. NHB will also provide funding support to these street corner heritage galleries to encourage them to develop heritage programs and to participate in NHB’s signature events such as Singapore Heritage Festival, CultureFests, etc. as showcases of Singapore’s living heritage.\n\nAccording to Mr. Alvin Tan, Deputy Chief Executive (Policy & Community) of NHB: “Through the scheme, we hope to identify existing heritage resources and perform ‘urban acupuncture’ by introducing small-scale interventions to showcase these resources and in the process, revitalize the precinct through street-level heritage.”\n\nThe scheme is aligned with NHB’s five-year masterplan, Our SG Heritage Plan, which seeks to showcase heritage in everyday places to encourage greater public awareness and appreciation of heritage in our midst. NHB will be piloting the scheme with the traditional trades and businesses within the Balestier precinct, and they include a traditional pastry shop, a traditional bakery, a traditional coffee powder shop and more.\n\nFollowing its launch, NHB will be identifying other traditional trades and businesses and partnering with the relevant community stakeholders to roll out the scheme on a precinct-by-precinct basis starting with Balestier and Kampong Gelam in 2020 followed by Little India and Chinatown in 2021, and finally Geylang Serai in 2022. Overall, NHB hopes to co-create a total of twenty-five street corner heritage galleries with traditional trades and businesses across the different precincts.\n\nThrough the Street Corner Heritage Galleries scheme, NHB hopes to facilitate stronger stakeholder participation and ownership of different aspects of Singapore’s heritage; equip traditional trades and businesses with the necessary basic competencies in the areas of heritage documentation, promotion, and conservation; activate public spaces through a stakeholder-centric and participatory approach; and create a network of community-championed “mini heritage galleries” in different parts of Singapore.\n\nPhoto 1 : The owners and staff of Loong Fatt, the oldest surviving traditional coffee shop in Balestier known for its signature traditional flaky pastry filled with green bean paste, standing around the shop’s street corner heritage gallery © National Heritage Board, Singapore\nPhoto 2 : The owners of Loy Kee, a shop selling traditional Hainanese chicken rice in the Balestier area since 1953, standing next to their street corner heritage gallery © National Heritage Board, SingaporeYear2020NationSingapore
-
KOMUZ TEACHING METHODS IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SYSTEMS IN KYRGYZSTANThe Kyrgyz komuz is a national musical instrument. Traditionally, komuz was made from a single piece of wood. The instrument has three strings, which were traditionally made from dried ram innards, but in modern times, fishing lines are often used instead.Year2017NationSouth Korea
-
Increasing Community Involvement in Salak Yom FestivalHeld in the twelfth lunar month of Thai Buddhist calendar, Salak Yom Festival is a tradition of the Yong people in the northern province of Lamphun, Thailand. It used to be a merit-making rite of passage for young Thai women of marriage-ready age, but by mid-twentieth century it started to fade away due to the high cost of individual donations. Starting 2004, however, as a result of collaboration between many local enthusiasts and the Buddhist temple Wat Hariphunchai Committee, the festival was re-established on slightly different grounds. What was too much of a burden for the young brides-to-be was transformed into a communal activity. In the present time, tall and neatly decorated Salak Yom trees are the hallmark objects of the festival as they are prepared and donated by the members of local communities working together. A competition was initiated when the festival was reintroduced. Through provincial sponsorship, prizes were awarded to those who created the tallest and most beautiful trees. This increased the number of participating villages; and the trees have grown way taller compared to their original form.\n\nThe merit-making aspect of the contemporary version of the festival takes quite a peculiar form. Since the trees are decorated not only with colorful paper leaves and flowers, but also with various objects quite useful for everyday life—clothes, packaged food, household products, and even bank notes—as donations to the monks of the local monasteries. The monks, however, are not expected to keep all of those items but share them with those in need. Lottery decided which community’s donations are received by which monks. So during the last day of the festival, each community’s representatives are waiting in the tents erected precisely for this purpose while numerous monks are wondering around with papers saying whom exactly they are getting donations from this year. Despite the religious idea underlying this entire activity, its atmosphere resembles more that of a fair.\n\nThis year’s Salak Yom Festival was held from 3 to 5 September. The display of Salak Yom trees in Wat Hariphunchai was complemented by a parade, traditional crafts market, and traditional dance performances. The traditional dance performances, however, were unfortunately accompanied by pre-recorded music and lit by colorful projectors as the current organizers believed that the use of technology could help the festival become up-to-date.\n\nPhoto : Salak Yom trees being erected. © Eva RapoportYear2017NationThailand
-
Productive Safeguarding of Marine Food Materials and Foodways in Liaohekou Estuary in ChinaAs one of the four major estuarine deltas in China, Liaohekou Estuary Delta enjoys a geographical environment surrounding both river and sea, a coastline constantly advancing towards the ocean and the unique estuarine natural resources, all of which have given birth to the distinctive regional culture of Liaohekou Estuary. The marine regression feature of “abundant water, no mountains and few trees, with weeds, ponds and tidal creeks spreading all over” and a system of interwoven cultural forms such as “sailing boats, wetlands, fishing-geese, influx of river and sea, fishing and gathering,” make the culture of Liaohekou Estuary region distinctive. The special geographical conditions and natural ecological environment bred the regional culture of Liaohekou Estuary, as well as a community of Guyuyan or “old fishing-geese” with very special livelihoods. Over hundreds of years, the culture and traditions of Liaohekou Estuary have developed into a special field of knowledge, and the regional food culture, which is based on the knowledge of the special marine food materials of Liaohekou Estuary, is particularly unique.Year2021NationSouth Korea
-
How Asia Celebrates Buddha’s BirthdayFor Buddhists all over the world, Vesak (Vaisakha, Buddha’s Birthday or Buddha Day) is the holiest day of year. It commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha. It is celebrated on different days in many countries, mostly on the first full moon day of May or 8 April of the lunar calendar.\n\nWhile cultural influences have characterized various differences with regards to the treatment of celebrations, a common thread binds them together, making this unbroken 2500-year-old tradition one of the world’s oldest birthdays.\n\nOfferings of prayers, joss sticks, and incense, as well as giving food to the needy and making donations reflect the more traditional aspects of the occasion, whereas the popular festivities that accompany them, such as parades and processions of vibrantly decorated floats add a contemporary flavor to one of the world’s longest standing birthday celebrations.\n\nPlace of Birth, Where Buddhist Pilgrims Gather (Nepal)\nNepal is the birthplace of the historical Buddha in the fifth or sixth Century BCE. Jammed packed with festivities, Buddha Jayanti (Buddha’s Birthday) observances in Nepal, commemorate not only his birth but also his enlightenment and demise and runs for a single day. At the Maya Devi temple in Lumbini, where Queen Maya Devi, the mother of the Buddha, gave birth, large numbers of national and international monks, including pilgrims from different cultures and religions, make the journey to offer prayers and to soak up the carnivalesque atmosphere resulting from the temple’s World Heritage status.\n\nIn Kathmandu, thousands flock to ancient Buddhist sites such as Swayambhunath temple, the oldest temple in Nepal, and the Boudhanath, the biggest stupa in Nepal, to join the colorful processions of musicians and dancers while prayers and offerings are made by Tibetan monks in much the same way as when it was part of a trade route between Lhasa and Kathmandu. Full moons are always auspicious occasions, but lighting butter lamps, spinning prayer wheels, and chanting mantras on this particular one is considered extra special.\n\nKasone Festival, Watering of the Bodhi Tree (Myanmar)\nIn Myanmar, Buddha’s birthday celebration is known as the full moon Kasone Festival. In the festival, water is a dominant feature, with devotees pouring water on Bodhi trees, the same species under which the Buddha gained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India, more than 2,500 years ago.\n\nPouring water on statues is a regular ritual in Myanmar, particularly on full moon days, and symbolizes purification, goodwill, and good luck. Kasone is an exceptional full moon, with religious verses recited at temples or pagodas throughout the country. Particular reverence is observed at the Golden Pagoda (Shwedagon Zedi Daw, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar) in Yangon, where devotees dressed in white chant mantras and circumambulate the pagoda clockwise while pouring water on the statue according to one’s day of birth.\n\nIn keeping with the water theme, fish are also released into cooler waters of lakes and rivers during the dry season, with the nearby Kandawgyi Lake and Inya Lake in Yangon being the most popular spots to observe this ritual.\n\nYeon Deung Hoe, Lantern Festival (Republic of Korea)\nIn the Republic of Korea, the most popularly celebrated event honoring Buddha’s Birthday, is the Yeon Deung Hoe (Flower Lantern Festival). Generally held on a Saturday night a week before the nationwide public holiday, the main artery of downtown Seoul is illuminated by vividly decorated lanterns in all shapes and sizes in a parade, drawing a crowd of enthralled onlookers.\n\nThis annual tradition is listed on their national intangible cultural heritage inventory. These days, this has become one of the country’s most popular festivals, pulsating with an eclectic blend of traditional and contemporary Korean culture.\n\nIn the days leading up to the public holiday, devotees hang colorful lanterns containing their heartfelt wishes in local temples. The piece of paper attached to the base of the lantern usually contains one’s wishes for good health, or prosperity, or for academic achievement.\n\nOn the day itself, which falls on 3 May in 2017, devotees visit local temples to make offerings of flowers, incense, and candles. Interpreted symbolically as radiating warmth into darkness, here the Buddha becomes a manifestation of the lantern light.\n\nPhoto : Buddhist monks march through downtown Seoul during a celebration for Buddha's birthdayYear2017NationSouth Korea,Myanmar ,Nepal
-
Traditional Samoan faletele to be built in JapanTraditional builders from Samoa are in Japan on a very special mission: to build a faletele, a traditional Samoan house that is circular with one or more central posts. Master Builder Lesā Laufale, who started learning his craft some 30 years ago, leads the crew.\n\nThe Little World Museum of Man, where the faletele will be built, is near the city of Inuyama in Aichi prefecture, southwest of Tokyo. It is an open-air museum celebrating cultures and architecture, with 32 traditional houses from 23 countries and regions represented. Founded in 1983, the museum arranged for 12 builders from the village of Sa’anapu, where the current crew also comes from, to build four Samoan houses over 30 years ago.\n\nThe faletele will be built using traditional techniques and materials. This means using ’afa, a versatile and strong coconut fiber sennit used for lashing the structure together. Over 14,000 meters of the handmade cord is needed, work taking many months to complete. The making of sennit during village council meetings is now rarely practiced. Aiming to rekindle interest in the declining craft and with support from the U.S. government, project manager Galumalemana Steven Percival produced a documentary film and museum exhibit on Samoan sennit in 2013. A stone-floored and sennit-lashed faletele was also built at the Tiapapata Art Centre.\n\nHouse construction is replete with esoteric knowledge, but Lesā explains that there are no schools in Samoa where one can learn the required skills. He studied under Mulitalo Kirifi, a well-known builder from his village.\n\n“I observed Mulitalo working and whenever he asked me to do something and I made a mistake, he would tell me to start over.”\n\nThe passing down of knowledge from a master builder, matua o faiva, to an apprentice is common across cultures but when particular techniques are no longer used or are modified, esthetics can be compromised. Not only is the structure less appealing, but the language is also diminished. The natural environment is also affected by the decline. Building materials come from the forest: various palms and trees and a long coconut known as niu’afa, a species believed to yield the longest coconut in the world.\n\nIn traditional society, the natural environment was protected by tapu, a set of laws forbidding actions that would adversely impact the sustainable supply of resources. Ask a sennit maker about the elongated coconut and he will tell you about the tapu: one is not allowed to burn leaves or other parts that fall to the ground; these must be buried or thrown in the sea. Ignoring tapu, it is believed, leads to a gradual shortening of the husk. A plant that seems to have disappeared completely from the environment is the wild sugarcane known as tolofualau, named after its broad and supple leaf that was preferred for thatching.\n\nLesā remembers seeing beautiful houses thickly thatched with the leaf. “We now use the courser leaf of the sago palm niu o Rotuma because when we stopped protecting the wild sugarcane, pigs had a feast,” he says. But the environmental story is not all bad. There are invasive species now used in house construction such as the togo vao, a type of mangrove tree that grows no thicker than a finger but is tough and flexible, a perfect combination for the many hundreds of aso (listels) used to tie thatching. \n\nThe Japan faletele provides a unique opportunity for the crew to deepen and apply their knowledge. It is a place of learning for an important piece of intangible cultural heritage that will help assure a future for traditional house building in Samoa.\n\nPhoto 1 : The roof structure of the faletele at the Tiapapata Art Centre. No nails have been used in this construction ⓒ Galumalemana Steven Percival\nPhoto 2 : In Japan, Master Builder Lesā Laufale (front right), stands next to Little World Museum of Man Curator Takao Miyazato. ⓒ Galumalemana Steven PercivalYear2019NationJapan
-
The Dreaming Culture of the MandayaIn the Philippines, the Mandaya indigenous group is known for their gaudy and vibrant culture that has been preserved from successive generations and has withstood the colonizations that the country surpassed. The Mandaya people live in Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippine archipelago, specifically along the mountain ranges of Davao Oriental. The term “Mandaya” comes from the word man, meaning “firs,” and daya, meaning “upstream.” In combination, Mandaya means “the first upstream people” and refers to the indigenous group’s language, traditions, customs, and beliefs.\n\nOne of the interesting aspects that makes the culture of the Mandaya distinct from other indigenous groups in the country is their culture of dreaming. The practice of weaving and the knowledge system on traditional medicine or healing in the Mandaya culture has been greatly influenced by dreaming. The Mandaya are famous for dagmay,their traditional textile, which they consider sacred. Dagmay designs are interconnected; cutting them will destroy the essence and sacredness of the fabric. According to the elders, dagmay was bestowed to the Mandaya through a dream by Tagamaling, a spirit linked to life and creation. It was believed that a Mandaya maiden dreamed of Tagamaling who taught her weaving techniques to create dagmay. From then on, the Mandaya believed that weaving is sacred, and a real Mandaya weaver will have to say a prayer before starting her weave. The Mandaya weavers only weave in tranquil areas in their houses.\n\nDagmay is a handwoven textile made from abaca. The abaca is the extracted fiber from banana leaves. Dagmay involves a mud-dyeing technique wherein practitioners submerge their tannin-dyed yarns into iron-rich mud for several days. First, they pound the bark of a tree and boil it with the abaca yarn. They then add the mud with a bluish color and let the yarn boil until their desired tone is achieved. With the intricate patterns and details of the dagmay, traditional Mandaya clothes have been known to among the most beautiful in the Philippine archipelago. The motifs of traditional Mandaya design include curvilinear, diamond, cross, trellis, and crocodile patterns.\n\nAnother Mandaya tradition influenced by dreaming is their knowledge system on traditional medicine or healing. In the Mandaya community, a spiritual leader called balyan has the ability to heal sick people through the use of traditional knowledge inspired from a dream, prayer called panawagtawag and organic medicines. The highest ranking spiritual leader, kalalaysan, can heal a dying patient. Within the Mandaya community, the ability to heal is not limited to spiritual leaders as it can be done by anyone. Anyone can dream of a cure, and he or she will become the healer of the sick people in the community.\n\nPhoto : A Mandaya Woman CC BY 2.0 Paul K / flickr.comYear2019NationPhilippines
-
An Overview of Shamanism in NepalIn Nepal, Shamanism was practiced before the arrival of Hinduism and Buddhism. Now it is integrated within both of these religions. Depending on the credo of a particular ethnic community, shamanistic rituals have no monolithic shape but the core value of shamanism is consistently upheld. Shamans are commonly known as dhami or jhakri though ethnic communities have various terms assigned for them. Traditionally, shamans act as mediators between the spirit world and the human world. They are healers, soothsayers, advisors, and priests. Shamans are common people who work as farmers or in some other day job, and they just happen to practice shamanism, typically in the evening.\n\nAmong many ethnic communities in Nepal, Tamang, a cultural and linguistically distinct community, practices shamanism. They believe spirits in the environment help shamans solve people’s problems. In the Tamangworld, spirits are present as microbes in our environment; this worldview is never written, only maintained by oral culture. Some even say that they learn some mantras in their dreams. It’s also very important to have a master and to learn more mantras from them. In addition to teaching mantras to his disciples, a master also helps shake the body and control trances. The disciple-master relation is important and is seen during rituals.\n\nTamang shaman rituals are impressive to watch as the shaman also renders a captivating dance performance during the ritual. The attire of white dress and feather headgear he wears helps bind the people’s gaze. He uses a garland of 108 rittha seeds and rudrakshya (seed of Elaeocarpus granitreus). They wear bells arranged like a belt, producing sounds when they shake during the rituals. Along with the attire they also require ritual objects like phurba (three headed dragger), tiger bones, and materials like incense, uncooked rice, and seed of oroxylum indicum tree (which is almost like white petals). Beating a drum made of deerskin is one of the most important ritual objects. By beating and shaking his body, the shaman goes into a trance where he communicate with the spirits and finds the cure or answer for the clients’ problems. After every ritual, the shaman tells the people the solution to their problems, which he finds during the rituals. Many people in remote parts of the country still rely on the shaman for cures where they don’t have medical facilities. But in places that have medical facilities some people still go to shamans if doctors cannot cure them.\n\nDuring janai purnima (full moon of August or September), shamans have a special day when they gather at holy sites and perform rituals. It’s also a day to boost power among the other shamans. There was a time when all shamans were men. Today, however, though not too significant a change, a small number of women are also shamans.\n\nPhoto : Shaman performing a ritual in a Samarthali Village of Nepal ⓒ Monalisa MaharjanYear2018NationNepal
-
Revitalizing the ICH of a Million Village Goddesses in IndiaVisually imposing sites often catch the imagination of the public. But there is often more than the monumental that informs local’s and visitor’s experiences. Few realize the importance of local civic spaces that demonstrate community benefits from safeguarding heritage in all its manifestations. Engagement with the local primary stakeholders and their spaces reveals deep knowledge for pilgrimage, tourism, education, and recreation. Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) requires benefit analysis and integrated local area planning through a bottom up praxis for sustainability.\n\nA promising development in Amaravathi Heritage Town, Andhra Pradesh, birthplace of Mahayana Buddhism, is a major program for safeguarding its tangible and intangible heritage. Known to the outside world for its famous Amaravathi School of Buddhist Art, recent systematic cultural mapping revealed 2,900-year layers of history and a rich inventory of intangible heritage. Significant is the first Government Order for safeguarding the Balusulamma Thalli Gudi or temple. Its archaeological and historical importance is amplified through the collective memories and living heritage of Balusulamma as the village patron goddess of the ancient Dharanikota.\n\nTwo hundred years ago, local king Raja Vasi Reddy Venkatadri Naidu used to dismount his elephant on returning home from other villages and make offerings to Balusulamma. Last month, his direct descendants on an annual pilgrimage visited the place during the harvest festival and conducted vermillion or Kumkuma Puja for Balusulamma. They are now sponsoring an onsite educational room built strictly according to traditional architecture and in partnership with the Amaravathi Heritage Centre and Museum.\n\nThe priest or pujari, potter Sambayya, is reviving famous Dharanikota pottery traditions. Scaled drawings of the cultural space were prepared by the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada. Local farmers are assisting with documentation and the use of the cultural space for revitalizing the diversity of intangible heritage. The landscape has been carefully fenced. Five solar lamps, a water tank, and boring pump have been installed. A gateway has been constructed and landscaping is preventing soil erosion.\n\nThe rachhabanda or traditional meeting place under the large 200-year-old Banyan tree has been renovated with smooth granite. It is being used by the local village administration, school groups, and families. Everyone loves the ambience of the place, irrespective of caste, faith, age, and other cultural affiliation. The access road to the temple, along with drainage, has been completed. Festivities that have revived the intangible heritage of the place are once again bringing back people from the surrounding twenty-three villages. The Village Vathavaranam or village ambience is revitalized. It is a concept that is rarely addressed in critical heritage discourse.\n\nBalusulamma Thalli Gudi is an illustration of locating culture in development in safeguarding intangible heritage through integrated local area planning. There are about 14,000 villages in the state and an estimated 100,000 shrines to a high number of village goddesses across its thirteen districts—perhaps a million of heritage-rich sites in India. They are the bedrock of Andhra and Telugu culture and Indian heritage. They provide the essence of what it is to experience village atmosphere in the face of rapid urbanization and globalization.\n\nBalusulamma signifies culture as an essential component of human development as it is a source of identity, innovation, and creativity for the village life in India. UNESCO emphasizes that many people, especially the poor, depend directly on ecosystems for their livelihood, and, in effect, their economic, social, and physical well-being, including nonetheless their cultural heritage. Balusulamma Gudi is also a good representative example of the UNESCO 2011 Recommendation on Historic Cultural Landscapes and the 2003 Convention on Safeguarding Intangible Heritage. The value and role of community cultural reclamation and responsible tourism through safeguarding and promotion of heritage landscapes is better understood in Amaravathi Heritage Town.\n\nPhoto : Local folk theater revitalized © Amareswar GallaYear2018NationIndia
-
Visiting the Boysun District, a Representative Cultural SpaceNestled in the southeastern mountains of Uzbekistan, Boysun developed into a cultural hub over centuries, since the age of the ancient Silk Road. Given its long history and outside influence through the famed trade route, the region’s cultural heritage evolved to become as diverse as the flora and fauna that inhabit the region. As a way of celebrating the diverse cultural heritage that dates back to the pre-Islamic days, the Boysun Bahori Festival was first developed as an annual spring festival in the early 2000s, with some interruptions on certain years.\n\nUNESCO officially listed Boysun culture as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage, and in the following year, the first festival was held. April was chosen as the optimal time for the festival as Boysun is unusually pleasant at that time, with flowering fields and green mountains creating a perfect backdrop for a festive environment.\n\nThe locals set up a yurt camp that includes workshops and stages for ensembles to perform. In addition, they set up makeshift arenas for traditional sports like wrestling, horse-related sports, and other activities, such as tightrope walking and acrobatics.\n\nIn April 2019, with the support of the Uzbek Ministry of Culture to explain well-known cultural spaces that I wanted to visit for a long time, I went to Boysun to interview some of the locals. During these interviews, some interesting insights about cultural heritage in the Boysun area were uncovered. According to the local community, much of the younger generation, both male and female, have tendencies to pursue careers or education in larger cities. However, in spite of decreasing number of young generation, community people expressed their satisfaction with living in the heritage city. They appear proud of the many rituals and traditional games that have remained a part of daily life.\n\nSuch customary knowledge is in traditional carpet weaving, craftsmanship, games, and rituals, which are still a part of Boysun communities. Some youth activities include stick-tossing games that are similar to jachigi, a Korean children’s game and commonly played throughout the world. In Boysun, I interestingly noticed that some practices have been influenced more by Zoroastrianism than Islam.\n\nDuring my visit, many of community members were absent in the village to visit Termez to participate and observe the International Bakhshi Art Festival, which was held for first time in Uzbekistan. Nonetheless through my visit to this unique cultural place, I felt deep aspiration of the people for safeguarding their own culture and heritage inherited through generations.\n\nPhoto 1 : Boysun entrance ⓒ ICHCAP\nPhoto 2 : Local people in Boysun District ⓒ ICHCAP\nPhoto 3 : Interviewing locals in Boysun ⓒ ICHCAP\nPhoto 4 : Prayer hall in the trunk of a tree that is hundreds of years old ⓒ ICHCAP\nPhoto 5 : Overview of Boysun District (seen from the entrance hill) ⓒ ICHCAPYear2019NationUzbekistan
-
Thanaka: A Traditional Beauty Commodity in MyanmarThe cosmetic value of thanaka is nationally recognized in Myanmar. Extracted from trees, thanaka holds a high level of public trust due to its connection to the traditional life of Burmese people. In the past, thanakha was worn as a natural cosmetic concoction during the period of Myanmar kingdoms. During the monarchy period, lighter and more fragrant thanakha was used for royal families, and it was added with tiny gold powder while commoners used the pollen of flowers named gant gaw (Mesua ferrea). In addition to it being considered a beauty product, thanaka is also used by farmers and sun-exposed workers for sun protection.\n\nSince Myanmar is in a tropical climate zone, thanakha can give cool sensations and heal sunburns. When thanakha is applied on the face, it becomes a moisturizing treatment that primarily soothes the skin. It also has antibacterial properties that help clear the skin of pimples. As a result, thanaka paste is an essential part of our beauty routine. The glorification of thanaka is well-reflected in Myanmar’s idealization of beauty, particularly female beauty. The ideal woman is perceived to have a long hair, wearing Myanmar’s traditional attire, and using thanaka. This idealization is portrayed in media culture of the country, as well as in folk literature.\n\nPeople make thanaka throughout the Myanmar. Following simple traditional procedures, it is taken from thanaka tree (Limonia acidissma Linn). Ten-year-old thanaka trees are downed and made logs about fifteen centimeters long. Thanakha paste is extracted from the bark by grinding it with a bit of water on a stone slab called kyauk pyin, until it becomes a yellow paste. The yellow paste, thanaka, is kept in a small container for daily use.\n\nIn recent times, Myanmar has seen the proliferation of foreign cosmetic brands in the country, specifically in urban areas. Despite this, thanaka is still used by many and promoted by concerned associations, as it represents Myanmar culture. Although people in the countryside faithfully use thanaka, the collective perception of people about it as a cultural component of ideal beauty should not be missed in understanding the intangible heritage of Myanmar.\n\nPhoto 1 : Mother and son with thanakha ⓒ Pisi (U2 Photo Studio) photography\nPhoto 2 : Lady with thanakha at a five-day market in Hsi Hseng , Shan State ⓒ Mg Chit Pan (Taunggyi) photography\nPhoto 3 : Little boy with thanakha applied ⓒ Sai Moon (tgi) photographyYear2018NationMyanmar
-
NowruzFor thousands of years, Nowruz has been celebrated by the Persians. This ancient ceremony is celebrated every year on 1 Farvardin (the first month in Persian Calendar), roughly 20 April, to welcome the new year and the spring, which brings life back to Earth for a new beginning. However, preparations begin a few weeks before, and the actions and performances continue for almost two weeks.\n\nPreparing for New Spring\nNowruz preparations begin a few weeks prior to the new year, with a traditional spring cleaning called khaneh yekani. It is also customary to purchase new clothing for the family and maybe new furniture for the home as a way of welcoming the new year and spring.\n\nHaft Seen Table\nWhile preparing for Nowruz, the people create the Haft Seen Table, a special family activity that begins by spreading a special family cloth on a table and setting the table with the seven S (seen) items including:\n\nSumac: The crushed spice of berries for the sunrise and the spice of life\nSenjed: Sweet dry fruit of the lotus tree for love and affection\nSerkeh: Vinegar for patient and age\nSeeb: Apple for health and beauty\nSir: Garlic for good health\nSamanu: wheat pudding for fertility and sweetness of life\nSabzeh: sprouted wheat grass for rebirth and renewal of nature\nBesides these items, other symbolic items go on the Haft Seen Table, depending on the tradition of each family. For example, a mirror symbolizes a reflection on the past year, an orange in a bowl of water symbolizes Earth, colored eggs represent fertility, and coins for prosperity in the new year. Special flowers called Hyacinths symbolize spring, and candles radiate light and happiness. Families also put Qur’an or Shahnameh, an epic Persian story of colorful kings and princes written around 1000 CE by the great Persian poet, Ferdowsi.\n\nChahar Shanbe Suri\nIt is also a tradition to celebrate the last Wednesday of the old year, Chahar Shanbe Suri by lighting small bonfire in the streets and jump over the flame shouting “Zardie to az man, sorkhie man az to” which means “May my sickly pallor be yours and your red glow be mine” with which, the flame symbolically removes all the unpleasant and unwelcomed things of the previous year.\n\nQashoq Zani\nWhile others are jumping over the bonfire, others are busy performing Qashoq Zani, which is very much like Halloween. Children—with some of the adults—wander around the alleys making sounds by tapping a pan or pot to bring out the neighbors. The neighbors open their doors and give the children treats.\n\nFalgoosh\nA group of unmarried woman and teenagers huddled in the corners of dark alleys and stand falgoosh, listening to the conversations of passersby. The content of the first sentence of a conversation is regarded as an omen (fal) or portent for the future. This continues until there is no more wood to burn.\n\nTraditions\nIt is also a custom to make ash (a kind of soup) and serve it after the ceremony to end the Chahar Shanbe Suri program. After ending the ceremony, in a few days, all people around the country wait for the exact time of changing seasons, when the new year comes, the tahvil moment.\n\nThe Moment of Tahvil\nThe exact time of the new year is calculated by astrologists and occurs during the venereal equinox; this is tahvil. Throughout history, people have been informed when they hear “Haji Firooz” being sung. A special person crossing through their neighborhood and the singing and dancing would spread the news of Nowruz. He is dressed in a red satin outfit and has his face painted as a disguise. A few minutes left to tahvil, families and friends gather around the Haft Seen Table.\n\nTo Visit Elderly\nThe joyful moment of tahvil is delightful for people, and they want to share the good feeling with those beloved and close friends and relatives. The priority is to visit with the elderly on the new year, where they serve fruit, sweets, and nuts, and children receive small gifts or an amount of money called eidi from their grandparents. This is why children are so passionate for these visits. These visits continue depending on how busy the adults are or until the last day of the Nowruz holiday.\n\nSizdah Bedar\nOn 13 Farvardin, the last day of the Nowruz holiday, people will leave their places to spend the day in the countryside. It is called sizdah (thirteen) bedar (out) to accompany nature through the change of the seasons. They bring their sabzeh and get to tie grass and make wishes like making a wonderful spouse or wishing for money, and after that they throw it into running water.\n\nPhoto : Celebratory foods for Nowruz © Mohammad ShirkavandYear2020NationIran