Why in news?

Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, has been inscribed on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 20th Intergovernmental Committee session held at New Delhi’s Red Fort.

It is now the 16th Indian cultural element on the prestigious list. The inscription recognises Deepavali as a living tradition continuously recreated by communities, fostering social cohesion and contributing to cultural continuity and development.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Understanding UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List
• How a Tradition Gets Inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage List?
• India’s Cultural Heritages Recognised by UNESCO
• Deepavali in UNESCO Intangible Heritage List
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List 2025: Key Additions

Understanding UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List

• UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List recognises living traditions and skills — unlike monuments or archaeological sites.
• It includes oral traditions, performing arts, festivals, social practices, traditional craftsmanship, and knowledge of nature.
• These practices, such as India’s Garba and Kumbh Mela or France’s baguette-making, are passed across generations, strengthen cultural identity, and preserve humanity’s shared heritage.

How a Tradition Gets Inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage List?

• For a cultural practice to be inscribed, UNESCO requires it to be inclusive, representative, and rooted in the community.
• The aim is to recognise living traditions that embody shared identity and social habits — such as France’s baguette-making, which UNESCO says reflects everyday rituals and conviviality.
• To include an element on UNESCO’s Representative List of ICH, states must submit a nomination dossier for evaluation. Each country can nominate one element every two years.
  • India nominated the ‘Deepavali’ Festival for the 2024–25 cycle.
• As globalisation and conflict threaten cultural diversity, UNESCO emphasises preserving these social histories.
• The list also highlights traditions at risk: in 2022, four elements were marked for urgent safeguarding, including Vietnam’s Chăm pottery-making, Chile’s Santa Cruz de Cuca pottery, Albania’s Xhubleta garment craft, and Türkiye’s traditional Ahlat stonework.

India’s Cultural Heritages Recognised by UNESCO

• Apart from Deepavali added in 2025, India has several cultural traditions inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
• These include:
  • Festivals & Rituals: Durga Puja in Kolkata (2021), Kumbh Mela (2017), Nowruz (2016), Ramman festival of Garhwal (2009).
  • Performing Arts & Theatre: Sankirtana of Manipur (2013); Chhau dance, Kalbelia dance of Rajasthan, Mudiyettu of Kerala (2010); Kutiyattam Sanskrit theatre and Ramlila (2008).
  • Oral & Spiritual Traditions: Buddhist chanting of Ladakh (2012); Vedic chanting (2008).
  • Traditional Craftsmanship: Brass and copper utensil-making of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab (2014).
• These entries reflect the diversity and richness of India’s living heritage.

Deepavali in UNESCO Intangible Heritage List

• Deepavali, India’s iconic festival of lights, has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, alongside 19 other global traditions in 2025.
• This came a year after West Bengal’s Durga Puja made it to the prestigious list. The decision was taken during a key meeting of UNESCO being hosted at the Red Fort.
• What UNESCO Recognition Means for Deepavali?
  • Deepavali’s inscription enhances the festival’s global stature, strengthens efforts to preserve its traditions, and supports India’s cultural diplomacy, including among the diaspora.
  • The Intergovernmental Committee guiding the 2003 Convention promotes safeguarding measures, best practices, and funding support.
  • The recognition also boosts tourism, fosters cultural exchange, and helps sustain the artisans and communities who keep Deepavali’s living traditions vibrant.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List 2025: Key Additions

• The 2025 Representative List features a diverse set of cultural traditions from across the world.
• Highlights include:
  • Performing Arts & Music: Amateur theatre of Czechia; Cuarteto music of Argentina; Cuban Son; Joropo of Venezuela; Mvet Oyeng musical art of Central Africa.
  • Festivals & Rituals: Deepavali (India); Gifaataa New Year festival (Ethiopia); Festivity of the Virgen of Guadalupe (Bolivia); Christmas Bram and Sambai (Belize).
  • Crafts & Traditional Skills: Brussels’ rod marionettes; Behzad’s miniature art (Afghanistan); Bisht weaving and practices across West Asia; Tangail saree weaving (Bangladesh); zaffa wedding tradition in parts of the Arab world.
  • Culinary Heritage: Commandaria wine (Cyprus); Koshary dish traditions (Egypt).
  • Community Practices: Guruna pastoral retreats (Chad–Cameroon); family circus tradition (Chile); Confraternity of flowers and palms (El Salvador); bagpipe craftsmanship in Bulgaria.