Have you ever noticed how culture shows up in different ways in your community? Some parts are easy to see, like festivals and celebrations. Others are more hidden — found in everyday habits, gestures, knowledge, and words passed down over time. This is what Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) aims to recognize.
The ICH categories aren’t strict or fixed. Instead, they help communities identify what they value in their cultural life. The UNESCO Convention (2003) lists five main areas:
Oral traditions and expressions
Stories, songs, proverbs, and legends shared in families or community gatherings, including languages
Artistic expressions
Dance, music, theatre, and other performance traditions.
Social practices, rituals, and festive events
Harvest celebrations, weddings, and religious festivals.
Knowledge and practices related to nature and the universe
Farming methods, herbal remedies, or ways of reading the weather
Traditional craftsmanship
The making of baskets, pottery, fabrics, tools, and musical instruments
These areas often come together in rich and complex ways. A single festival may include music, dancing, storytelling, and ritual knowledge all at once. These become even more powerful when told through personal stories — like an embroiderer who learned from her grandmother or a fisherman who sings old songs about the tides. Stories help reveal the deeper meaning behind these traditions, bringing emotion and knowledge together.
The aim is not just to fit practices into boxes, but to honor what the community itself sees as meaningful. As Freire (2005) says, teaching begins with listening. Protecting ICH also means listening, respecting, and creating shared meaning together.