Gujarat’s traditional dance form ‘Garba’ was on December 6 included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) by the UNESCO .
- The popular dance form is the 15th cultural item from India to make it to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
- It was included during its 18th session, taking place in Kasane, Botswana from 5 to 9 December 2023.
- The inclusion has been made under the provisions of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
About Garba
- ‘Garba’ is a ritualistic and devotional dance performed throughout the State of Gujarat and across India.
- Garba is celebrated for nine days during the festival of Navaratri. The festival is dedicated to the worship of the feminine energy or Shakti.
- The cultural, performative, and visual expressions of this feminine energy are expressed through the Garba dance.
Other inclusion around the world
- Some of the new inscriptions include Rickshaws and Rickshaw painting in Dhaka from Bangladesh, Songkran in Thailand (traditional Thai New Year festival); Hiragasy (a performing art of the Central Highlands of Madagascar); Junkanoo (Bahamas), and the Procession and celebrations of Prophet Mohammed’s birthday in Sudan.
- The list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage currently has some 704 elements corresponding to 5 regions and 143 countries.
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in India on UNESCO’s list
- Vedic chanting, Ramlila and Kutiyattam (Sanskrit theatre): 2008
- Ramman (ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas): 2009
- Mudiyettu (ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala); Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan and Chhau dance: 2010.
- Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India: 2012
- Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur: 2013
- Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India: 2014
- Yoga and Nawrouz : 2016
- Kumbh Mela: 2017
- Durga Puja in Kolkata : 2021
