(CTN News) – Now that it has been added to Unesco’s potential list of candidates, Songkran, the celebrated water celebration in Thailand, is likely to be recognized as an intangible cultural heritage (ICH).
Songkran’s traditional Thai New Year event was nominated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for the year 2023.
Songkran will join Khon (Thai masked dance), Nuad Thai (traditional Thai massage), and Nora (dance drama in South of Thailand) as the fourth ICH from Thailand on the coveted Unesco list if it is officially inscribed.
According to the Unesco website, Thailand’s renowned hot prawn soup, tom yam kung, has been nominated since 2022.
In addition to Muay Thai, Phi Ta Khon (a festival celebrating ghost masks in the Northeast), khao niao mamuang (mango and sticky rice), and khao kaeng will also be up for ICH certification in Thailand (curry and rice).
A practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or ability that Unesco regards as a component of a place’s cultural history is intangible cultural heritage.
The seven branches of intangible cultural heritage are the performing arts, handicrafts, traditional literature, traditional sports, ancient traditions, folk knowledge, and language.
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