Czech traditions added to heritage safeguard list

UNESCO has added two Czech traditions to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, promoting the safeguarding of traditions specific or unique to different parts of the world. One of the items added covers masks and traditions from the Hlinsko area in eastern Bohemia. Those are related to carnival parades beginning on or after Epiphany, the Christian feast day. The other tradition is falconry, a listing which had been proposed by 12 countries with similar heritage. Czech falconry has roots from the time of the Great Moravian Empire in the 9th century. The only previous Czech tradition listed by UNESCO was an 18th century military recruit folk dance from Slovácko, southeast Moravia, which was added in 2005.

Author: Jan Velinger