Saint Giong Festival recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage

HA NOI – Viet Nam's Saint Giong Festival of the Phu Dong and Soc temples has been recognised as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The recognition was announced on Tuesday at the 5th section of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nairobi, Kenya.

The festival was one of 47 shortlisted from 29 countries. This year, 147 nominations from 32 countries were submitted for inscription on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In order to be inscribed, the nominations must comply with a series of criteria, including contributing to spreading the knowledge of intangible cultural heritage and promoting awareness of its importance. They must also justify protective measures taken to ensure their viability.

All the elements inscribed on the lists must fit the definition of "intangible cultural heritage" laid down in the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. They must also be included in an inventory and have been nominated by the States after the greatest possible participation of the communities that practise them, with their prior, free and informed consent.

212 across the world have been recognised as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, four of which are Vietnamese.

UNESCO also recognises royal court music from Hue, Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) gong culture, and Bac Ninh love duet singing.

The Saint Giong festival is a unique traditional event in north Viet Nam, held annually from the 6th-12th of the fourth lunar month with a series of processions, rituals and performances. The festival commemorates the legendary national hero who grew overnight from a three-year-old boy into a giant to help rid the country of foreign invaders.

The 9th of the fourth lunar month is the main day of the festival held in Phu Dong Village in Ha Noi's Gia Lam District, where the legendary hero was said to have been born. – VNS