International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage on 17th October
Join us in making intangible cultural heritage visible! The theme for 2025 is "Heritage Makers."
According to a decision by the UNESCO General Assembly, the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage is celebrated annually on 17th October. All 185 member countries of the agreement participate in this celebration. Finland has been part of the agreement since 2013. The agreement has highlighted the importance of living cultural heritage worldwide and made it visible through national and international lists.
The aim of the day is to showcase the diversity and richness of living heritage and to raise awareness of the importance of its protection. This year, the theme in Finland is "Heritage Makers," which will highlight active practitioners and transmitters of tradition through press releases, blogs, and social media.
Communication for Shared Visibility
Finnish living heritage practitioners from all fields are encouraged to highlight the day in their communications. Behind the 250 articles in the Wiki Inventory for Living Heritage, there are over 400 different actors, associations, museums, and hobby groups. Additionally, several hundred actors are involved in the Living Heritage Rings, which are interdisciplinary networks.
To celebrate the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Finnish Heritage Agency provides a basis for press releases and social media updates, which can be supplemented with your own examples.
Events celebrating the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Finland throughout October can also be submitted to the UNESCO website.
Protection Work at the Core of the Agreement
Different forms of tradition are passed down from generation to generation, evolving and transforming with societal changes. The development of traditions and their transmission to new generations are vital for the vitality of intangible cultural heritage. A key objective of the UNESCO agreement is the protection and preservation of intangible cultural heritage through the practice, transmission, documentation, and research of traditions.
Everyone engages with intangible cultural heritage. It is part of daily life through food and various hobbies, present in dialects, annual celebrations, and relationships with nature and the environment. Thousands of different NGOs, their local associations, and other civil society actors are involved in practicing, protecting, and promoting intangible cultural heritage. The transmission and documentation of tradition are also ensured by a broad network of museums, educational institutions, archives, and other organizations.
A template for press releases will be available soon!
Link to the UNESCOs Intangible cultural heritage website.
Photo: Siba Folk Big Band kantele players. Photographed by Heikki Tuuli 2017.