The recent 2018 inscriptions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) on UNESCO Lists has raised again global awareness in variations of masked dance in Southeast Asia, which retell the story of Rama, the god-reincarnated king who defeats the demon king Ravana....
Derived from a Buddhist belief, the Hae Pha Khuen That Festival is centuries-old and still practiced to today. The event is a gathering of Buddhists parading in streets, carrying cloth called pha bot to wrap around the stupa that houses...
Loy Krathong Festival is a yearly event in Thailand on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, usually in November. This festival has a long history dating back to the Sukhothai era and continuously maintains its popularity in...
From 23 to 25 October, ICHCAP held the 2018 Expert Workshop on ICH Video Production in Southeast Asia at the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, Korea. The workshop and meeting sessions were attended by twenty-three ICH and video experts...
Nuad thai or Thai Massage is a body and mind therapy, a traditional method of healing integrating the knowledge of science and art and local wisdom. Transmitted from generation to generations since the ancient times, it is still remarkably widespread...
Wualai Silversmith Village is located along Wua Lai Road, Hai Ya, Muang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The village is well-known for handmade silver products. People in the village have been making silver goods for a hundred years, after they moved from...
‘The people are the ones that embody and own the knowledge.’ That observation, made by Benjawan Buakwan, a researcher from the College of Local Wisdom at Thailand’s Thaksin University, illustrates one key aspect of intangible cultural heritage—and how quickly ideas...
For hundreds of years, Thai people drew images of animals, Khom scripts, and mystic diagrams (yantra) on their skin, believing that these would protect them against misfortunes. Sacred tattoos, known as sak yant (sak meaning “to tap” or “to tattoo”;...
On 20 September, ICHCAP held the 2017 Expert Workshop on Video Documentation of ICH in Southeast Asia in George Town located in the Malaysian state of Penang. Since 2015, ICHCAP has been implementing a project of documenting ICH in the...
The making of masks as both a form of art and a habit of doing culture is a global undertaking. Various forms, shapes, and functions of masks exist as existing cultures in the world are informed by different contexts. By...