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Transhumance multinational file, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The Transhumance multinational file, the seasonal movement of livestock, submitted by ten countries, including Romania, was inscribed on Tuesday on the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is taking place this week in Botswana.
According to the UNESCO website, transhumance contributes to social inclusion, strengthening cultural identity and the links between families, communities and territories, at the same time counteracting the effects of rural depopulation. An ancestral practice, transhumance stems from a deep knowledge of the environment and involves social practices and rituals related to the care, breeding and training of animals and the management of natural resources.
An entire socio-economic system has developed around transhumance, from gastronomy to local crafts and festivities that mark the beginning and end of a season. Families have practiced and passed on transhumance through observation and practice for several generations. The communities living along the transhumance routes also play an important role in the transmission of this practice, for example by celebrating the passage of herds and organizing festivals, explains UNESCO.
The multinational file "Transhumance, , the seasonal droving of livestock" was submitted to UNESCO in March 2020 by Albania, Andorra, Austria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania and Spain. This is an extension of a similar element registered in 2019 in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, "Transhumance, the seasonal migration of herds along the migratory routes in the Mediterranean area and in the Alps", at the proposal of Austria, Greece and Italy.
The 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is being held at the Cresta Mowana Resort in Kasane, Botswana, from 4 to 9 December.