IC lists 15 elements of intangible cultural heritage

Craft of bamboo scaffolding

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) announced on Friday the official inventory of Macau’s intangible cultural heritage, as required by the provisions of the Cultural Heritage Protection Law.

According to a statement released by the IC, “the inventory is the basis for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.”

The 15 items covered in the inventory include Yueju opera (Cantonese opera), Cantonese naamyan (narrative songs), Taoist ritual music, the Festival of the Drunken Dragon, the Procession of the Passion of Our Lord the God Jesus and the Procession of Our Lady of Fatima, Patuá theatre, Macanese gastronomy, herbal tea brewing, the craft of bamboo scaffolding, woodwork (specifically religious figure carving), and the beliefs and customs of A-Ma, Na Tcha, Tou Tei, and Chu Tai Sin.

Five of the 15 are new additions. These include bamboo scaffolding and the beliefs and customs of Tou Tei and Chu Tai Sin, which were proposed by local communities. Meanwhile, the Procession of the Passion of Our Lord the God Jesus and the Procession of Our Lady of Fatima were proposed by the IC.

According to the IC, the bureau assessed the new submissions and determined that their expressions, conservation status and cultural value met the requirements for the inventory, as per Article 74 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Law. After consulting the Cultural Heritage Committee, the IC included these items in the inventory as per Article 77 of the same law.

The IC has committed to performing further studies of Macau’s intangible cultural heritage to update the inventory, as well as include qualified items in the “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage” in order to safeguard the traditions of Macau’s communities.

Public departments, communities, groups or individuals that wish to propose further additions to the inventory may submit their proposals to the IC.