Folklore Without Borders

Explaining Living Heritage

Living heritage (or ‘intangible cultural heritage’) includes folklore, performance, customs and crafts that are passed on from generation to generation.

The creation of the UK-wide inventories aims to start a conversation about living heritage; what we value and how we collectively safeguard it for future generations.

Living Heritage is a broad subject that can include everything from bell-ringing to boat-building, cèilidh to carnival, pantomime to pancake day, Highland Games to Eisteddfod, Lambeg drumming to long sword dancing, and dry-stone walling to wassailing.

Seven categories will be used for the inventories (although a lot of living heritage sits in multiple categories):

• oral expressions
• social practices
• performing arts
• land, nature and spirituality
• crafts
• sports and games
• culinary practices.

The inventories are being set up by the Governments of the UK, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland following the UK joining the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage last year.

The inventories will provide a snapshot of all the different types of living heritage across the UK: from popular to niche and old to new. Their purpose is to both raise awareness and to start a conversation about the value of this heritage, paving the way for future efforts to improve its safeguarding.