Pantomime and Carol Singing Nominated for UNESCO Cultural Recognition

The British government plans to grant protected status to various Christmas traditions, including pantomime, carol singing, and wreath-making. This decision is made in light of the government's intention to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. The convention aims to protect crafts, practices, and traditions that hold cultural significance and contribute to people's sense of identity worldwide. The list of already recognized traditions includes the Argentinian tango and Belgium beer culture. Additionally, Chinese shadow puppetry, Italian dry stone walling, and Croatian gingerbread crafting are among the other practices to receive protected status. The UK's arts and skills, such as sea shanties and calligraphy, may also fall under this protection. Notable landmarks like the Tower of London, Fountain's Abbey, and Giant's Causeway already have UNESCO world heritage protection. This year, the government proposed York city centre, Birkenhead Park, and an iron age settlement in Shetland to join this prestigious list. The UK currently has 33 protected sites. Public consultation will begin on Saturday to gather input on which values and traditions should be celebrated and how the selection process should work. The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) will collaborate with the devolved nations to ensure representation in the nomination process. The nominations will be presented to parliament before officially ratifying the convention with UNESCO by spring 2024. People can nominate celebratory days like Hogmanay, Burns Night, Shrove Tuesday, and the Welsh tradition of Eisteddfodau. Highland dancing, bagpipe playing, cheese-rolling, Welsh valley male voice choirs, immigrant community traditions like Notting Hill Carnival and steel-drumming, and crafts like basket-weaving, thatching, and tartan and tweed creation are among the traditions that could be considered. These practices are being evaluated for their historical inheritance and generational transmission. Lord Parkinson, the arts and heritage minister, emphasized that the UK possesses a rich heritage of customs that have shaped our communities and are passed down from generation to generation.