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I
n November 2015, the Cyprus National
Commission for UNESCO and the Cultural
Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture
announced that the National List of Intangible
Cultural Heritage has been enriched with eight
new elements.
These new elements are: “Pipilla” Lace
(originating fromtheKilani, Omodos andLapithos
communities); “Pittoti” Embroidery Lace of
Athienou - Venise type – (originating from the
Larnacadistrict communityofAthienou);Basketry
from the Livadia community; Matting of Kapouti
village; The technique of dry stone, coming
from the Pitsilia, Solea, Marathassa, Limassol
wine-producing villages and Akamas peninsula
settlements; “Arkatena” bread from the Kilani
and Omodos communities; the Limassol Carnival;
and the Fair of Kataklysmos (Cataclysm, Flood),
in Larnaca. These new elements are in addition to
the existing entries of Lefkaritiko embroidery lace
in 2009 (Lefkara community), the Tsiattista poetic
duelling in 2011 (Larnaca) and the Mediterranean
diet in 2013, with the community of Agros joining
a multinational inscription.
The Cyprus Research Centre was the first to
venture into registering elements of Intangible
Cultural Heritage in Cyprus, publishing the first
ever Register in 2012 based on the Centre’s Oral
Tradition Archive and relevant bibliography.
Though a commendable effort, the register was
lacking in community involvement, accessibility
and ways to safeguard the ICH.
This prompted the Cyprus National Commission
for UNESCO to propose to the Ministry of
Education and Culture the establishment of a
more holistic approach to the matter, starting
off by involving civil society in the process. By
February 2015, the first call for proposals went out
Eight new elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Pipilla workshop in Omodos
