Lithuanian cultural heritage of straw garden making, called sodai, was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Tuesday.
This decision was taken at the session of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Botswana.
“First of all, we are simply going beyond our traditional understanding, and that tradition is not only important for us, not only for Lithuania, but it is a tradition that is essentially world-class and that is protected by an organisation such as UNESCO,” Culture Minister told the LRT RADIO.
In 2017, the tradition of making hanging straw ornaments was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage values in Lithuania.
Sodai were made all over Lithuania and had not only decorative but also ceremonial significance, symbolising the pattern of the universe, and are therefore associated with well-being and fertility.
The UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity already includes the tradition of song and dance festivals in the Baltic states, Lithuanian multipart songs, called sutartinės, and cross-crafting.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
