The door-to-door rounds of Kurenti, a traditional Slovenian carnival costume, have become part of the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The decision was taken in Seoul on last Thursday at a session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The committee wrote that the Kurent rituals combine various cultural expressions of social practices, performing arts, knowledge of nature and traditional crafts. Related knowledge and skills are most commonly transmitted within the family, but youngsters also learn from elderly members of the groups they are part of and schools and museums play an important role by organizing activities, workshops and contests.
“We’re honoured that door-to-door rounds of the Kurent have become part of world-renowned treasures by making it on UNESCO’s list,” notes the mayor of Ptuj Miran Senčar.
The practice helps strengthen interpersonal bonds and is key to the regional identity of the communities concerned, UNESCO said.
www.vlada.si, photo: STB, Marko Šinkovec
