Greece’s Culture Ministry announced this week an upgrade to the operation of the country’s Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which currently includes 164 nationally recognized cultural elements.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the decision introduces for the first time a fully regulated framework for indexing and registering new heritage elements as well as promoting good practices in line with the principles of the 2003 UNESCO Convention.
The national inventory records living cultural practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and techniques that form part of Greece’s intangible heritage as they are practiced today. It serves as both a documentation tool and a means of safeguarding traditions passed down through generations.
Under the new framework, responsibility for maintaining the Inventory in both printed and digital form lies with the Culture Ministry’s Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage. Existing registered elements and best practices will be updated every 15 years from their initial registration, or sooner when deemed necessary by the ministry’s competent department.
Photo: Greek Culture Ministry
Both registration of new elements and updating existing entries will take place with the active participation of the communities, groups, or individuals who practice or perform the elements.
“The regulation and upgrade of the index’s operation is absolutely necessary, especially today, when the challenges of Artificial Intelligence create new approaches to the traditional methods of recording and documentation of practices and knowledge transmitted from generation to generation,” Mendoni said.
She added that each element of intangible cultural heritage “constitutes a valuable carrier of identity, experience, and creative expression, connecting the past with the present and shaping the future”.
The minister went on to add that Greece’s intangible heritage is not static but living and experiential, reflecting contemporary ways of life, perception, and community participation.
The enrichment of the Inventory and the promotion of best practices will begin following a public invitation issued by the Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage.
