From Argentine cuarteto dancing to Yemeni musical poetry, Italian cooking and India's Hindu festival of lights Diwali, UNESCO is weighing 68 nominations to add to its intangible cultural heritage list.
The United Nations cultural agency, meeting in the Indian capital New Delhi from Dec. 9 to Dec. 11y, is examining the dozens of nominations from 78 countries.
Musical entries span from Bulgarian bagpipes to Cuban son dance, Swiss yodelling, the singing tradition of the Alpine nation's herders and shepherds, and Ghana's highlife music, with its irresistibly toe-tapping grooves.
Those approved will join UNESCO's list of cultural heritage, whose purpose is to "raise awareness of the diversity of these traditions" and to protect them for the future.
The eclectic list includes Afghanistan's miniature art, Chile's circus traditions, Bangladesh's sari weaving and Iceland's swimming-pool culture.
As well as Italian cuisine, Eypt's koshary, a beloved street food staple of noodles, rice, lentils and fried onions, doused in a blazing hot sauce, is also up for possible UN approval.
And one of the oldest wines is up for nomination — Commandaria from Cyprus, where production dates back 8,000 years.
The meeting is being held inside Delhi's imposing walls of the Red Fort, a UN World Heritage Site. It is the first major event at the fort since a nearby car blast killed at least 12 people last month.
