Diwali has now been officially recognised by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This moment has been celebrated across India and the global Indian community, not simply as a cultural milestone, but as a reminder of the living traditions that shape everyday life. The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO’s global decision-making body for cultural traditions, officially added Deepavali to its Representative List. As global news and Indian leaders, including PM Modi, celebrate this declaration, let us look at what it means to be included in UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage.
A logo of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage framework is designed to safeguard living cultural practices. These are not physical objects but traditions that communities actively perform and pass from one generation to the next.
This includes rituals, festive events, performing arts, crafts, oral knowledge, and community practices that bind people together. The purpose is not to freeze traditions, but to support the communities that keep them alive.
In UNESCO’s definition, intangible heritage is always living, collective, and transmitted.
For any cultural practice to be added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, it must pass through a structured and community-driven nomination process set out by the 2003 Convention.
🔸A country begins by preparing a nomination dossier (Form ICH-02) that demonstrates several essential points: that the practice meets UNESCO’s definition of intangible heritage, that it is actively transmitted within communities, and that it forms a meaningful part of their collective identity.
🔸Community consent is central. UNESCO requires clear evidence that the people who safeguard and practise the tradition not only support the nomination but have participated in shaping it. The file must also outline realistic safeguarding plans, steps that will help keep the tradition alive into the future, and the element must already appear in the nation’s own cultural inventory.
🔸Once submitted, the Intergovernmental Committee assesses the nomination for clarity, authenticity, community involvement, and the practicality of the proposed safeguarding measures before taking a final decision. In essence, nothing moves forward without thorough documentation, community engagement, and a viable long-term plan.
🔸This process does not end with recognition. Instead, it initiates a new chapter of responsibility. For Diwali, this could include stronger programmes that support traditional diya-making, preserve regional rituals, encourage the teaching of songs and stories, and ensure celebrations remain environmentally conscious and safe. Being added to UNESCO’s list is not a final honour but a living agreement to protect, nurture, and responsibly pass on the festival to future generations.
Lighting of lamps, an important ritual of Diwali (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Diwali is one of the rare festivals that exists in hundreds of regional variations while still retaining a shared cultural essence. Its practices stretch from the intimate lighting of a single diya to large community celebrations that bring entire neighbourhoods together.
Across India and beyond, Diwali is a celebration of renewal, light, and social harmony. UNESCO’s documentation highlights this layered tapestry of rituals, social meanings, artistic expressions, and community-led participation.
Diwali also bridges communities. It is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and countless others in their own ways. It cuts across regional, linguistic, sectarian, and national lines. Over time, Diwali has become instantly recognisable worldwide as a symbol of Indian culture. This global familiarity is one of the factors that strengthen the case for its inclusion on the UNESCO list.
Radha and Krishna watching fireworks in the night sky by Sitaram, Kishangarh, late 18th century. National Museum, New Delhi (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
Being added to UNESCO’s list does more than acknowledge cultural importance. It supports efforts to safeguard the festival’s traditional practices, such as diya making, rangoli arts, traditional sweets, and regional storytelling traditions associated with the festival.
It also gives international visibility to the communities that sustain these practices. This recognition strengthens requests for support, documentation, and preservation projects. It helps safeguard the intangible skills of potters, sweet-makers, artisans, community elders, musicians, and ritual specialists whose livelihoods and knowledge systems are central to Diwali.
Most importantly, it reminds us that cultural identity is not only inherited through monuments or artifacts. It lives in the small, everyday gestures: lighting a lamp, preparing food, sharing sweets, welcoming others, telling stories, and cleaning the home with reverence.
Other Indian Traditions Already Recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage
Koodiyattam performer Kapila Venu (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
India has long been present on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, with several iconic traditions already acknowledged as a living legacy that goes beyond their region. Below is a list of some of the Indian elements previously recognised:
🔸Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre
🔸Tradition of Vedic chanting.
🔸Ramlila- the traditional performance of the Ramayana
🔸Ramman- religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas
🔸Chhau dance (Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal)
🔸Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan
🔸Mudiyettu- ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala
🔸Buddhist chanting of Ladakh
🔸Sankirtana- ritual singing, drumming, and dancing of Manipur
🔸Traditional brass and copper craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab
🔸Nowruz / Navroz (as celebrated by the Parsi community in India)
🔸Yoga
🔸Kumbh Mela
🔸Durga Puja of Kolkata
🔸Garba of Gujarat
1867 CE chromolithograph, Diwali, Feast of Lamps, by William Simpson, at the British Library (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
As the world grows more interconnected and begins to see itself as a global village, festivals like Diwali remind us of the threads that bind people together. Across borders and languages, human beings are united by shared joys, by the warmth of community, and by the instinct to celebrate light, hope, and renewal.
Diwali’s recognition by UNESCO signals not only India’s cultural legacy but also the universal truth that festive traditions nurture a sense of belonging. They help communities remember their mutual dependence, strengthen bonds of care, and create moments where people pause to honour what they hold in common.
In a complex world that often feels divided, Diwali stands as a gentle reminder that joy is a collective act and that humanity is brought together by the rituals we share. The festival's light illuminates our homes, gathers our communities, and reassures us that we are part of something larger, warmer, and enduring.
https://ddnews.gov.in/en/deepavali-added-to-unesco-intangible-cultural-heritage-list-pm-modi-welcomes-global-recognition/
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2201375®=3⟪=2
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