Greece adds 10 new entries to National Intangible Cultural Heritage Register

The Greek Ministry of Culture has added 10 new entries to the National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage, bringing the total number of registered elements to 199. This initiative follows the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which Greece has been implementing since 2006.

Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni stated that these additions strengthen the ongoing efforts to record, preserve, and highlight the nation's cultural wealth. She emphasized that each new entry captures a unique expression of cultural identity, including the knowledge, skills, and collective memory of the communities that pass them down through generations.

One of the newly registered traditions is the procession of the Holy Icon of Panagia Voulkaniotissa, which takes place annually on the night of September 19th to 20th to commemorate the traditional salvation of local residents from a plague in the 17th or 18th century.