Felicity Long
There was some (mostly) good-natured teasing in the press recently about the elevation of the French baguette to lofty Unesco status. I even read some speculation about whether it was a publicity stunt timed to coincide with French president Emmanuel Macron's visit to the White House.
But in fact, Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, established in 2008, is very real.
The idea is to shine a spotlight, and in some cases protect, treasures of the world that are more nuanced than, say, a beautiful building or an architecturally significant bridge.
It is in that context that the baguette -- or more specifically, "the artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread-- joined the list this year, along with some interesting choices from other countries.
Slovenia's long-standing and robust beekeeping tradition, for example, also made the list because beekeeping is celebrated as a way of life in the country, from apiaries and honey production to bee-inspired art. There is even a World Bee Day held on May 20 aimed at protecting and celebrating the tradition.
New entries in Europe also include the string band in Hungary, manual bell ringing in Spain, sljivovica or plum spirit-making in Serbia, straw-weaving in Belarus, altita or embroidered blouses in Romania and Moldova and modern dance in Germany.
Some countries were honored with more than one distinction, such as Greece's Tranos Choros dance and the Syrrako festivals, both held on Aug. 15, and Croatia's Festivity of Saint Tryphon and the Kolo, a chain dance from the Bay of Kotor.
Countries can also share their status with other countries, such as the intriguing bear festivities in the Pyrenees in France and Andorra -- who knew? -- tea in its role as a symbol of hospitality in Turkey and Azerbaijan and the tradition of Lipizzaner horse breeding in Slovenia, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Slovakia.
And if you thought timber rafting was solely an American pursuit, it turns out that Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Spain have their own versions of this tradition, too.
There are new additions outside of Europe, of course, and for the complete list and details about specific honorees, check out the Unesco list.