Katta Ashula, Navruz inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Katta Ashula and Navruz holiday of Uzbekistan and are among the 76 elements inscribed on 30 September on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

These 76 inscriptions were decided by the 24 Member States of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, currently holding its 4th session in Abu Dhabi under the chairmanship of Awadh Ali Saleh Al Musabi (United Arab Emirates).

Navruz marks the New Year and the beginning of spring across a vast geographical area covering, inter alia, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. It is celebrated on 21 March every year, a date originally determined by astronomical calculations.

Katta Ashula (literally ’big song’) is a type of traditional song that forms part of the identity of various peoples of the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan, which is also home to Tajiks, Uyghurs and Turks, and of some regions of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. An original genre, Katta Ashula combines performing arts, singing, instrumental music, Eastern poetry and sacred rites.