Straw garden making tradition received UNESCO recognition
A fourth cultural heritage value of Lithuania has been added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: the sodai straw garden making tradition.
This decision was made in the session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage currently taking place in Botswana.
The Vice-Minister of Culture Albinas Vilčinskas is glad that our unique tradition has become a widely-recognised cultural heritage value: “This is a tradition which is old yet still very much alive and vivacious. It is passed down from generation to generation, it unites different communities and brings craftspeople of different generations together. The tradition of sodai straw garden making is increasingly gaining relevance and involves more and more people who protect it, take it over, or are consumers of it. Some of our community perceive these works, which symbolise traditional worldview, as a sign of cultural identity, while artists even see it as a source of inspiration”.
The process of the preparation of the nomination file for the straw garden making tradition was coordinated by the Lithuanian National Culture Centre, with consultations by the Ministry of Culture. The working group included specialists of this centre, the Secretariat of the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO, and the Vilnius Ethnic Culture Centre, as well as the experts of the Juškos Museum of Ethnic Culture, the National Museum of Lithuania, and the Lithuanian Institute of History, in addition to members of the non-governmental organisation, association Dangaus Sodai, which unites makers of straw gardens. Moreover, the application’s preparation process inspired the establishment of the latter institution.
In 2017, the sodai straw garden making tradition was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Lithuania. Straw gardens, which have also been called liktorius, voras, pajonkas, pajonkėlis, dangus, pasaulis, rojus, sietynas, reketukas, rekėžis, krijelis, aitvaras, miestas, žarondėlis, were made in the entire Lithuania and had not just decorative but also ceremonial significance. They symbolise the model of the universe, thus they are associated with well-being and protection. Straw gardens often become an inseparable part of the traditional wooden home’s interior which provides a sense of identity and continuity. Today straw garden makers work in various municipalities of Lithuania but most of the gardens’ craftspeople have accumulated in Vilnius and Vilnius District. Many other “gardeners” reside in North-Eastern Lithuania: Aukštaitija, particularly the districts of Utena, Jonava, Anykščiai, Biržai, Ukmergė, Švenčionys, Rokiškis, and Kupiškis.
The straw garden making tradition is open to all: everyone can learn and make a garden or a small model of it. As a social practice, straw garden making encourages cooperation, respect of creativity, and cultural diversity. This tradition is also important to garden makers because it develops creativity. By making straw gardens in the family and the community, familial relations of multiple generations are strengthened, and sustainable collective work is learned.
This year, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, it was decided to commemorate October 17th annually as the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Lithuania, as one of the first countries that have joined the convention, celebrated the convention’s 20th anniversary with various events related to the intangible heritage even before the announcement of the official commemoration day.
Previously, three values of Lithuania have already been added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: the tradition of song and dance celebrations in the Baltic states, sutartinės (Lithuanian multipart songs), and cross-crafting and its symbolism in Lithuania. Currently, the Ministry of Culture is preparing action plans for the preservation of the latter two values that are intended to coordinate the measures implemented by various bodies and institutions that are dedicated to ensuring the vivacity of cross-crafting and sutartinės.
In acknowledgement of the tradition’s appreciation, the Lithuanian delegation awarded the Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Botswana to UNESCO and the session’s chairperson HE Mustaq Moorad with a garden made during the visit by prominent Lithuanian straw garden makers Vida Sniečkuvienė and Lina Žaliauskienė, expressing wishes of peace, harmony, and plenitude. HE Mustaq Moorad intends to give this garden to the President of Botswana.
Photo by Vilnius Ethnic Culture Centre
Last updated: 12-01-2024