New York, Twelve elements, ranging from rice planting rituals in Japan to Mexico’s mariachi music to a horseback-riding tradition in France, were on Sunday added to the United Nations-backed list of the world’s outstanding examples of intangible heritage. A 24-member intergovernmental committee, meeting in Bali, Indonesia, inscribed seven elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its morning session and another five in the afternoon session, according to a press release issued by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The new additions include two from Japan: Mibu no Hana Taue, the ritual of transplanting rice which takes place in two communities in Hiroshima prefecture on the first Sunday in June each year and Sada Shin Noh, the series of sacred purification dances performed every Sept at Sada shrine in Matsue City. There are two additions from Croatia: Becarac singing and playing from the country''s east, where singers are accompanied by a tambura band and Nijemo Kolo, a silent circle dance from the hinterland of the Dalmatian region. Two famed musical traditions were also included: ...
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