UNESCO has approved the inclusion of the Songkran festival in the tentative list of Intangible Cultural Heritages (ICH) for consideration in December this year, Thailand’s Culture Minister Itthiphol Khunpluem said today (Thursday).

UNESCO declared the Khon mask dance, Thai massage and the Nora dance performance to be Intangible Cultural Heritages, in 2018, 2019 and 2021 respectively.

Nora is a form of dance-drama, performed mainly in Thailand’s southernmost provinces. Nora is a shortened form of the name Manora. The performance has its own music tradition, southern Thai dialect and movement techniques believed to have come from India.

Itthiphol said that UNESCO’s inclusion of Songkran in the ICH tentative list is a boon for the promotion of Songkran as part of the Thai identity, as seen by foreign tourists, and promotes better understanding and recognition of Thai culture.