Oral and intangible cultural heritage has been recognised by UNESCO as an important segment of the heritage in general, representing the “live” culture that is created and recreated all the time, going through continuous processes of development in accordance with the social changes. The omnipresent globalisation, just like the micro-social changes affect to a great extent the mode of presenting and transmitting these forms that resulted out of centuries-long sedimentation and entanglement of cultural expressions. Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage promotes and develops cultural diversities and human creativity, encouraging tolerance and inter-cultural dialogue.

To an end of safeguarding this segment of heritage, UNESCO adopted in 2003 the Convention for the Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage (https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention), according to which the following is encompassed by the intangible heritage: customs, beliefs, occurrences of spiritual creativity transmitted by hand and manifested through: language, dialects, speeches and toponomy and oral transmission or expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage

Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage on 16 July 2008.

The Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports keeps the Preliminary Opened List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is an integral part of the Preliminary Opened List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 Preliminary Opened List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

  1. Woodcarving of Konjic
  2. The custom of shoeing eggs in Kreševo 
  3. The art of lace making (keranje)
  4. Pilgrimage to Ajvatovica – Prusac
  5. Pilgrimage to St. Ivo – Podmilačje 
  6. Pottery making in Liješeva
  7. Traditional hand-mowing competition in Kupres
  8. Ganga – rural polyphonic musical-poetic form
  9. Sevdalinka – traditional, urban folk song 
  10. The art of building and playing the karaduzen instrument 
  11. Rural polyphonic form of singing in three
  12. Mostar Old Bridge Diving 
  13. Singing to the accompaniment of the gusle
  14. Local traditional dish puračka ćaska 
  15. Singing with tambura/shargija and violin accompaniment
  16. Kajganijada of Travnik 
  17. Spring dawn –Čimburijada of Zenica

The Preliminary Opened List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is open for the new elements.