Босна и Херцеговина – EN – Регионален център за опазване на нематериалното културно наследство в Югоизточна Европа под егидата на ЮНЕСКО

Sevdalinka, traditional urban folk song

Sevdalinka is a form of traditional urban singing that is practised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It originated as the result of a long process of acculturation that occurred when the traditional oral poetry of the South-Slavic population merged with the musical influences of the Ottoman Empire. Performed a capella or with the accompaniment of traditional instruments, the main function of sevdalinka is to tell a story. It is practised by professional and amateur performers of all genders and backgrounds and is a key part of stage folklore. Because of its storytelling function, sevdalinka is proving continually relevant for different communities as a part of their identity expression. It is often transmitted within families, with younger members learning through imitation, then adding individual variations over time. The practice is also transmitted through music academies, individual lessons, workshops and the public education system. An important form of cultural expression, sevdalinka provides a sense of connection and belonging to the same community. It is an important cohesive factor that is accepted, appreciated and promoted by people of all ethnic groups, genders and identities.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sevdalinka, traditional urban folk song

Date of Inscription:

Inscribed in 2024 (19.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Grass mowing competition custom in Kupres

The most important social event in the Kupres municipality is the annual mowing competition that takes place in July at a specific meadow called Strljanica, which is also the local name for the custom. The contest involves the manual mowing of grass using a scythe and is judged by the time, effort and amount mown as cutting grass at that altitude requires strength and a special technique. The top three mowers are recognized, with the chief mower treated as a leader who ensures the successful mowing of all the fields to gather hay for the cattle; agriculture and cattle breeding are essential parts of the area’s economy. Men, starting from the age of eighteen, are traditionally the competitors, with the element being transmitted within families from father to son. Women rake the grass and prepare food for guests. Other elements linked to the competition include national costumes, the forging of scythes and the preparation of cattle for competition. All ethnic and religious groups and individuals in Kupres are free to participate, with the custom being considered as a foundation of the area’s cultural identity, regardless of people’s background. The bearers themselves and the Kupres Mowers Association are most responsible for safeguarding the element.

Veteran mower Vinko Čičak, a multiple winner : Chief Mover – in his characteristic mower’s posture during the competition Photograph: Dragica Ivković © Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Grass mowing competition custom in Kupres

Date of Inscription:

Inscribed in 2020 (15.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Picking of iva grass on Ozren mountain

On 11 September each year, the day of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, inhabitants of the villages around Ozren mountain go to Gostilij to pick iva grass. After hiking up the hills, villagers of all social, gender and age groups pick iva grass, both individually and in groups. Iva must be picked carefully and pickers need to find it among the higher grass; the process therefore usually takes a few hours. When the picking is done, they climb up Gostilij and assemble into smaller groups, many wearing Ozren folk costumes, to play, dance and sing traditional music. In the afternoon, Orthodox priests climb up to the peak of Gostilij where they consecrate the iva. Iva is consumed in different ways (as a tea, soaked in brandy, mixed with honey) both for its curative effect and preventively. While in the past the practice was exclusively related to folk medicine, nowadays its primary functions include hospitality and social integration, as well as helping to safeguard Ozren costumes, songs and dances that have been gradually disappearing. The practice is transmitted spontaneously within the family, as well as in primary schools. Several local associations also invite similar organizations from different regions to take part in the practice, leading to the inclusion of many practitioners from outside of Ozren.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Picking of iva grass on Ozren mountain

Date of Inscription :

Inscribed in 2018 (13.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Konjic woodcarving

Konjic woodcarving is an artistic craft with a long tradition in the Konjic municipality. The woodcarvings – which include furniture, sophisticated interiors and small decorative objects – stand out for their recognizable hand-carved motifs and overall visual identity. The woodcarving is a constitutive part of the local community’s culture, a measure of the beauty and amenity of home interiors, and a tradition that forges a sense of community and belonging. The practice not only plays a very important role at the community level in Konjic, however, but also countrywide and in diaspora communities. It is an economically viable, socially inclusive and ecologically sustainable craft practised by different ethnic and confessional groups, which serves as an instrument of dialogue and cooperation. The craft is widespread among Konjic inhabitants, both as an occupation and as a hobby, and while the main bearers are trained craftspeople who work in woodcarving workshops, bearers who practise the craft at home are equally important. The owners of family-run woodcarving workshops are most responsible for safeguarding the element, training apprentice woodcarvers and popularizing the craft. Knowledge and skills are transmitted primarily through on-the-job training of novices in the practising workshops, as well as through intergenerational transmission within the family.

Friends having coffee in a home with hand-carved furniture in Konjic — Photograph: Adem Nikšić © Rukotvorine doo, Konjic, 2014

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Konjic woodcarving

Date of Inscription :

Inscribed in 2017 (12.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Zmijanje embroidery

Zmijanje embroidery is a specific technique practised by the women of Zmijanje villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditionally, Zmijanje embroidery is used to decorate female costumes and household items, including wedding dresses, scarves, garments and bed linen. The main characteristic is the use of a deep blue thread, handmade with vegetable dyes, to embroider improvised geometrical shapes. The richness and variations of the embroidered designs determine the social status of the village women. Embroidery is usually performed among groups of women, who engage in needlework while singing and chatting. Each embroiderer adapts and reinvents the required knowledge and skills, as part of the process of transmission. The knowledge is conveyed orally and through practical work, mostly in formal educational environments. Students learn by watching experienced embroiderers combine pre-determined elements into numerous variations, and through regular and continuous practice. Zmijanje embroidery incorporates respect for diversity, creativity and non-verbal communication. It also has a sentimental and emotional value particularly for displaced populations, who use embroidered garments as an expression of national and local identity and pride. Embroidery ties together many elements of cultural heritage, such as music, rituals, oral traditions, handicrafts and symbolic expressions.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Zmijanje embroidery

Date of Inscription :

Inscribed in 2014 (9.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity