UNESCO celebrates the ‘reunion of communities’

Men, women and children of Vlasti, a village in Kozani, northern Greece, dance the Tranos Horos during August 15 festivities celebrating the Dormition of the Virgin. The so-called Grand Dance, together with the August 15 festival at Syrrako in Epirus, has just been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. “Although the population of most highland communities has greatly diminished, today the festivals are associated with the reunion of the communities whose inhabitants have migrated to cities,” UNESCO said during the 17th session of the intergovernmental committee for safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, being held in Rabat, Morocco through Saturday. “The festivities are viewed as a celebration of both villages’ identities, providing an opportunity for younger generations to connect with their cultural heritage,” it said. [Kostas Tsiolas/Ministry of Culture/Via AMNA]