National Inventory of Living Heritage

National Inventory of Living Heritage

The Ministry of Education and Culture has inscribed the following 86 elements to the National Inventory of Living Heritage. The application rounds have been organized in 2017, 2020, and 2023. You can find brief introductions and the reasons for the selections on the Finnish Heritage Agency's website.

Festivities and practices

• Celebrating “el Dieciocho” the Independence Day of Chile in Finland (2023)
• Mexican Day of the Dead in Finland (2023)
• Talkoot work tradition (2023)
• Conferment of Master’s Degrees (2017)
• Easter bonfires (2017)
• Living Christmas Calendar of Käpylä (2020)
• Opening of the Finnish summer (2017)
• Runeberg celebrations (2017)
• Santa Claus tradition in Finland (2017)
• Sauna bathing (2017)
• The Declaration of Christmas Peace in Turku (2017)
• The Orthodox and Karelian tradition of virpominen (2017)
• Visiting cemeteries on Christmas Eve (2017)
• Whitsunday festivities in Ritvala village (2017)
• Workers’ Labour Day on May 1 (2017)

Music and dance

• Folk partner dancing and dance music (2023)
• Pelimanni-style harmonica playing (2023)
• South Ostrobothnian two-row accordion playing (2023)
• Kaustinen folk fiddling style (2017)
• The minuet in Finland’s Swedish-speaking areas and Minuet in the village of Jeppo (2017)
• Playing and building jouhikantele (Bowed Lyre) (2020)
• Playing and building the kantele (2020)
• Playing the musical saw (2020)
• Open air dancing (2017)
• Organ grinding (2017)
• Singing tradition of Finnish Roma people (2017)
• Tango in Finland (2017)
• The ‘purpuri’ dance in the Kokkola area (2017)

Performing arts

• Circus culture (2017)
• Demoscene (2020)
• Funfair tradition in Finland (2017)
• Gymnastics tradition in Finland (2017)
• National Culture Days of the Deaf (2020)
• Puppet theatre (2020)

Oral traditions

• Bedtime story (2020)
• Stinginess of the people in Laihia (2017)
• Runosong (2017)

Crafts

• Chainsaw Carving (2023)
• Construction of a roundpole fence (2023)
• Dyeing with natural dyes (2023)
• Goldsmith's work (2023)
• Kainuu's peilikäs (2023)
• Knitting (2023)
• Manufacture of pine splint basket from hand-split splints (2023)
• Wooden boat repair (2023)
• Glassmaking Tradition (2017)
• Knitting tikkuröijy sweaters from Hailuoto island (2017)
• Lace-making in Heinämaa village (2017)
• Making a Korsnäs sweater (2017)
• Making national costumes (2017)
• Making of Tommi knives (2020)
• Rag rug weaving (2017)
• Rauma lace-making (2023)
• Ryijy tradition (2020)
• Shoe making tradition (2017)
• The rya tradition in Vesilahti (2020)

Food traditions

• Särä tradition in Lemi (2023)
• Baking the traditional Eura twists (2017)
• Beer culture (2020)
• Kalakukko tradition (2017)

Games and playing

• Miniatures game or figure hobby culture (2023)
• Stafettkarnevalen (2023)
• Baseball in Finland (2017)
• Finnish skittles (2017)
• Jukola Relay (2017)
• Log driver competitions (2017)
• Playing in the snow (2017)
• Playing mölkky (2017)
• Playing skruuvi, a Finnish card game (2017)

Nature and the universe

• Blood cupping (2023)
• Finncattle and tradition of cattle husbandry (2023)
• Orthodox Procession of the Cross Tradition (2023)
• Timber rafting tradition (2023)
• Building clinker boats and Sailing on traditional clinker boats (2017)
• Everyman’s rights (2017)
• Finnish spitz and safeguarding the hunting tradition (2017)
• Horsemanship of the Roma (2020)
• Horta hunting, foraging for wild greens and herbs (2017)
• Kalevala bone setting (2020)
• Know-how regarding the Finnhorse (2017)
• Picking mushrooms (2017)
• Tar burning in pits (2017)
• The forest relationship in Finland (2017)
• Traditional fishing culture in the Torne River’s rapids (2017)
• Traditional healing (2017)
• Winter seine fishing in Lake Puruvesi (2017)