Off the wire
• Xi pledges to deepen mutual trust, enhance cooperation with Ghana  • Spanish treasury places 3.363 bln euros on market  • 4th LD Writethru: ECB lowers deposit interest rate to minus 0.3 pct  • IS gains control over 12 camps in Libya's Sirte  • World food prices resume downward trend in November after big jump in previous month  • China welcomes Djibouti's participation in developing Maritime Silk Road  • Interview: China very active, constructive in Paris climate change talks: former UN climate official  • Spotlight: California shooting spree 353th mass shooting in past 336 days in U.S.  • News Analysis: Britain's anti-IS strikes in Syria reflects fears of growing terror threats in Europe  • China Voice: Finger pointing futile in China-U.S. cyber security co-op  
You are here: 　 Home

Macedonian male musical singing Glasoechko inscribed in UNESCO's intangible heritage list

Xinhua, December 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Macedonian Glasoecko, a two-part male traditional singing group originating from Dolni Polog in northwest Macedonia, has been inscribed in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, Macedonian media reported on Thursday.

The Macedonian ministry of culture stated that this type of male singing had been incorporated in UNESCO's list at the organization's intergovernmental committee meeting to protect such heritage, taking place in Namibia from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5.

Glasoechko is traditionally performed in groups of two or three men at celebrations, weddings and other social gatherings in the Dolni Polog region of Macedonia.

Glasoechko songs are polyphonic, with a drone voice in counterpoint to the main melody. The songs are epics or lyrical love songs, often accompanied by a shepherd's flute and bagpipes. The bearers are individual singers who acquired their skills by imitating their predecessors.

For Macedonia, Glasoechko is the third intangible cultural heritage designation included in the UNESCO list. The other two are: the religious ritual Feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs (Chetrse) in the Stip region and the folk dance Kopachkata from the village of Dramche, Pijanec, inscribed in 2013 and 2014.

UNESCO was created in 1945 and is known as the "intellectual" agency of the United Nations, focusing on education, science and culture. Endit