Move under way to nominate Chingay for Unesco recognition

GEORGE TOWN: The National Heritage Department is looking into nominating Chingay for Unesco’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The annual street parade, which is practised mainly in Penang and Johor, is being studied with a meeting held yesterday between the department and the Penang Chingay Association (PCA) to get the association’s consent for the nomination.

The meeting was attended by the department’s world heritage division director Mohd Syahrin Abdullah and PCA committee members.

They discussed the history of Chingay as well as its practice as an intangible culture.

Mohd Syahrin Abdullah

Mohd Syahrin said the culture would be nominated under the category of representative list for social practices, rituals and festive events.

He added that the nomination needed to be submitted to Unesco’s headquarters in Paris by March 31.

“It would take about 18 months before we know the result.

“We learned that there are several differences between the annual parade in Penang and Johor. Our department will conduct more research before submitting our papers,” he explained to PCA members at their office in Argyll Street.

An earlier meeting was also held with the Chingay association in Johor for its consent.

PCA secretary Neoh Chong Poh said they were happy with the nomination as the cultural event would be receiving global recognition.

He added that the association was looking forward to working together with the heritage department.

“Chingay has been practised in the state for the past 108 years and it’s a unique cultural event,” he said.

Chingay is famously known for its pole-balancing feats.

In Malaysia, only the Mak Yong tradition has been recognised in Unesco’s Intangible Heritage list.

Last year, the Wangkang festival, pantun and dondang sayang, were proposed for the list.