Living Heritages and Fixed Traditions in the Lists of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 2003 with the thought that intangible cultural heritage disappears step by step because of globalization and industrialization. The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage aims to safeguard living heritages. According to the Convention intangible cultural heritage elements are constantly recreated and transmitted from one generation to another. Safeguarding does not mean fixing or freezing intangible cultural heritage in some pure or primordial form. Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is about the transferring of knowledge, skills and meaning. In this reason awareness raising activities, transmission, inventorying and revitalization of intangible cultural heritage are very important. Being updated of national inventories periodically aims to see changes and transformation of intangible cultural heritages. Hence the Convention does not have the perception of fixed or freezing heritage. But sometimes goals in theory cannot correspond in practice. In this article, it has been discussed the perception of living heritage and fixed tradition based on traditional craftsmanship elements inscribed on he List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Nominations forms prepared by State Parties, reports of the Evaluation Body and Committee decisions have been used as data. It has been concluded that some elements of traditional craftsmanship are authentificated. It has also been revealed that idealization of certain forms and periods of heritage conflicts with the spirit and principles of the Convention.