♦ Deepavali has been officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee, held at the Red Fort in New Delhi. The inscription was adopted on 10 December 2025.

♦ With Deepavali’s inclusion, India now has 16 elements on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Existing entries include the Kumbh Mela, Kolkata’s Durga Puja, Gujarat’s Garba, Yoga, Vedic chanting, Ramlila, Ramman and Kutiyattam. The addition further strengthens India’s cultural presence on the global stage.
Italian cuisine also..

♦ U.N. cultural agency UNESCO recognised Italy’s national cuisine as an “intangible cultural heritage”, a formal accolade for a cookery tradition passed down through generations, and one that Italy hopes will boost tourism.

♦ The vote by a UNESCO panel meeting in New Delhi culminated a process that Italy launched in 2023. The government cast the nation’s food culture as a social ritual that binds families and communities together and that goes far beyond pizza, pasta and risotto.