Living Human Treasures - "living gold" in the bank's treasury called Romania, people who have built bridges over time

Since 2008, Romania is linked to UNESCO's program on the safeguarding, the preservation and the transmission of the immaterial cultural heritage. In this context, 43 Romanians, craftsmen, rhapsodists, singers, musicians, dancers scattered all over the country received the title of “Living Human Treasures”. They are masters of great cultural value in the service of preserving and promoting the traditional arts and crafts. They are role models in their communities, respected and admired not only for their handicraft skills, but also for their determination proven in preserving, promoting and transmiting these to the future generations.

On November 9, 2015, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis awarded the medal "The Cultural Merit" to 37 craftsmen declared "Living Human Treasures", expressing a sense of pride in his allocution supported on this occasion: “I am happy and as President of Romania, I'm proud that our country still has reserves of cultural traditions and crafts. The fictile craft of Hurez, Doina and Callus, the carols and soon, I hope, other traditions are the contribution of our space of culture and civilization to the universal treasure. You are our living treasures and the treasures of humanity”.

The Ministry of Culture together with the National Commission for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the National Village Museum “Dimitrie Gusti” organized the “Living Human Treasures Gala” for awarding the titles for the years 2014-2015. “An event designed to highlight the work of the consecrated popular creators,those who with toil and passion, devoted their lives to learn from father to son the secrets popular crafts, which promoted it both nationally and internationally contributing in this way to the consolidation the Romania's image abroad.”, as the organizers say.

We all should be proud of this treasure, which is not only ours, but of the the whole world. These people help us to find and keep our identity and the values carried over millennia. These people are our parents, grandparents and great grandparents  that go further the ancestral heritage and we have an obligation to preserve it and to hand it to the future generations, whole and unaltered.  

Information and photo: www.presidency.ro; www.muzeul-satului.ro