The United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Deepavali, or Diwali as it is popularly known, to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, on December 10, 2025.
UNESCO’s inscription of Diwali was adopted at the Red Fort in New Delhi, during UNESCO’s 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Chaired by Vishal V. Sharma, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO, the session was attended by India’s Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and senior government officials, delegates from 195 member states, international experts and representatives from UNESCO’s global network.
The addition of Diwali brings the total to 16 of India’s festivals and traditions on the World Heritage List. The List includes, besides Diwali, Garba of Gujarat, Durga Puja in Kolkata, Kumbh Mela, Nowruz (Navroz), Ramman, Yoga, Sankirtana, Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh, Chhau Dance, Kalbelia Folk Songs and Dances, Mudiyettu, Kutiyattam, Ramlila and Vedic Chaning.
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Diwali was selected out of 67 nominations for 2025. UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes over 780 living heritage practices from over 150 countries.
“New inscription on the #Intangible Heritage List: Deepavali, #India. Congratulations!,” UNESCO said on X.
Heritage, for UNESCO, is not limited to monuments and landscapes, but also encompasses the practices, narratives and skills that shape and give meaning to everyday life.
Diwali’s inclusion highlights its cultural importance as a festival of lights, renewal, peace, and the triumph of good, bringing global attention to its living traditions.
UNESCO describes Deepavali as a light festival celebrated annually by diverse individuals and communities across India, marking the last harvest of the year and the start of a new year and new season. It also marks the victory of good over evil. The practice involves people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, the website says.
“Temples, schools, cultural organizations and digital platforms also play a role in transmitting and safeguarding the practice. A vibrant expression of shared heritage and identity, Deepavali strengthens social bonds, promotes inclusivity, and encourages values such as kindness, gratitude and hope. It also supports local economies and creative expression,” the site reads.
In a message on X, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “People in India and around the world are thrilled. For us, Deepavali is very closely linked to our culture and ethos. It is the soul of our civilization. It personifies illumination and righteousness. The addition of Deepavali to the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List will contribute to the festival’s global popularity even further. May the ideals of Prabhu Shri Ram keep guiding us for eternity.”
UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage identifies traditions, skills, and cultural expressions at risk of disappearing, and makes a global call to preserve them. Elements inscribed on this List benefit from technical assistance and emergency funding, bringing international visibility.
World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.
Last year, in July convention, 24 new sites (19 cultural, 4 natural and 1 mixed) were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, thus bringing the total to 1,223 inscribed properties, 952 cultural, 231 natural and 40 mixed.
UNESCO encourages the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world through the international treaty called “Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,” which it adopted in 1972.
One of the Convention’s two governing bodies is the World Heritage Committee which is composed of the representatives of 21 States elected from the 195 States parties to the Convention.
The Committee is responsible for implementing the Convention and for examining new proposals for inscription on the World Heritage List.
The Criteria for Selection for the World Heritage List requires sites to be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The criteria are regularly revised by the Committee.
Diwali meets the criteria “to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.”