If you think about it, heritage is the most fundamental part of your daily life. That fork you’re using to eat that spicy Thai food in that Styrofoam box in front of your Apple computer during your daily lunch hour? Each one of those things would never have been possible without years of development, through a distinct historic timeline, and in a distinct cultural framework. And yet, though these examples are legion in each and every culture, they’re taken for granted.
Cultural heritage is quite an important thing. And like every important thing, heritage deserves a day where it, and it alone, is fully celebrated. Such as today, April 18. World Heritage Day, if you didn’t know.
Since 1982, when it was conceived and approved of during a meeting of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), World Heritage Day has served as a call to cherish cultural heritage wherever – and however – it may be found.
This year, the theme is the “Heritage of Sport.” As ICOMOS says of its choice:
The history of sports extends as far back as the most ancients cultures in the world and can teach about social practices and how the human being has developed particular skills. Prehistoric cave paintings in several regions show scenes related to sprinting, wrestling and swimming. Several types of ball games, as well as various sports such as wrestling, swimming, rowing, and athletics were already well established in ancient Egypt, as evidenced by the monuments of this civilization. Ancient Greece saw the first formal institutionalisation of sports, notably through the Olympic Games, the first of which were recorded in 776 BC and continued to be celebrated until 393 AD in Olympia.
So, what can you do to celebrate World Heritage Day?
- Visit heritage sites, such as monuments, historical buildings, and museums.
- Volunteer at a local heritage site.
- Watch or play in local sporting events.
- Write, share, or read articles on heritage.
- Talk to your friends and family about the importance of heritage.
We’d also like to add one more to the list: sign up for our online newsletter!
When you join our dedicated online community, you’re joining thousands of conservators, artists, and interested laypeople worldwide dedicated to the identification, conservation, and preservation of the world’s most stunning heritage sites.
Whatever you do today, everyone from Global Heritage Fund wishes you a fun and informative World Heritage Day. Happy heritage!