Become an author of “Funeral Heritage Report”
Preserve intangible funeral heritage in
your Country for future generations.
When creating a modern funeral industry, we
should not forget its roots – the traditions and
customs from which our modern funeral practices
originate. Caring for the preservation for future
generations of the intangible cultural heritage
associated with the funeral, burial, cremation and
memorialization of the deceased is one of the
tasks set by FIAT-IFTA – The World Organization
of Funeral Operatives. Every four years, the
organization prepares a special publication on
intangible funeral heritage – “Funeral Heritage
Report” and cordially invites everyone to contribute
to the upcoming edition. The next one will be
published in 2024.
Today FIAT-IFTA is the only such organization in
the world, the only NGO accredited with the United
Nations ECOSOC and UNESCO representing the
funeral branch in social and economic issues and
in the field of funeral heritage. The organization
stands for the preservation of the memory of
traditional funeral customs, which are crucial in
maintaining the identity of any nation, region,
ethnic or social group. Similar to traditions and
customs in other areas of our lives, they are the
foundation of modern culture and history, serve to
strengthen social ties, and allow us to understand
who we are, where we came from and what our
ancestors were like.
In
2008,
the
FIAT-IFTA
Heritage
Steering
Committee was established, and we gained
UNESCO Consultative Status for Intangible Cultural
Heritage in 2014. Today the Heritage Committee
devotes special attention to traditions, cultural
phenomena and artifacts related to death, dying,
funerals and mourning at national, regional and
local levels around the world that are worth saving
from oblivion.
The “Funeral Heritage Report,” is a unique
publication presenting examples of intangible
funeral culture from around the world. It
describes customs, rituals, rites, beliefs, stories,
music, art, the language used to describe
the death phenomenon, and the products of
crafts. The first publication was in 2010. So far,
5 editions of the report have been published.
The next one is currently under development
and will be made available to readers in 2024.
The publication will be distributed worldwide in
THANOS MAGAZINE | No. 102 – SUMMER 2023
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