The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Wednesday included Diwali and 23 other festivals and traditions from around the world to the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Unesco described the Hindu festival as a “joyous occasion that symbolises the victory of light over darkness and good over evil”.

The new inscriptions to the representative list include the Tangail traditional saree weaving art of Bangladesh, Behzad’s style of miniature art from Afghanistan, Bagpipes and bagpipe playing in Bulgaria and Cuarteto, a dance music genre from Argentina.

The United Nations agency also added 11 practices to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This included the craft of making Đông Hồ Folk woodblock printings in Vietnam and the Mwazindika spiritual dance of Kenya.

Diwali is the sixteenth festival, tradition or practice from India to be added to the representative list.

Last year, the Persian New Year Nawrouz, observed in India and at least 12 other countries, was added to the list. Gujarati folk dance Garba was included in 2023.

The previous entries from India include the Durga Puja in Kolkata, the Kumbh Mela, yoga, traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru in Punjab, Buddhist chanting of Ladakh, Chhau dance from the eastern states, Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan, Mudiyettu ritual theatre and Kutiyattam Sanskrit theatre tradition of Kerala, Ramlila and the tradition of Vedic chanting.

Sankirtana, the ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur, and Ramman, the ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, are also part of the representative list.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that Diwali is “very closely linked to our culture and ethos”, and that the Hindu festival is the “soul of our civilisation”.

The inclusion of Diwali to the Intangible Heritage List will contribute to the festival’s global popularity even further, Modi said.