Lhe concept of intangible cultural heritage appeared at the beginning of the 1990s, after the 1989 recommendations on the protection of traditional cultures, and as a counterpoint to the world heritage, which mainly focused on the material aspects of culture. The expression intangible cultural heritage was formalized in 1993 at the international conference on the new perspectives of the intangible heritage program of Unesco.
The convention also defines areas in which intangible heritage can manifest itself: