The know-how of cultivating mastic on the island of Chios has been included in Unesco’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Mastic (‘mastiha’ to the locals) is the aromatic resin obtained from the mastic tree found in abundance on the southern part of the eastern Aegean island due to its particular soil and temperate climate .
“The committee decides that (this element) satisfies the criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, Unesco said in a statement.
According to the culture ministry, Unesco, a cultural agency of the United Nations, granted this status for mastic at its annual conference in Paris last November, after accepting a request by Greek authorities.
Listing the reasons behind its decision, Unesco said “the knowledge associated with the cultivation and collection of mastic is passed down from generation to generation; it constitutes an important component of rural life for the inhabitants of Chios facilitating social cohesion and solidarity among them.”
“The communal practices are also an occasion for perpetuating collective memory through the narration of old tales and stories,” it said.
The ministry said the decision ‘recognises the value of this part of our cultural heritage’ and inducts into effort to ‘promote and protect living traditions’