How I define Cultural Heritage.

Cultural heritage is the idea/essence of a person’s core values and traditions that have been passed on for generations. It is the idea of being able to express one’s self to the world. “Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, our belonging to a community. It represents our history and our identity; our bond to the past, to our present, and the future.” Cultural heritage is not only about our present but also the past and the upbringing of the future. It defines and reshapes the ideas that people have of themselves, others, and the community. An example of cultural heritage within my family and within many Muslim families would be the five prayers of the day and the two Eids that are celebrated every year. This is a heritage that runs in every Muslim family/community. The five prayers are a tradition that helps us seek peace with ourselves and our god, Allah. The celebration of Eid allows us to become closer to friends, family, and many others who are a part of our community. This represents both culture and heritage alike, as it has been occurring in the past, in our present, and will continue to occur in the future. The article also included the idea of tangible and intangible objects, “cultural heritage is not only limited to material objects that we can see and touch. It also consists of immaterial elements…”. I completely agree with this statement because cultural heritage doesn’t always have to be physical things that are touched. Ideas, traditions, rituals and much more can be considered as cultural heritage since they are also passed down from generation to generation, helping to shape or reshape the lives of many people. An example of a tangible object, that was also mentioned in the article, would be the Mona Lisa. This was a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci that was made in Florence but was being displayed in France. Even though it has culture from Florence, it also has a role to play in the culture of France as well. This famous painting holds meaning to many people across the world as a part of their culture, specifically their art cultural heritage. An example of intangible culture would be music. People have passed on the ideas of music from centuries ago. Music these days is inspired by artists from centuries ago, which many people listen to and dance to, almost every day of their lives. The main takeaway from this is that intangible things can have just as much impact on cultural heritage as tangible things can. In the end, cultural heritage is a significant part of a person’s identity. It can help create a person’s identity or make them rethink their identity. It is not only a part of themselves but also a part of something bigger and greater.