What is it?
Cultural heritage is an aspect of humanity that has existed for as long as human society has existed, and to me, is the culmination of human behavior that has been maintained throughout generations. This is discussed in depth in Elana Franchi’s article, “What is cultural heritage?”, where she defines how cultural heritage happens, “a process of memory and oblivion that characterizes every human society constantly engaged in choosing—for both cultural and political reasons—what is worthy of being preserved for future generations and what is not.” Anything can become part of a culture, but whether or not it sticks is more important to cultural heritage. New traditions and ideas are always being developed, and many of these traditions can be passed on throughout generations, developed even further, and grown in different ways like a tree’s roots splitting into the earth. While societies do choose what is worthy of passing on to the next generation, the process of deeming a tradition unworthy may take generations to fade away or could be seemingly instant. In general, cultural heritage is the culmination of traditions and ideas that are shaped in many different ways over generations.
Grasping the Intangible
Within my own family, we don’t have any tangible cultural heritage, but we do have some intangible cultural heritage. My mom and dad come from far different places in the world, but one thing they both passed on to me was their religion: Catholicism.
Similarly, France and Italy share a history of the Mona Lisa, but neither can claim it as their own, “This painting has been defined as the best known, the most visited, the most written about, and the most parodied work of art in the world: as such, it belongs to the cultural heritage of all mankind.” (Franchi). My mother is from Poland, and my father is from Venezuela, but neither of them can claim sole responsibility for my inheritance of Catholic belief and faith. Instead, Catholicism has spread across the entire world and engrained itself in many places over centuries. Therefore, not only do both of my parents’ homelands have roots in the Roman Catholic Church but all of mankind does since it is a religion celebrated worldwide.
Catholicism in my family is an intangible aspect of my cultural heritage, because while anyone can choose to read a bible or take part in mass, I, along with many others, choose to place our faith in religion, which isn’t something you can just hold in the real world. It’s a belief, one that is passed down from generation to generation through maintaining habits like attending Mass on Sunday and prayer, as well as partaking in things like Catechism classes, special Mass services, and connecting with more Catholics. This is the cultural heritage of my family, which has been passed down for centuries to me, and is something I will pass down to whoever comes next.
Citation:
Elena Franchi, “What is cultural heritage?,” in Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, accessed September 3, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/what-is-cultural-heritage/.
Hey Jan, I think it’s really cool how you used the metaphor of a tree’s roots to describe cultural heritage. The roots are always growing and splitting apart, but they’re still connected on a larger scale. It’s similar to your story, in a way, because both your parents’ families are Catholic, but they are from two different cultures and places. I was wondering if you celebrate any non religious traditions in your house? How do you connect with other parts of your parents’ identity?