Growing up, many of us would have come across women donning the kebaya, a traditional Southeast Asian outfit consisting of a sheer, tight-fitting embroidered blouse paired with a batik sarong. 

Today, the garment has been inscribed on the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the National Heritage Board (NHB) stated in a press release on Wednesday (Dec 4).

The list comprises cultural practices and living expressions of communities worldwide, such as performing arts, social practices and rituals. Unesco defines intangible cultural heritage as "traditional, contemporary and living at the same time", inclusive, representative and community-based.

The announcement was made on Dec 4 during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC), held in Paraguay. 

One traditional outfit, five countries 

The nomination of the kebaya didn't just involve Singapore but also included four other Southeast Asian countries — Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand. 

It is the first-ever joint nomination by the five countries and also the largest nomination from Southeast Asia to date, in terms of the number of nominating countries involved.

"The five countries collaborated on a nomination for the first time as the kebaya celebrates our shared cultural identity, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and continues to be present and actively produced and worn by many communities across Southeast Asia," said NHB. 

To be inscribed, the kebaya had to fulfil five evaluation criteria used by IGC. 

This included how the kebaya met Unesco's definition of intangible cultural heritage, how the nomination effort has involved the widespread participation of the community, and how the potential inscription of kebaya increases visibility, awareness and dialogue of intangible cultural heritage. 

With the decision to jointly nominate the kebaya announced on Nov 23, 2022 the subsequent two-year journey was a result of the strong collaboration between the five countries, as well as the public, community and experts who supported the bid, shared NHB. 

In Singapore, NHB embarked on numerous outreach initiatives such as the Love, Kebaya exhibition, which has travelled to 10 public locations across the island since April 2023 and attracted more than 400,000 visitors to date. 

Additionally, joint workshops held in Port Dickson, Malaysia and Jakarta, Indonesia, were carried out to bring together community representatives from all five participating countries, alongside state agencies, to develop and refine the nomination dossier. 

The nomination file was officially submitted in March 2023 and a recommendation for its inscription was released on Nov 4, 2024. 

The five nominating countries were commended for the level of community participation at both the national and regional levels during the process. They were also praised for the cohesion in recognising the kebaya as a "unifying element" which connects diverse cultures and communities that cross geographical boundaries. 

In social media posts on Dec 4, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who is also the chairman of the Singapore National Commission for Unesco, said the inscription is a "proud moment for Singapore and Southeast Asia". 

"The kebaya is more than just a piece of clothing; it is a living tradition that embodies history, identity and artistry," he said.

He added that the kebaya is a "significant part of Singapore's Malay and port city heritage" and reflects the unique blend of cultures in Southeast Asia. 

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The inscription of the kebaya is the second time an intangible cultural heritage practice submitted by Singapore has made it to Unesco's list, with the first being hawker culture in 2020.

A month back, Singapore and Malaysia also made the decision to jointly nominate Chingay for inscription on the Unesco Representative List of the ICH of Humanity, shared NHB on Nov 5.

The joint nomination also commemorates the 60th bilateral anniversary between Singapore and Malaysia in 2025.

The nomination will be submitted in March 2025 and the results are expected to be announced earliest by end 2026. 

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