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UNESCO Adds Swiss Yodelling to Intangible Cultural Heritage List

The designation commits Switzerland to new safeguarding measures.

FILE - Yodel teacher Nadja Raess yodels in Lucerne, Switzerland, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)
Women-only yodelling choir, 'Coeur des Yodleuses' , rehearses as UNESCO is considering adding yodelling to its cultural heritage list, in Geneva, Switzerland, December 10, 2025. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy
Members of the yodelling trio 'Rond Om de Santis' performing in the garden of UNESCO's headquarters in Paris
Yodellers performing in front of a giant round of Emmental cheese as part of a university experiment

Overview

  • UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee announced the inscription during its 20th session in New Delhi on Thursday.
  • Switzerland’s culture ministry described yodelling as the emblematic song of the country, stressing its deep roots in the population.
  • The Swiss Culture Office said it will intensify youth training, formal instruction, documentation and research to safeguard the tradition.
  • UNESCO notes performances by soloists, small groups or choirs, often in traditional dress, using a vocal technique that alternates chest and head voice.
  • The community counts roughly 12,000 practitioners in about 700 to 780 groups, and Switzerland sought the listing independently despite the practice also existing in Austria and Germany.