Holiday as an element of the intangible cultural heritage

The purpose of the article is to analyze the main parameters according to which the holiday is classified as an intangible cultural heritage. Research methodology. General scientific and special methods of research analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison are used. The use of scientific approaches integrated with culturology, history, and ethnography testifies to the interdisciplinarity of the research. The scientific novelty is to determine the main characteristics of the holidays as intangible cultural heritage and analyze the experience of their inclusion in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. Conclusions. Intangible cultural heritage is an intangible element of culture, mostly traditional, all that can be considered the spiritual and intellectual achievements of the people. Intangible cultural heritage includes holidays embodied in relevant cultural practices, which may have the most stable and unconditional parameters, enshrined in the minds of people as carriers of historical experience, ethnocultural identity, and various socio-cultural practices that allow distinguishing cultures from each other. The main significance of the holidays, which are already included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, is the preservation of traditions, communication, uniting communities around common rituals and values, passing on the relevant experience to the next generation. Key words: holiday, intangible cultural heritage, Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, communicativeness, traditions.