"Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture will submit a proposal to UNESCO in March to include thanaka on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. “Thanaka is used by most people in Myanmar. It is found in literature, especially in the Konbaung era, as well as in songs,” said U Toe Hla, an archaeologist and chair of the Expert Group on Analysing Intangible Cultural Heritage. “It is used in religious ceremonies.” Those who work in the sun and plant rice wear thanaka for health, and others wear it for beauty. U Toe Hla said thanaka conforms to the requirements of the UNESCO list, which are practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals, recognise as part of their cultural heritage. He said it is important for Myanmar to apply for the recognition of thanaka as part of its cultural heritage before other countries claim it. Daw Nu Mya Zan, former deputy director general of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library, said, “Myanmar thanaka is used by every ethnic people from birth to grave. It is commonly accepted around the country,” she said..."