What is Folklore?

Exploring the meaning of folklore in today’s world.

When Lia and I first started our conversation about folklore - what it is, and what it means to us - we had no idea it would spark a journey. A journey that would push the meaning of folklore beyond the academic, beyond the obvious, into something deeply personal, wildly communal, constantly evolving, and always contemporary.

So, what is folklore?

UNESCO defines it, or traditional and popular culture, as “the totality of tradition-based creations of a cultural community, expressed by a group or individuals and recognized as reflecting the expectations of a community... insofar as they reflect its cultural and social identity.” These are forms that live through language, literature, music, dance, games, mythology, rituals, customs, handicrafts, architecture, and other arts - passed down through generations, not in textbooks, but in kitchens, around fires, in festivals, in the ways we move and speak and gather.

But even that definition, as rich as it is, feels like a starting point.

Because for us, folklore isn't just what’s passed down. It’s also what’s carried forward. It’s living, breathing, reshaping itself through time. It’s the shared pulse of stories, songs, and symbols that hold communities together - especially in a world that’s constantly pulling us apart.

Through our work with TAU Festival and TAU Radio, we’ve come to see folklore not as something old, but something urgent. Not a relic, but a resource. A map. A rhythm. A resistance.

The Tau Radio podcast is an invitation into that exploration. We’ll dive into the echoes of old tales and the birth of new ones. We’ll meet artists, musicians, myth-makers, and culture-carriers who are shaping, and reshaping, what folklore can be in the 21st century.

Join us as we excavate together these stories from the personal to the traditional and urban, to the ways we live and participate in all forms of folklore from the arts to business.

Connect with us:

We’d love to hear your thoughts or comments.

Send us an email at tauradio@taufestival.com

Find everything you need ⁠here

We hope to travel together with you.

Muna.