Sri Lanka · Lace Making / Textile
බීරළු (Beeralu)
Beeralu (බීරළු) is Sri Lanka's bobbin lace tradition — introduced by Portuguese traders in the 16th century and now so thoroughly naturalized that it is considered a distinctly Sri Lankan craft, concentrated in the coastal communities of Galle District (southern Sri Lanka). It is the only Asian bobbin lace tradition documented in the CRAFT database. The technique uses a pillow (beeralu pattiya) on which pins define the lace pattern, and multiple bobbins (typically 12–24 for traditional patterns, up to 100+ for complex designs) are crossed and twisted around the pins. The defining Sri Lankan adaptation is the tempo of bobbin crossing: Sri Lankan beeralu makers work in a distinctly faster rhythm than European bobbin lace traditions — a rhythmic crossing tempo that experienced makers describe as 'like a hand drum beat' — which allows significantly higher productivity while maintaining pattern accuracy. This rhythm is taught before the pattern: apprentices learn the crossing tempo first, then the pattern is added.
Risk level: Endangered · Sri Lanka national ICH list
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Counted-thread embroidery of the Nanbu region of southeastern Aomori Prefecture, centered on Hachinohe, in which cotton thread is stitched over an even number of warp threads of pale-blue hemp cloth, producing long horizontal diamonds.
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A tradition of bobbin lace making in southeastern Sicily — concentrated in Chiaramonte Gulfi (Ragusa province) and the Iblean area — producing geometric and floral lace in patterns influenced by the Spanish colonial period, worked on the…
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