Malang, East Java, April 19 -- The Indonesian government has officially designated April 19 as National Keris Day to raise public awareness of the importance of preserving the keris, a traditional Javanese dagger, as part of the nation's cultural heritage.

At a press conference at Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon said the date was chosen to commemorate the first national congress of the Indonesian National Keris Secretariat (SNKI), held in Surakarta, Central Java, on April 19, 2011.

The keris was recognized by UNESCO in 2005 as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and has been listed as a world intangible cultural heritage since 2008.

Zon emphasized the key role of the SNKI i...