A Guide To Poklad Croatia's Puppet-Burning Carnival

The isolated community of Lastovo, a tiny island way out past Mljet in southern Dalmatia, stages Croatia’s wildest pre-Lenten carnival. It may not be the biggest (that’s Rijeka’s), but this one sees the whole population go bananas.

So extreme was Lastovo’s Poklad carnival in medieval times that the authorities had to ban it. Pre-Lenten celebrations have long been common throughout the Christian world, a energetic release to mark the end of winter and coming of spring. Some even have roots in pagan fertility rites.

Here on remote Lastovo, these elements still have resonance in today’s revived carnival, but the most important factor is mockery of the Turk. Feared and loathed in equal measure, Turks constantly threatened the island and coastal communities of Croatia. Every February, Lastovo islanders took out their fear and frustration on a puppet, poklad, dressed in a fez.

They still do, creating and dressing the straw puppet the day before Shrove Tuesday. Unlike Rijeka–which attracts many foreigners among the 100,000-strong carnival crowd–Lastovo is all about local tradition. This is a rite for islanders, re-enacted by islanders, and always held on the night before Ash Wednesday.

After making the poklad, the unfortunate puppet, there follows another ritual of going door to door, each visit invariably accompanied by a glass or two of rakija spirit. Poklad participants must also collect eggs, part of the fertility element of the next day’s celebration.

All this is the night before, of course, so everyone is well and truly merry before the Shrove Tuesday gathering. Late morning, with little sleep the night before, the carnival procession sets off, interspersed with the occasional sword dance (not unlike the Moreška as practised on Korčula).

The procession comes to a communal halt by the tree, where the poklad puppet will be ritually disembowelled, having been sent down from a nearby hillside by a length of rope. It is also showered with firecrackers. As dancing breaks out, the menfolk are joined by masked village women. Some will also be carrying the eggs collected the night before.

What then follows is best described as merriment.

Lastovo makes no special provisions for tourists over carnival time, although private rooms should be available. At least one catamaran and one ferry service links with Split every day in February. The catamaran takes just over three hours, the ferry four-and-a-half. See Jadrolinija for details.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.