The Poklad (Carnival) event held yearly on the remote Adriatic Island of Lastovo is one of the more distinctive and authentic carnival traditions celebrated in all of Croatia today. All the island residents participate by wearing folk costumes. The origins of the Lastovo carnival go back to a historical event. Legend has it that Catalan pirates attacked neighbouring Korčula and sent a Turkish messenger to Lastovo to tell the islanders to surrender or they would be next. The inhabitants of Lastovo did not let themselves be intimidated – instead they armed themselves and went on the attack. The women and children walked to Hum barefoot from Lastovo and prayed to Sv. Jure (St. George) for help and their prayers were answered: a storm destroyed the pirates' ships and the inhabitants of Lastovo caught the messenger. In order to mock him, he was taken through the village on the back of a donkey and was afterwards sentenced and burned to death. This event is celebrated through the Poklad every year over a period of two days just before Lent. The first recorded mention of the Lastovo carnival is from 16th century. In 1597 the Prince forbade the often riotous carnival crowd to bear arms. Those who disobeyed his decree ran the risk of being banished from the island. Carnival tradition As in other countries, the "carnival season" starts on Lastovo after the New Year on January 6 – the Feast of the Three Kings, and ends on the night preceding Ash Wednesday. (Because of the movable date of Easter the date occurs between February 10 and March 17). On the morning of Obese Monday the doll or puppet called Poklad is made. The festivities follow a detailed pattern: in the early morning on the Monday before Lent, the Poklad is made. The body is filled with straw and grain husks, while the feet are filled with sand from the local cemetery. The doll is then dressed – a red costume and fez hat – the face is drawn in with coal, and a cigarette is placed in the mouth. Afterwards, the carnival participants go from door to door collecting eggs and entertaining their hosts. On Carnival Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday) at eleven o'clock church bells halt all activity in the village. The carnival crowd, known as "Pokladari," gather with and start playing their lyres. The carnival procession begins and is accompanied by