the music until the end. The Poklad is placed on the village donkey judged to be the most beautiful. The flag-bearer of the Croatian national tri-colour, the doll on the donkey and the carnival participants make their way towards City Hall (in the past to the Dubrovnik Rector) in order to get permission to visit respected locals. As they stop at the houses of the most prominent villagers singing and shouting, and performing the sword dance – similar to the more famous Moreška and Kumpanija from nearby Korčula – will take place on some of the locals' terraces. The carnival crowd who, up until the last century were armed with real swords, are followed at some distance by the "beautiful maskers" (girls in costumes and masks). The procession halts when it reaches Pod kostajnu (the tree growing in the middle of the village). A length of rope measuring over 300 meters has already been stretched between the pole set here and another mounted on the top of the hill in the background of the western side of the village. The procession climbs up to the top of the hill and the puppet is attached to the rope down which it slides three times, with petards cracking under its feet. Each time it reaches the bottom of the rope, the Poklad is met by drawn swords. After this, the procession heads to the parish church where they are joined by the masked women at dusk. Dancing with the "beautiful maskers" and a sword performance takes place at which also includes circle dancing all of which stops at the signal given by the Admiral. His gesture means that the Poklad must be impaled. The Pokladari set it on fire and start running with the puppet around the circle of dancers. Once the Poklad is burnt down to ashes, the crowd starts shouting, "UVO! UVO! UVO!" After this, the islanders head home and the church bells mark the end of the carnival. Symbolism The Lastovo carnival could be explained as a whole system of symbols. Culjanje, hanging and sliding of the puppet down the rope, as well as its death at the stake stand probably for the purification by air and by fire, i.e. for the ritual redemption of the community from the evil which had settled in the village during the preceding year. In the first joining of the carnival crowd by