The Committee

1. Takes note that Croatia has proposed Community safeguarding and documenting of the ‘Lastovo Poklad’ carnival custom (No.02314) for selection and promotion by the Committee as a programme, project or activity best reflecting the principles and objectives of the Convention:

The annual ‘Lastovo Poklad’ carnival is a social event that takes place between 17 January and Ash Wednesday. It features a circle dance performance and a procession, which is led by a carnival crew member steering a donkey with a straw effigy, called the Poklad, on its back. The carnival culminates in the descent of the effigy down a rope suspended from the highest peak to the centre of the village, accompanied by the sound of fireworks. The effigy is then burned in the local square. The custom is transmitted informally within families and the community, and, more recently, through formal education. A symbol of freedom and resilience, it involves the entire community, with preparations starting months beforehand. Participation has grown steadily over the last thirty years thanks to concerted efforts by local authorities, associations and community members. The programme includes the detailed documentation of the custom by younger generations, resulting in the collection of photographs, videos, audio recordings, statements and publications. These efforts enabled the creation of archives and led to the publication of the first comprehensive book on the custom. This also encouraged the local community to continue the custom and to raise awareness of its importance among younger generations.

2. Considers that, from the information included in the file, the programme responds as follows to the criteria for selection as a good safeguarding practice in paragraph 7 of the Operational Directives:

P.1:   The programme consists in a series of measures aiming to safeguard the carnival celebration as an important cultural event for the community of the Croatian island of Lastovo, which was recognized as an element of intangible cultural heritage of Croatia in 2008. The safeguarding of the element is considered in various instruments, including the strategic management plan for the Lastovo Island Natural Park, which was adopted in 2017. Since 2015, a local association has included provisions in its statutes regarding the organization of festive activities. A research institute is dedicated to the systematic study of the element. Similarly, the local community is heavily engaged in safeguarding activities, such as awareness-raising meetings, research and documentation, including the collection of texts, songs, family photographs and audiovisual recordings.

P.2:   The proposal reflects the coordination of efforts to safeguard intangible cultural heritage at the regional, subregional and international levels. The maintenance of the element by emigrants, as well as through regular stage presentations, summer performances and guest appearances organized in other countries promotes the custom abroad and demonstrates transcontinental collaboration. The safeguarding approach not only showcases the tradition but also helps build bridges with other cultures, encouraging cultural exchanges.

P.3:   Entities involved in managing the island have joined forces to identify technical, logistical and financial solutions with the aim of implementing the custom and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. NGOs are also committed to this objective, providing a community-based approach that reinforces sustainability, participation and self-management. The proposal highlights the strong involvement of the community in documenting, researching and maintaining the custom, while government agencies provide institutional and financial support for such initiatives.

P.4:   The proposal demonstrates the effectiveness of the safeguarding measures, which have secured the future of the carnival as an annual event steeped in custom and tradition. The file also illustrates the extent of community participation across the generations, mantaining the element as a symbol of freedom, heritage and communion. Especially during significant transformations and crises (wars, political changes, emigration and the COVID-19 pandemic), the local population has found a true sense of satisfaction in preserving this tradition as it serves as a link to the past, providing them with a sense of security and pride. The leading role recently assumed by younger generations in documenting the tradition is a highlight of the safeguarding process.

P.5:   The safeguarding of the element involves not only its practitioners, but also primary-school students and women (wives and mothers of carnival brigade members), lyre players, local associations, the municipality and its tourism office. In addition, the emigrant community implements similar measures to organize a carnival that resembles the one practised on their home island as closely as possible. The file indicates that since 2017, more than 170 local residents and expatriates from Lastovo have participated in research on the custom and in the creation of permanent ethnographic archives related to it. In addition, it specifies that the entire community participates in the financing of safeguarding activities through voluntary contributions.

P.6:   The proposal provides a positive model for safeguarding at the subregional, regional and international levels. It carefully identifies specific components, methods and practices that could be relevant and adaptable in other contexts. At the regional level, the programme has already become an example of good practice of a community being open to research and documentation together with other institutions. Another distinctive feature of the proposal is the integration of the custom into everyday cultural and physical infrastructure, offering a holistic model of safeguarding that links tangible and intangible heritage in a continuum, along with the transnational dimension of the practice.

P.7:   The proposal includes sufficient evidence in written, photographic and audiovisual forms demonstrating that the State Party, implementing bodies and community are strongly committed to cooperating in the dissemination of good safeguarding practices. The free, prior and informed consent of the parties involved in the project is available.

P.8:   The proposal demonstrates clear potential for the assessment of its results, with an approach that stands out for its long-term vision, intergenerational transmission strategies and the embedding of the custom into multiple layers of social, legal and institutional frameworks. The proposal explains the methods employed to monitor and evaluate the progress of the programme, ensuring that sustainability, gender equality, environmental protection and cultural heritage remain central to the custom’s implementation. The file shows how different dimensions of the safeguarding programme – namely, community participation, sustainability, gender equality, environmental protection and controlled tourism – are systematically observed and assessed. The degree of community involvement in the programme is itself an indication of its good results.

3. Selects Community safeguarding and documenting of the ‘Lastovo Poklad’ carnival custom as a programme, project or activity best reflecting the principles and objectives of the Convention;
4. Commends the State Party for its safeguarding model, which promotes the harmonious integration of cultural practices with nature conservation in an environmentally protected area.