Lastovski poklad — digital heritage archive
A digital archive bringing together the tradition, the Lastovski poklad Association, KUD Lastovo, current news and documentary material.
A tradition extending far beyond a single day
Lastovski poklad is more than its final Tuesday or the single dramatic image of culjanje, the ritual lowering of the Poklad effigy down a rope. The carnival period begins on 17 January and continues until Ash Wednesday, encompassing people, defined roles, music, dress, dances, processions and preparations involving the wider community. In 2025, UNESCO inscribed the community safeguarding and documentation programme for the custom on its Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. The website needed to make this complexity approachable without reducing the custom to a short visitor announcement.
Three areas, one connected story
The content is organised around three clear areas. The Association section brings together organisational and official information. The Lastovski poklad section explains the custom, its history, songs and documentary material. KUD Lastovo presents the folklore society, costumes, members and performances. This division helps visitors find a practical detail quickly or continue into more extensive reading.
Visual entry points into a complex ritual
The homepage translates the richness of the custom into four recognisable motifs: the tradition, the Pokladari, the Lijepe maškare and Culjanje. Photography is not decoration here; it shows movement, dress, relationships between participants and the fabric of the village. Concise introductions lead towards deeper material without attempting to explain the entire carnival on a single screen.
An archive that remains current
Lasting material is accompanied by a chronological layer of announcements, news and archived posts. A separate performance listing gives KUD Lastovo a presence beyond the carnival period, while galleries and contact connect the documentation of the tradition with the association’s current activity. The structure also provides a foundation for multilingual presentation.
Photographic series
Photography of the tradition
Photography: Stjepan Tafra, 2017.
Result
The tradition, its participants, the association and the folklore society share one digital home that can grow with new editions, photographs, performances and records. The website does not replace the lived experience of Lastovski poklad; it gives context to those who wish to understand it and keeps material accumulated over time accessible.