The aim of the project is to preserve cultural heritage and promote cultural tourism in this area.
The value of the project is estimated at €5.5 million, and €2.1 million has been secured through a grant. The Ministry of Culture and Media has granted €262,791, while around €1 million has been secured under the "Let's Connect Through Heritage" project. About €700,000 has been approved based on a public call for co-financing EU projects at local and regional level, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County has allocated €132,000.
The bell ringers of Halubje included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List
The Mayor of Viškovo, Sanja Udović, noted that the annual carnival bell ringers’ pageant in the Kastav region of northwest Croatia is one of the four Croatian intangible cultural properties inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
"Cultural heritage is a highly valuable resource and it is our responsibility and obligation to use this capital in the best possible way," Udović said.
The three-day pageant through the villages of the Kastav region starts on Carnival Sunday and lasts until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, when the Pust effigy is burnt.
Although the bell ringers' pageant is connected with ancient rituals of awakening spring and driving away winter and evil spirits, it is still an important part of social life in the Kastav region, according to the Viškovo Tourism Board.
Bell ringers visit about 20 villages a day, stopping in each one for refreshments and socialising with local residents and visitors. In the three days, they tour over 50 villages and hamlets in the region.
They traditionally wear white trousers and striped sailor T-shirts with sheepskin wraps, and on their heads they sport masks in the form of animal heads with horns and red tongues sticking out, which distinguishes them from other bell ringer groups.
The bell ringers of Halubje traditionally participate in the Rijeka Carnival and other carnival pageants.