English: The Maškare (masquerade) period opens early each January in towns around Croatia. Crikvenica is a popular destination for the parades, fancy-dress dance parties and events for young and old alike over the following weeks with a children's parade in Rijeka and the nearby Crikvenica prior to the end. At the beginning of Lent, either on the Tuesday or on Ash Wednesday, the final closing of the event takes place when the towns' keys are handed back to the Mayors. A Pust (puppet or effigy), given an appropriate name, is blamed for all the wrongdoings and bad things that happened during the year and, after a reading of the Sentenza by a jury, he is sentenced and burnt. This brings in new energy for spring and a better promise for the year ahead.