Just curious about a funny little thing I came across on Mlijet...

Hi
I am going to Croatia in June and want to island hop as you did. Any places that you would recommend. Did you stay in local homes?
Thanks in advance
Lisa

hello, I think people leave these mementos for good luck or to leave something of theirs in a holy place.

I came across a similar tradition on the island of Krk (Croatia) in a town called Punat, where there is a monastery on an island and people all over the world who visit the monastery leave their national banknotes. The monks collect them and later display them in their museum collection.

have a good one.
bye.

It is not just about luck.
Local people devote their prayers to certain saint (i.e. St. Antun, Sta. Barbara, St. Vid), depending on what kind of problem they have. But, most cherished places are those devoted to Virgin Mary. That is the case with island and church of St. Mary on Mljet. Similar tradition can be found on Trsat in Rijeka, and elsewhere, like on Kamenita vrata in Zagreb.
Person who gets his prayers accepted leaves something of a value as a token. And keep coming back each year on specific date.
Since Mljet is very touristic, foreigners had noticed the custom, so they leave what they have on them, but without traditional procedure that stays beneath.
In future, chapels of St. John and St. Benedict are going to be renewed, enabling those who take prayers to those saints to do the same.
Some families in Croatia have their saints they especially worship, and some saints protect certain professions and occupations (St. Florian - firefighters, St. Hubertus - hunters, St. Nicholas - travelers, and so on).
Interesting?
Mike65

thanks for your replies guys, I guess I can relate it to the practice I saw in Tibet in the buddist temples where people left banknotes ( associated with prayers of wealth).

Even if it is mostly tourists on Mljet I still find it fascinating as to what counts as an item of worth

lisa,
We stayed in peoples homes everywhere we went and found it to be a wonderful way to meet some locals, and save money. we just went with someone who turned up to meet the boat, and only once (in Dubrovnik) were we unhappy with the place and went somewhere else (it wasn't where the guy said it was). In June it may be a bit busier and you may find it more difficult to get a bargain, if you're stuck there are agencies around who will find somewhere for you.
oh, and if you speak a little German that helps too. A lot of the old ladies felt more comfortable using Deutsch rather than english.
As to places, we loved Split, and on Hvar Island, Hvar town, and the in surrounding Islands which you can day trip to its easy to walk around to a completely private bay.
Mljet is worth staying a few nights if you can.
enjoy!