Carnival time was celebrated in Heraklion with unforgettable dances, but a Carnival King procession was only held once in the town, in 1952, thanks to a wonderful group led by Manolis Paterakis and Vousvounis, who had studied as a decorator...
The Carnival King had a great story behind it! When they decided to make it, there was no money, so someone came up with the idea of holding a raffle to raise money for the carnival, and then raffle a car. All the tickets were sold. There was the party, then the procession and after that the Carnival King was burnt at the port. Then came the time for the draw - but the money raised had only been enough to buy the materials and make and decorate the Carnival King. There was no car... Everyone had gathered together and was waiting, raffle tickets in hand. But the organizing committee's fertile imagination and sense of humour found a solution to the problem that had arisen.
At that moment a donkey appeared on the scene, covered in a cardboard cut-out of a car, with number plates reading ONAK, from onos, meaning "donkey". Everyone split their sides laughing, and then tore their tickets up, and that's how the carnival ended.
