Croatia— Tattoo scenes & cities

In Croatia, the traditional tattoo is called sicanje or bocanje, from "to prick". It was mostly worn by Croatian Catholic women, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in parts of Dalmatia and its hinterland. Older women pricked the design in with a needle. Motifs include the cross, the small fir tree, the fence around the wrist and the circle of the kolo, the village dance, a symbol of togetherness.

It is commonly said that in areas occupied by the Ottomans these Christian symbols helped girls avoid capture and forced conversion, although the practice seems older. After the Second World War girls were no longer tattooed: only older women, the "tattooed grandmothers", still bore the marks. Today these motifs are returning, sometimes blended with modern styles.