Rocket-War is the name of a local traditional event held annually at Easter in the town of Vrontados, on the Greek island of Chios. It is performed by locals,supporting two different churches, built on two hilltops about 400 meters away from each other.They fire thousands of home-made rockets, with the objective of hitting the bell tower of the church of the other side.The rockets are wooden sticks loaded with an explosive mixture containing gunpowder and launched from grooved platforms. It is for fun of course, no blood
The next day,the winner has to be determined, but each one claims victory over the other.So,the final decision is the agreement to settle the score next year!
The origin of this event is unclear, but a well-known story is that it was born during the turkish occupation.People from the island were prohibited to celebrate Easter the way they were used to.The Christians from these two churches decided to have a fake war with rockets to keep the Turkish away.Indeed, the Turkish were frightened by the sudden violence.They kept a safe distance while the rockets were fired.In the meantime, the communities could celebrate Jesus resurrection in the churches.
Here is another shot I took last year from a different spot, a general view to help you understand better what is going on [link]