ART of Easter rocket war in Greek isle of CHIOS

Fireworks streak across the sky by church on island of Chios

Residents admit it is not the most safety conscious of ceremonies

Every Easter Sunday on the small Greek island of Chios a fireworks war breaks out between two rival parishes.

In a bizarre but long-cherished local tradition, two Orthodox churches in the town of Vrodandos fire rockets at each other's churches - while services are held.

The objective is to hit the other church's bell, but many rockets go astray, causing locals to rush frantically for cover.

And some say they are sick of having to repair their damaged homes.

Dangerous work

So-called "gangs" from the two rival parishes - Saint Mark and Panagia Erithiani - spend months preparing more than 25,000 rockets, Reuters news agency reported.

Chios local

About 150 people are involved in their production, using bronze tools to prevent sparks igniting the volatile gunpowder mixture.

"A good rocket has to fly fast, go far and stay lit until the end," explains rocket maker Vassilis Barkoulis.

"You have to be careful in the details and process of its construction for a rocket to be good. If you do that carefully, you can have yourself a good rocket."

The work is carried out in derelict buildings with the doors left open - should an extremely speedy exit be required following an explosion.

There is also the danger the police may pay an unwelcome visit - technically making the rockets is illegal, although police largely turn a blind eye to the proceedings.

Mysterious origins

Several days before the event, residents carefully board up both churches' windows and doors and wrap wire sheeting around the buildings to protect worshippers.

Locals light dozens of rockets to fire at rival church

Use of the rockets dates back to the 19th Century

On Easter Sunday evening, as mass is said in both churches, the rival parish "gangs" set to work, lighting fireworks and aiming them haphazardly at each other's church bells.

Amid the melee, priests in both churches attempt to continue with mass, although the deafening sounds of fireworks and cheers as the rockets hit their targets often drown out the proceedings entirely.

Locals are not sure of the tradition's origins, although it is possibly linked to stories of the island's sailors, who used to battle pirates with cannons installed on their ships and began a custom of firing them at Easter.

In the late 19th Century, when Ottoman occupiers confiscated the cannons over fears they would be used in an uprising, locals resorted to firing rockets instead.

VIDEO

Watch this video below about a unique fireworks celebration in Greece. It's called the rocket war of Vrondados and the objective of the battle is to hit the bell tower of the other side's church, where mass takes place despite the barrage outside. On the eve of Easter Sunday two rival orthodox churches in the city of Vrondados put each other in the firing line of thousands of firework-like rockets. See how fireworks and model rockets work in this news video!

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