Rocket War
Every Easter on the island of Chios, two church parishes of a small mountain town come together to fire 100,000’s of rockets at the opposing church as part of a celebratory tradition dating back over 100 years. The aim of each team is to hit the opposition’s church bell, but because both sides claim victory the parishes agree to resolve the dispute the following year and so the tradition continues.
The locals spend the year collecting materials and hand making the illegal rockets, before hiding their supplies on mountainsides for the annual festival. In the past few years the tradition has been preserved and upheld, defying the economic crisis and helping regenerate the island.
Every Easter on the island of Chios, two church parishes of a small mountain town come together to fire 100,000’s of rockets at the opposing church as part of a celebratory tradition dating back over 100 years. The aim of each team is to hit the opposition’s church bell, but because both sides claim victory the parishes agree to resolve the dispute the following year and so the tradition continues.
The locals spend the year collecting materials and hand making the illegal rockets, before hiding their supplies on mountainsides for the annual festival. In the past few years the tradition has been preserved and upheld, defying the economic crisis and helping regenerate the island.
