Residents of the city of Vrontados, on the Greek island of Quios, celebrated Orthodox Easter with an ancient tradition known as “War of Rockets.”
They trigger thousands of home rockets that illuminate the night sky at midnight Holy Saturday (April 19 and 20).
Faithful of the rival churches of Erithiani Panagia and St. Mark aligned rockets in opposite hills and thrown them against each other’s towers, aiming to reach the opposite church’s belfry as they attended Easter Mass in the interior.
See moment of celebration:
Astronomer Stamatios Krimigis said that the custom has been seen for a long time as a rite of passage to young people.
Tradition is believed to be back to the nineteenth century, when residents celebrated the Easter firing cannons in a dispute between the same two parishes.
In 1889, Ottoman rulers forbade practice, fearing they were used in a revolt against the occupants.
Residents then began to use less harmful rockets, creating one of Greece’s most striking and lasting Easter customs.
For over 150 years, rockets have been fired on each Easter, with both sides claiming victory based on the number of hits, Krimigis told Reuters. “But in the end, everything happens in good mood and everyone is happy,” he said.
The War of Rocket remains an essential part of Easter in Quios, commented the local resident Giannis Apostolis.
He noted that while the number of rockets has been significantly reduced in recent years due to growing regulation, the event remains intensely felt throughout the island, especially in various.
This content was originally published in the faithful make a rocket war on Easter celebration in Greece on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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