Festivals in Europe: Rocket War ( Rouketopolemos ) in the town of Vrontados, Chios island in Greece

There are so many astonishing and versatile festivals in Europe and yet there are some, which clearly stand out with their extravagance and fascination.

One of these is the festival Rocket War ( or Rouketopolemos ) , which takes place each year at Easter in the town of Vrontados, situated in the island of Greek island Chios. The nature of the festival clearly matched its' name and it is indeed a war, in which the two fighting sides use about 50 000 home-made rockets in the attempt to hit the bell of the counter party' church. The participators are the parishes of Saint Mark and Virgin Mary Erethianis and every year they remake a tradition, which dates back to the 19th century and was created as an attempt of the local Christians to celebrate Easter during the reign of the Ottoman empire.

Information about the festival can be found on its' official website:

http://rocketwar.gr

Rocket war in Vrontados, Chios island, Greece

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