Rouketopolemos

Rouketopolemos (greek рουκετοπόλεμος, literally “rocket struggle”) is the name of a neighbourhood traditional occasion held yearly at easter inside the metropolis of vrontados (βροντάδος) at the Greek island of Chios. As a variation of the Greek custom of throwing fireworks during the celebration of the provider at the hours of darkness before easter sunday, rival church congregations in the metropolis carry out a “rocket war” by firing tens of hundreds of domestic-made rockets across metropolis, with the goal of hitting the bell tower of the church of the other facet. The rockets are wooden sticks loaded with a propellant combination containing gunpowder, and are launched from grooved platforms.

The two rival parishes are st. mark’s and Panaghia Ereithiani, the respective churches constructed on hilltops approximately 400 meters away from every other. Direct hits on every belfry are supposedly counted on tomorrow to determine the winner, but every parish continuously claims victory over the opposite. the end result of this apparent confrontation is that both parishes comply with settle the score next yr, and the contention is thus perpetuated. The church homes themselves and the close by homes need to be appreciably boarded up and guarded with steel sheets and mesh for the occasion.

Several vrontadites regularly express their dismay on the explosive nature of the custom, but it is a supply of full-size traveler sales for the area.

The foundation of this occasion is doubtful, however, neighbourhood lifestyle holds that it is going again to the ottoman generation. in line with neighbourhood lore, it turned into earlier achieved with actual cannons, until ottoman government prohibited their use in 1889. Ability visitors have to note that the occasion is held on orthodox easter day [as defined by the Julian calendar] which falls later inside the yr than the easter dates usually used within the west.