The Rouketopolemos "Rocket War" of Chios
To mark my birthday, this year the people of Chios agreed to come together to fire tens of thousands of home-made rockets at two of the churches in the village of Vrontados. I'm frankly amazed they went to such effort.
Alright, you got me.
This was the annual "Rouketopolemos" festival, also known as the “Chios Rocket War”, a frankly insane event that sees rival crews from the north and south ends of the village of Vrontados unleash flame-filled chaos on the church of their opponents. While the true origins of the event are lost to the cordite-infused mists of time, the battle is now a tradition that keeps the friendly rivalry alive. The aim is simple; make shedloads of rockets and then fire them at the bell-tower of either the Agios Markos or Panagia Erithiani church, depending on which 'hood you grew up in.
The Rouketopolemos has never actually been legal, merely passing in and out of phases of being unofficially sanctioned, then clamped down on by the local police. Last year's restrictions went to the extreme of causing the whole thing to be cancelled, resulting in uproar from the locals who missed out on the chance to attract tourists/indulge in pyromania/fire rockets at a church.
The result of these restrictions is that it has become a little bit "cat and mouse" with police patrols and road blocks checking the traffic in the narrow roads of the village while fire crews wait on stand-by around the corner. By the time the main event starts around midnight, the amount of rockets and fireworks being launched means that the police are incapable of doing anything to stop it.
The volume of rockets in the air means that the locals have been forced to develop defensive systems over the years, with most of the houses around the two targets/holy buildings covered in rolls of metal grille.
By the time that the rockets start flying, there was a blanket of smoke across the village and, thankfully, the weather was perfect with a beautiful moon reflected in the waters towards Turkey.
I absolutely landed on my feet by choosing to stay at this AirBnB location, thanks to the exceptional hospitality of owner Despina. Full of local knowledge and guidance that she was constantly happy to share, she made the assingment a breeze. I'd definitely recommend dropping her a line if you plan on visiting Chios.