Rouketopolemos
Greece
How do you like to celebrate Easter? Chocolate, rabbits, Auntie’s overcooked salmon?
In Greece, two churches like to fire giant homemade rockets at each other in a festival that is, of course, called Rouketopolemos.
In Greece, two churches like to fire giant homemade rockets at each other in a festival that is, of course, called Rouketopolemos.
The night before Easter Sunday, two churches on opposite hills in the town of Vrontados hurl tens of thousands of homemade rockets at each other.
The aim is to get the most direct hits on the others’ bell tower 😉 but seen as it’s impossible to tell who the winner is they always declare it’s a draw and agree to rematch next year.
The aim is to get the most direct hits on the others’ bell tower 😉 but seen as it’s impossible to tell who the winner is they always declare it’s a draw and agree to rematch next year.
But… why?
When Greece was under Ottoman rule, they banned Easter celebrations. But no man keeps a Greek from his choccie egg, so locals would hurl rockets at each other to put the Ottomans off popping round and investigating if anyone was chomping on a Lindt bunny and thinking about the resurrection of Christ.
When Greece was under Ottoman rule, they banned Easter celebrations. But no man keeps a Greek from his choccie egg, so locals would hurl rockets at each other to put the Ottomans off popping round and investigating if anyone was chomping on a Lindt bunny and thinking about the resurrection of Christ.
The churches used to use real cannons until the Ottomans banned them in 1889. Hardcore.
Rouketopolemos is on the 19'th of April 2025. The easiest way to get to Chios is to get an hour taxi from Izmir, then hop on a 30min ferry to Chios.
Rouketopolemos is on the 19'th of April 2025. The easiest way to get to Chios is to get an hour taxi from Izmir, then hop on a 30min ferry to Chios.