Politicians, business leaders and tourism stakeholders on the eastern Aegean island of Chios have called for the Orthodox Easter “rocket-war” celebrations to go ahead this year, despite a recent police crackdown on an illegal fireworks workshop linked to the iconic local tradition.Politicians, business leaders and tourism stakeholders on the eastern Aegean island of Chios have called for the Orthodox Easter “rocket-war” celebrations to go ahead this year, despite a recent police crackdown on an illegal fireworks workshop linked to the iconic local tradition. In a social media post, the island’s mayor, Yiannis Malafis, shared a photograph of him alongside local MPs Notis Mitarakis of New Democracy and Stavros Michaelides of PASOK, as well as representatives of the business and tourism sectors, urging that the event proceed. “The custom of the rocket war, on a limited scale and with enhanced security measures, is supported by all stakeholders, as has been the case for many decades,” he said. The spectacular Easter custom takes place in the village of Vrontados, where youths from two rival parishes set up positions on nearby hills and fire thousands of homemade rockets toward opposing church towers. The churches, along with surrounding buildings, are boarded up in advance to limit damage. The call for the event to proceed comes after police last Monday arrested seven people injured in a fire at an illegal fireworks workshop preparing for the missile-firing tradition. Four of those arrested – three men and one woman – suffered second-degree burns in the blaze, which occurred on Palm Sunday.
Trending