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Every Orthodox Easter these 2 churches fire thousands of rockets at each other

Posted on 5/9/24 at 3:43 pm
Posted by Bobby OG Johnson
Member since Apr 2015
25530 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 3:43 pm
quote:

Robert Kearney

@Robkearney1981

Every Orthodox Easter Sunday for the past 120 years, members of 2 neighboring churches, St. Mark's and Panagia Erithiani, in Vontados on the island of Chios, fire thousands of homemade rockets at each other as part of a tradition called 'Rouketopolemos.'

This year's battle


Posted by RollTide1987
Augusta, GA
Member since Nov 2009
65147 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 3:52 pm to
120 years? Man...that's older than a lot of Protestant denominations here in America.
Posted by jmorr34
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2004
2904 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 3:54 pm to
Posted by Bigfishchoupique
Member since Jul 2017
8537 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 4:03 pm to
Looked like us having bottle rocket wars when we were kids.
This post was edited on 5/9/24 at 4:05 pm
Posted by Tomherman
Member since Sep 2016
1513 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 4:13 pm to
fricking awesome. Just a few more than we would shoot at each other as kids.
Posted by jaytothen
Member since Jan 2020
6455 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 4:14 pm to
I would watch the pay-per-view
Posted by IAmNERD
Member since May 2017
19361 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 4:18 pm to
That is awesome.

However, I'm shocked that the entire island, much less either church building, hasn't been burned up during this tradition at least once.
Posted by Crawdaddy
Slidell. The jewel of Louisiana
Member since Sep 2006
18441 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 4:20 pm to
Looks like Hamas vs Isreal
Posted by Bestbank Tiger
Premium Member
Member since Jan 2005
71740 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 4:20 pm to
That sounds like an awesome tradition.

Hopefully it doesn't get imported to the US though. We would screw it up and burn both churches to the ground.
Posted by Ghost of Colby
Alberta, overlooking B.C.
Member since Jan 2009
11469 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 5:06 pm to
quote:

'Rouketopolemos

There are Rednecks and Baws all over the world.
Posted by GRTiger
On a roof eating alligator pie
Member since Dec 2008
63414 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 5:08 pm to
That's what my cousins' street looked like 1/1 and 1/2 in the 90s.
Posted by Tasseo
Member since Feb 2024
1094 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 6:04 pm to
quote:

Every Orthodox Easter these 2 churches fire thousands of rockets at each other

That's awesome. Added to my travel bucket list.
Posted by BigBinBR
Baton Rouge
Member since Mar 2023
4495 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 6:35 pm to
Pretty cool.

quote:

the objective of hitting the bell tower of the church of the other side.

quote:

Direct hits on each belfry are supposedly counted on the next day to determine the winner, but each parish invariably claims victory over the other. The result of this apparent disagreement is that both parishes agree to settle the score next year,
quote:

buildings themselves and the nearby buildings have to be extensively boarded up and protected with metal sheets and mesh for the occasion.
quote:

According to local lore it was earlier performed with real cannons, until Ottoman authorities prohibited their use in 1889.

Posted by shutterspeed
MS Gulf Coast
Member since May 2007
63783 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 6:40 pm to
The American version:

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This post was edited on 5/9/24 at 6:49 pm
Posted by TDFreak
Dodge Charger Aficionado
Member since Dec 2009
7443 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 7:27 pm to
My ancestors originate from Chios. I visited Chios in the 90s. Not during Orthodox Easter, however. ¡Opa!
This post was edited on 5/9/24 at 9:20 pm
Posted by deltaland
Member since Mar 2011
91148 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 8:45 pm to
Cute! It’s like a mini Israel and Palestine
Posted by OweO
Plaquemine, La
Member since Sep 2009
114149 posts
Posted on 5/9/24 at 8:49 pm to
Did one of those dudes have a saints hat on?

I would love to do that as long as nothing I own is in the path.
Posted by Zarkinletch416
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Member since Jan 2020
8454 posts
Posted on 5/10/24 at 7:48 am to
Yep, that is disturbing. But there is hope, especially for Christianity here in America. Why am I so opptimistic? I subscribe to an online service (DivineOffice.org) that I use to do my Morning and Evening Divine Office Prayers. One of the unique features of this service, is the graphic of a rotating earth. Every subscriber praying the DO at that moment is represented by a point of light on that globe.

So no matter when, or where I pray the DO I am never alone. Some brother or sister somewhere on God's beautiful earth is praying with me.

Now, here is the really exciting part. This morning as a gorgeous sunrise plastered the sky in color, I sat on my back porch and as I enjoyed the light show God provided me, I glanced at that rotating earth and to my delight there were 2,475 Divine Office Prayers (IMO an all time high) reciting the Morning Prayers with me. And a majority of the points of light were here in America, concentrated in the south, midwest, and east. And yes, mingled among those points of light - mine.

I just had to share this goodnews with my TD friends. The point of all this - all is not lost. Jesus, I trust in you.

.....satan accuses, Jesus affirms.

Domine, Deus meus, Rex meus, Omnia mea credo, adoro, spero, et amo. Amen
This post was edited on 5/10/24 at 9:13 am
Posted by LSUfanNkaty
LC, Louisiana
Member since Jan 2015
11150 posts
Posted on 5/10/24 at 8:11 am to
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