The objective is to hit the bell tower of the church of the other side.
Direct hits on each belfry are counted and the parish with the most hits is determined the winner.
This local traditional event known as Rouketopolemos, literally Rocket-War, goes back at least to the Ottoman era.
Since then wooden rockets loaded with an explosive mixture containing gunpowder have been used.
Chipped plaster and minor injuries surrounding fireworks are common, and occasionally stray rocket would cause small brush fires.
The battle scars received during the night are still visible the next morning.
Understandably, not everyone is keen on participating.
Sources:Wikipedia/World Wide Greeks.
