The annual Rocketwar event known as Rouketopolemos, took place in the village of Vrontados, between the two Orthodox churches Agios Markos and Panagia Erithiani, started during the celebration of the service at midnight before Easter Sunday. The respective churches of the two rival parishes are built on two hilltops about 400 meters away from each other. Tens of thousands of home-made rockets are fired across town, with the objective of hitting the bell tower of the church of the other side. The rockets are wooden sticks loaded with an explosive mixture containing gunpowder and launched from grooved platforms. They are handmade and all materials used can be found on the island. Rocket making for "Rouketopolemos" is a tradition which counts more that 120 years in Chios. The rocket-makers work as groups of 10 to 15 people, and pass the tradition and their secret recipes from one generation to the other. They describe that they spend countless hours through the year preparing the rockets, and that the whole procedure of making and finally firing the rockets is a unique and insuperable experience.