Churches celebrate Easter with 'rocket war'

Christians on a tiny Greek island have celebrated Easter by firing hundreds of rockets at each other's church buildings in a contest to score direct hits.

The stunning tradition, known as "rouketopolemos", sees parishioners from two churches on the island of Chios start a "rocket war" while mass is held inside the two buildings.

Villagers spend months making the rockets with around 25,000 fired on the night, lighting up the sky in a stunning display.

The object is to score the most direct hits on the opposing church's bell tower.

"It's one of the most beautiful traditions in Greece but dangerous if you don't take precautions," one reveller told the BBC.

The tradition is believed to have started during Turkish occupation of the Greek island as a distraction so church services could be held in secret.