Celebrating Easter with a war of fireworks

Most Americans associate fireworks with the Fourth or July, but in the town of Vrontados in Greece, fireworks go hand-in-hand with Easter.

Every Fourth of July Americans are warned of the possible dangers of operating fireworks or misusing them. Even so, there's still at least one firework-related injury that dominates the news channels each year. Thus, many will find it surprising that the Easter tradition in Greece involves shooting fireworks at a church.

The locals refer to the Easter weekend rocket extravaganza as 'Rouketopolemos.' Rival churches -- The Panaghia Erithiani Church and the Aghios Marko Church -- supporters fire tens of thousands of home-made rockets at the opposing place of worship in an attempt to hit the rival church's bell tower. No one is exactly sure of how long the fiery escapades have been going on for but it's believed that it has been going on for at least 125 years.

Homeowners in the area erect protective barriers on their properties prior to the event to prevent as much damage as possible to their property.

Tourists from all over the world converge on Vrontados to glimpse the visually stunning yet highly dangerous rocket war.