Oddity Central |
- The Rocket War of Chios – A Fiery Easter Celebration
- This Shockingly Realistic Pencil Portrait Was Drawn by a 16-Year-Old
- New York Actually Has a Nightclub Service for Kids under Twelve
| The Rocket War of Chios – A Fiery Easter Celebration Posted: 21 Apr 2014 07:29 AM PDT We've seen a lot of bizarre traditions, but this is Greek custom involving two churches firing thousands of rockets at each other is pretty special. Every year on Easter Sunday, a fireworks war breaks out between two rival parishes on the small Greek island of Chios. Gangs belonging to two orthodox churches (Saint Mark and Panagia Erithiani) in the town of Vrodandos fire rockets with a single objective – to hit the other church's bell. Of course, not all the rockets hit the target and locals can be spotted frantically running for cover. The rocket tradition is of such importance that the townsfolk spend several months preparing for it. About 150 gang members are involved in the production of over 25,000 rockets that will be fired at the event. Derelict buildings are used to carry out the rocket-building work, with only one safety measure – they leave the doors open in case they need to make a speedy exit after an explosion. And they use bronze tools to prevent sparks that might ignite the volatile gun powder mixture. "A good rocket has to fly fast, go far and stay lit until the end," said rocket maker Vassilis Barkoulis. "You have to be careful in the details and process of its construction for a rocket to be good. If you do that carefully, you can have yourself a good rocket." Good or not, producing rockets is actually illegal and there's always the possibility the police raiding the premises. But it has never happened so far. The police prefer to entirely ignore the proceedings. |
| This Shockingly Realistic Pencil Portrait Was Drawn by a 16-Year-Old Posted: 21 Apr 2014 04:11 AM PDT This pencil portrait of an old man looks unbelievably realistic, down to the reflection in the pupils, and it's hard to believe that it was actually drawn by a teenager. For her incredible masterpiece, 16-year-old artist Shania McDonagh won the top prize at this year's Texaco Children's Art Competition. She was judged the best in the senior age category, for students aged 16 to 18 years old. Texaco Children's Art Competition is an art contest held for kids in Ireland, every year since 1955. Shania, a student at Mount St. Michael Secondary School in Claremorris, has been taking part in the contest for the past four years. And you won't believe this – she has won the first prize in her age category every single time. According to Professor Delan McGonagle, the chairman of the judging panel, Shania is a 'young artist of exceptional skill and ability among the many talented artists in the competition.' He also added that Shania's work has established her as one of the most talented artists of her generation, whose skill could see her become one of Ireland's foremost portrait artists of the future. |
| New York Actually Has a Nightclub Service for Kids under Twelve Posted: 21 Apr 2014 01:10 AM PDT New York has got to be the coolest place for kids. First they opened a DJ school for babies, and now they're welcoming kids into their nightclubs. Fuzipop is a new company that organizes these daytime dance parties for children aged 6 to 12 and their parents. The three-hour parties happen once a month at Manhattan's most happening clubs. Entry costs $20 for a parent and child, and $60 for a family of four. And here's the best part – the DJ is nine-year-old! According to the official website, "Fuzipop is a series of events focused on the celebration of music, dance and community for the next generation of city kids. This new generation has inspired us to provide a proper venue for them to experience what was once only available to a select few." Fuzipop claims to provide an answer to 'all our kids who constantly demand, 'We want to have a dance party!''. Fuzipop is the brainchild of a husband and wife duo who also happen to be parents, DJs and music executives. Jesse Sprague, who spent years working in nightclubs around New York, met Jenny Song while dancing at a club. And when they had their first child, they threw a big bash at one of the clubs where Jesse worked. They invited almost all their club friends along with their kids – the party was a huge hit and no one wanted to leave. "All the parents said they would pay to do this, so we made a business out of it," said Jesse. |
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