HOLY GUNPOWDER

In a small village on the Greek island of Andros, Easter night unfolds between devotion and detonation.

Inside the church, people light their candles from the Holy Flame and shield the fragile fire with their hands as they step into the dark, carrying it home as a blessing. The ritual is intimate, tactile, tender.

At the same time, just beyond the church doors, a different ceremony erupts. Men in suits ignite firecrackers and fireworks in a thunderous, competitive display between neighboring parishes. Smoke, sparks, and explosions tear through the night. What happens outside feels closer to a battlefield than a place of worship — yet it is part of the same peaceful celebration.