Greece Travel Blog

The longest domestic Olympic Torch Relay in history begins on October 22, 2009 with a traditional ritual lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece. Olympia is the home of the Olympic Flame, the sanctuary of Zeus (father of the gods of Olympia) and the site where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. The lighting ceremony of the Olympic Flame takes place at the temple of Hera within the Olympia site, where the ruins of a temple dedicated to this goddess remain. The actual lighting ceremony is a reminder of ancient rituals, in which gods Zeus and Hera were honoured with several fires lit and animal sacrifices in the sanctuary of Olympia.

First, the Olympic Flame is lit by sunlight focused on a metal reflector – the flame can only be lit this way — and is a part of a ritual including a prayer and a hymn made by a woman representing the ancient role of the high priestess. The ceremony also involves a young boy who cuts off an olive branch and gives it to the high priestess, a symbolical gesture.

For the Olympic Winter Games, once the Olympic Flame is lit and placed in an urn, the high priestess brings it to the Pierre de Coubertin monument and hands it over to the first torchbearer marking the start of the eight-day Greek stage of the Olympic Flame’s journey. For eight days, torchbearers will carry the Olympic Flame throughout several communities in Greece. Following celebrations to honour its arrival, the Olympic Flame will remain overnight in the following seven communities: Kalavryta, Karpenisi, Metsovo, Edessa, Thessaloniki, Volos and Acropolis.

The last torchbearer will have the honour of carrying the Olympic Flame from New Acropolis Museum to its final destination in Greece — Panathenian Stadium in Athens on October 29. The handover ceremony will take place here, at which point the sacred flame will be transferred to representatives of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games who will bring it to Canada the following day, beginning what is the longest domestic Olympic Torch Relay ever. (See a map featuring the 8 days route of the Olympic flame in Greece).

The Canadian stage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will begin on October 30, 2009 in Victoria, BC and will bring the flame to over 1,030 communities on a 106-day journey across the country.

Cf. The web site of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, The Athens 2004 Olympic Games

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