How the Olympic torch originated and how it was lit and relayed

In the mythology of the ancient Greeks, the fire on earth was stolen by Prometheus, the god of heaven, from God and given it to mankind. The sacred origin of fire made it a religious element, and the ancient Greeks enshrined the eternal flame in front of their main temple all year round. In the temple of Olympia, a sacred fire burns all year round on the altar in front of the goddess Hestia.

The flame is also lit using the heat of the sun's rays, and it is also used to light other torches in the temple. Today, the altar is gone, but the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame still evokes a reverie about these ancient events.

In Athens, people held races to pay homage to the gods, including Prometheus. These races commemorate Prometheus' feat of stealing the fire, and while he passed the fire, he also spread wisdom and knowledge to mankind. The runners pass the flame to each other, and only the first runner to reach the altar is honoured to rekindle the flames.

There has never been a torch relay or race at the All-Greek Games. At a specific time before the start of the Games, messengers wearing olive crowns announce the exact dates of the games in other cities. The messenger invited the citizens of these cities to the city of Olympia and read out the Holy Truce

The flame of the modern Olympic Games was ignited at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, and since then it has become an important part of all Olympic Games, attracting great attention.

The 1928 Olympic flame was lit in the stadium and burned throughout the Olympic Games (17 May to 12 August) in the Marathon Entrance Tower at the Olympic Stadium.

Since the Winter and Summer Olympic Games alternate, the Olympic flame is re-lit every two years. In a traditional ceremony held in the ancient city of Olympia, a priestess with the assistance of an attendant, or "holy woman", lit the fire.

The priestess lit the flame by following these steps:

With the help of a parabolic reflector, the sunlight is collected and the torch is lit. When the flame is lit, the priestess will hold the torch aloft and solemnly place it in the clay altar that precedes the remains of the Temple of Hera.

The flame will be passed to the first Torch Bearer, who is carrying a unique torch of special significance designed by the host city of the Olympic Games.

With regard to the Olympic flame, there is a special agreement that if the Olympic flame is accidentally extinguished before the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, it can be re-lit by a spare flame kept in a special lampshade.

The Olympic torch originated from the story of Prometheus stealing the flame for mankind in ancient Greek mythology. In honor of this mythical hero, the ancient Olympic Games adopted the ritual of lighting the flame.

The Olympic Torch Ceremony originated from the story of Prometheus stealing the flame for mankind in Greek mythology, and has a history of more than 2,700 years. According to legend, Mount Olympia in ancient Greece was the habitat of the gods, and the local people worshiped the gods every four years in order to pray for good weather and abundant crops.

During the sacrifice in the holy land of Olympia, people also have sprint races。The athlete who first takes the torch from the priest and lights the flame on the altar in front of Prometheus, the god of fire, is the victor. He will also be revered as a hero.

The "Torch Relay" event was held at the Games and began with the 11th Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. At that time, German long-distance runners went to Olympia, Greece, to light the torch, and one by one carried the torch to the Berlin sports grounds.

In 1959, at the first National Games, China held the "torch relay" activity for the first time.

The design of the Beijing Olympic torch:

The Beijing Olympic torch design research and planning work began in August 2005. Combined with the concept of the Beijing Olympic Games, through the analysis of the torch design experience of the previous Olympic Games, the torch design concept, design requirements and creation methods were determined.

According to the characteristics of the torch industrial design, in order to achieve the perfect combination of art and technology, with the approval of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee Office, the torch design scheme is dominated by artistic modeling, and the combustion technology and industrial design are combined with simultaneous solicitation, open solicitation and directional commissioned creation.

On December 6, 2005, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee held a press conference to invite an open call for torch designs. As of February 28, 2006, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee had received a total of 847 entries from design institutions and designers at home and abroad, of which 388 were valid.

The flame was taken from Olympia, and for the first time, the torch was lit by using a condenser to gather sunlight, and then passed through four countries: Greece, Yugoslavia, Austria, and Germany, and finally passed to the host country. The winner was authorized to take the torch from the High Priest to light the flame on the altar through a race, and the victor was authorized to take the torch from the High Priest to light the flame on the altar.

In ancient Greek mythology, the fire on earth originated when the god Prometheus stole fire from the sun god Apollo and gave it to the human Sun in the guise of Sun Shi.

The Olympic flame is a symbol of peace. From the ancient Olympic Games to the modern Olympic Games, peace has always been the main theme of the Olympic Movement.

Obtaining the "heavenly fire" in front of the shrine and sending an olive branch to peace, the Olympic flame can ignite people's desire and pursuit of peace.

The Olympic Torchrelay (Olympic Torchrelay) is a prelude to the Olympic GamesAncient Olympic GamesThe strong connection with the contemporary Olympic fitness movement is the most important communication tool after the Olympic Games themselves.

The torch relay spread the Olympic spirit over more than 100 days of relays.

Convey the message of friendship and peace and ignite our enthusiasm for the Olympic Games. The Olympic Torch Relay is the most powerful relay theme activity of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic host country to raise the public's recognition of the Olympic Games and create publicity methods. The torch relay also gives the people of the host country a chance to fully appreciate the energy of the Olympic Games, and also provides an opportunity for the host countries and cities to show themselves.

On 15 March 2021, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (TOCOG) announced that the Torch Relay Consideration Ceremony for the 25th will be held without spectators. This is also a hygienic and epidemic prevention measure adopted to prevent group gatherings.

Fire, in people's daily lives, has always played a key role. Grasping the application of fire is a major development in the history of human development. Many Chinese nations in the world.

Among the beliefs, there is something about admiration for fire.

Taking the ancient Greeks as an example, they felt that the occurrence of fire in today's world originated from Prometheus.

of myths and legends.

The origin of fire makes it a sublime element. The Greeks went to the main temple and lit a sacred fire that would never be extinguished. The method of fire collection was the main guarantee of the purity of the Holy Flame Party. The flame is made with a semicircular concave lens called a skaphia.

It is made by collecting the sun in a centralized manner. (Concave lenses are also used today for the collection of the Olympic flame.) ）

Only "one flame, one relay line, one relay theme activity" is the key etiquette knowledge and characteristics of the Olympic torch relay. itIt shows the connection between the contemporary Olympic fitness movement and the ancient Olympic Games, and then showsSummer OlympicsIt has historical, time, traditional, and spiritual meanings；It paid attention to the uniqueness of the Olympic flame, reflected the solemnity and dignity of the torch relay, and created the emotional and practical effect of everyone following the footsteps of the flame to the opening venue of the Summer Olympic Games. This is what sets the Olympic Torch Relay apart from other torch relays

This request is made by the IOC.

It was clarified by agreement with the Greek ** department, and it became the traditional form of the torch relay for the Summer Olympics.

It began in the ancient Greek period, and since the time of the ancient Greece, the transmission of the Olympic torch has begun to evolve.

It began in 1936 and has been an integral part of every Olympic Games since then.

It started in 1936. This tradition continues to this day.

This is already present in ancient Greek mythology, which is an element of religion that usually lit the flame on important festivals, and now carries the flame during the Olympic Games.

This tradition has been present in our lives for a long time, probably in 1936. I've always been particularly interested in this matter.