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| The Olympic Flame lighting |
This is the third time that the torch was lighted in Athens for the Youth Olympic Games (for athletes 15 - 18 years old). The first was for Singapore in 2007, the second for Austria and this one for China.
The Flame is the symbol of the Olympics. The ceremony of the lighting started at Olympia in 776 B.C. as this was the panhellenic religious and athletic center.
There were young girls priestesses dressed in white tunics , singing hymns and dancing in the honor of Zeus. One of them called "prothieria" means High Priestess, lighted the sacred flame and announced the beginning of the athletic games. Then started the Torch procession with the torch- bearer infront....
Something like that happened yesterday, 30/04/14, in the Panathenaic Stadium of Athens. This magnificent stadium is the only marble stadium in the world. It was built in the 4rth cent. B.C. and rebuilt in 1896 for the first New Olympic Games. The torch was kindled by the light of the sun by the prothieria. Then, there was a Torch Procession in the stadium and finally the light was given to the chinese committee of "Nanjing 2014" and to the mayor of the city Miao Ruilin
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| Youth Olympic Flame lighting Ceremony 2014 |
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