A Celebration of Hellenic Heritage – The Lighting of the Olympic Flame
In a lively celebration of Greek culture, students got together for their yearly reenactment of the Lighting of the Olympic Flame ceremony.
In modern tradition, the Head Priestess passes the flame to the first torchbearer and then begins the Torch Relay that finishes at the Olympic Stadium of the hosting city a few months later.
The Assistant Principal Ms. Christopher talked about why the ancient Greek Olympic Games are still important for us today. Her opening speech, followed the Olympic Torch Relay by students. The flame on the torch symbolizes the positive values that Man has always associated with the symbolism of fire and thus makes the link between the ancient and the modern Games.
Students also displayed their skills in Greek traditional dances. Soon after, with music playing and energy high, the schoolyard turned into a showcase of athletic talent, with students proving their abilities in athletics.
Regardless of the location of the Olympic Games, the tradition of igniting the Olympic flame commences with the ancient Greek ritual held at the archaeological site of Olympia. In the following video you can see the Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony from 2020.
Just as the Olympic Games bring together athletes and spectators from different backgrounds, the students closed the ceremony with songs and dances from various cultures, and concluded with all of the students singing the song “We are the world”.
