Family day out favourite, Odds Farm Park were delighted when a VIP visitor paid a special visit to the children’s farm with their Olympic Torch! Staff at the farm were ecstatic that they were able to have their photograph taken with the Olympic Torch which was used as part of the Relay before the Olympic Games.
Visitors to the farm will be interested to learn the history of the tradition of the Olympic Torch.
The Torch and Relay were important elements of the cultural festivals surrounding the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece. During the Games, a sacred flame burned continually on the altar of the goddess, Hera. In addition, heralds were summoned to travel throughout Greece to announce the Games, declaring a sacred truce for the duration.
A very precise ritual for the lighting of the Flame is now followed at every Games. It is lit from the sun’s rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, in a traditional ceremony among the ruins of the home of the ancient Games.
After a short relay around Greece, the Flame is handed over to the new Host City at another ceremony in the Panathenaiko stadium in Athens.
The Flame is then delivered to the Host Country, where it is transferred from one Torchbearer to another, spreading the message of peace, unity and friendship. It ends its journey as the last Torchbearer lights the cauldron at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in the Olympic Stadium, marking the official start of the Games.
The Flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games, at the Closing Ceremony.
Family day out favourite, Odds Farm Park is easily reached from Beaconsfield, Amersham, Chesham, Gerrards Cross, High Wycombe, Great Missenden and Wendover. For more information, directions and prices visit the family days out website www.oddsfarm.co.uk
