Olympia Greece Flame Lighting Berlin Olympics Riefenstahl 1936 Real Photo Postcard

The image captures the inaugural Olympic Torch Relay ceremony in Olympia, Greece, for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. This event, held amidst the ancient ruins, specifically near the Temple of Hera (Heraion) where the flame is traditionally lit using a parabolic mirror, marked the official start of a new tradition for the modern Olympic movement. Priestesses, dressed in ancient Greek attire, performed the ritual of igniting the sacred flame, invoking the spirit of the ancient games.