瞿　旭

萬眾矚目的北京奧運會圣火采集儀式在希臘古奧林匹克遺址圓滿落下帷幕，并開啟了在全球范圍內(nèi)的圣火傳遞活動。那么奧運圣火采集儀式究竟從何而來；整個儀式“暗藏”了什么玄機；奧運圣火為何要傳遞五大洲；傳遞過程中怎樣保持其不被熄滅呢？

Greek actress Maria Nafpliotou, playing the role of a high priestess, kindles a pot with the Olympic flame during the Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony in Olympia, Greece, March 24, 2008.

The Olympic flame is one of the most important symbols of the Olympic Games. Lighting the flame has been an important part of every Olympic opening ceremony since it was first used in Berlin in 1936. The idea of keeping a flame lit throughout the Games was first used by the ancient Greeks in Olympia.

A few months before the opening of the Games, a ceremony is organized on the site of the original Games, the ancient sanctuary of Olympia. An actress dressed as a ceremonial priestess, in the robes of the ancient Greeks, lights the torch via the same technique used in the original Games.

She uses a parabolic mirror to focus light rays from the sun. The parabolic mirror has a curved shape. When it is held toward the sun, the curvature focuses the rays to a single point. The energy from the sun creates a great deal of heat. The priestess holds a torch in the center of the parabolic mirror, and the heat ignites the fuel in the torch, sparking a flame.

If the sun is not shining on the day of the lighting ceremony, the priestess can light the torch with a flame that was lit on a sunny day before the ceremony.

The flame is carried in a fire pot to an altar in the ancient Olympic stadium, where it is used to light the first runners torch.

For the Winter Games, the relay actually begins at the monument to Pierre de Coubertin (the man who founded the modern Olympic games in 1896), which is located near the stadium.

When the first torch is lit, the relay begins.

The flame is carried by relay all the way to its final destination. Although it is usually carried by runners on foot, other modes of transportation are also used. For air transportation, the flame is sheltered in a security lamp, similar to a miners lamp. At night, the flame is kept in a special cauldron.

The highlight of the opening ceremony of the Olympics is the entrance of the Olympic flame into the stadium. The final torchbearer is always a citizen of the host country whose identity is kept secret until the last moment.

The final torchbearer does a lap around the stadium before lighting the huge cauldron with the Olympic flame. Pigeons are then released as a symbol of the peace in which the Olympic Games should take place.

The flame remains lit for the duration of the Games.

2008年3月24日，在希臘奧林匹亞舉行的奧運火炬點火儀式上，擔(dān)任最高女祭司的希臘女演員瑪利亞·娜芙普利都點燃了盛有奧運圣火的火種罐。

奧運圣火是奧運會最重要的象征之一。從1936年柏林奧運會上首次使用奧運圣火開始，點燃圣火就成了每屆奧運會開幕式的重要組成部分。在整個比賽中保持奧運圣火熊熊燃燒的主意是古希臘人首次在奧林匹亞采納的。

奧運會開幕前幾個月，在奧運會的發(fā)源地——古奧林匹亞遺址上的古祭壇舉行儀式。一個女演員扮作儀式的女祭司，身著古希臘長袍，用古代奧運會用過的相同方法點燃火炬。

她用凹面鏡匯聚太陽光，這種鏡子的鏡面有一定弧度。當(dāng)把鏡子對著太陽時，有弧度的曲面能把太陽的光線匯聚成一個點。太陽光的能量能產(chǎn)生大量的熱能。女祭司把火炬放在凹面鏡的中心，熱能就點燃了火炬上的燃料，從而激發(fā)出火焰。

如果點火儀式那天天公不作美，女祭司可以用儀式前陽光燦爛時點燃的火焰來點燃奧運火炬。

圣火放在火種罐里，送至古奧林匹亞競技場的祭壇上，在此處用其點燃第一名火炬手的火炬。

冬奧會的火炬接力開始于顧拜旦（現(xiàn)代奧運會之父，1896年創(chuàng)建現(xiàn)代奧運會）紀(jì)念碑，該碑立于競技場附近。

第一個火炬點燃后，火炬接力就開始了。

圣火通過接力跑一路送至奧運會的最終目的地。盡管圣火傳遞通常靠徒步奔跑實行，但其他傳遞方式也會用到。空中傳遞時，圣火會用安全燈保護起來，這種燈類似于礦工的礦燈。夜間，圣火會保存在一個特殊的大火爐中。

奧運會開幕式的高潮無疑是奧運圣火進入運動場的那一刻。最后一名火炬手通常是主辦國的公民，其身份直到最后一刻才會公開。

最后一名火炬手會繞運動場地跑一周，之后再點燃載有奧運圣火的巨大火爐。之后，象征和平的鴿子被放飛，奧運會就正式開始了。

奧運圣火在比賽期間會一直熊熊燃燒。