The Opening Ceremony of the Ancient Olympic Games was Always Held Under the Full Moon of August
The opening ceremony of the ancient Olympic Games, held every four years, in honour of Zeus and staged in Ancient Olympia from 776 BC-393, was always held on the day of the August full moon.
The tradition still holds today, the modern Olympic Games are held every four years, in August, it is a matter of luck though, if the opening ceremony falls on the day of the full moon.
After the Romans gained power over Greece, the games came to a close; the last Olympic Games was played out in 393 AD.
However, this was not to be the end, in 1894 Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founded the International Olympic Committee and in 1896, the first modern Olympics, were held in Athens; the games were back.
As is only to be expected, things had changed quite a bit since the crowds last cheered on the athletes in the Ancient Stadium at Olympia,1,500 years ago.
The participants now wear clothes, which were banned back in the day, as were female athletes.
The first ancient games had only one event on one day; a race of about 200 metres, a second event, a race of 400 metres, was not added until the 14th Olympics.
Gradually, new events were introduced, extending the ceremony to the great god Zeus, into a five day festival.
Image: Ancient Olympia Greece, under the Full August Moon
Comments