?Dancers perform at Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, Sept. 21, 2018. On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, the Panathenaic Stadium, one of the main historic attractions of Athens, opened its gates to host a series of events on Friday. (Xinhua/Lefteris Partsalis)?
by Natasha Pavlopoulou
ATHENS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- On the occasion of the International Day of Peace the Panathenaic stadium, one of the main historic attractions of Athens, opened its gates to host a series of events on Friday.
The marble stadium, known as "Kallimarmaro", hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon.
On Friday many diverse activities were organized here, in observance of Peace Day, including musical and dance celebrations, painting exhibitions, creative work of school-age children and bicycle races.
People of all ages also created the Tree of Peace, adorning the branches of an olive tree with colorful papers, slogans and wishes for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences.
The olive branch (usually held by a dove) is used globally as a symbol of peace (or victory) deriving from the customs Ancient Greece.
The events open to everyone, culminated when all participants and visitors of the Panathenaic Stadium symbolically lighted a small candle to "illuminate" the International Peace Day and show that peace between people is not an elusive dream.
The events were held under the auspices of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Hellenic Olympic Academy (HOA), the International Olympic Truce Center and Connect Athens, a youth center bringing together young people with initiatives aimed to improve everyday life at the Greek capital.
The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") is observed around the world on Sept. 21 each year.
The theme for the 2018 Peace Day is "The Right to Peace -- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70", celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
