VANCOUVER, Canada—A parade of national pride and a tribute to Canada’s Aboriginal peoples and natural splendor marked the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Games.
The ceremony was in some ways themed on British Columbia’s “supernatural” reputation and the wonders of one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces, but many parts of the country had their moment in the spotlight.
A carefully rehearsed countdown powered by the coordinated efforts of the entire audience launched a ceremony that included some of the country’s most iconic images, from old growth forests to Arctic glaciers and golden prairie grasslands. Clad in white and blue ponchos given out in an “audience participation kit,” the audience played the role of living canvases which at times showed national flags and at other times mountain vistas or symbols of the sports in the Games.
The ceremony began as Canada began, with the Aboriginal people. The Four Host First Nations came out in full regalia and spoke in their traditional languages to welcome the Olympics and its spectators to their traditional territories where the various Games venues are located.
The representatives of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-waututh, and Lil'wat Aboriginal nations then danced into the center of the stadium as four giant totem poles rose from the ground.
