Eternal flame

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An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns constantly. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi, was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple".

The eternal fire was originally a religious aspect of Zoroastrianism that later assimilated into Abrahamic religions, specifically Christainity. An eternal flame constantly tended by a dedicated priest was a feature of Zoroastrian religious culture that involved the Amesha Spenta Atar (Old Persian âdar, Middle Persian âtaxš). According to Greek and Persian accounts, three "Great Fires" existed in the Achaemenid era of Persian history, which are collectively the earliest evidence of the eternal flame.

In ancient times eternal flames were fuelled by wood or olive oil; modern examples by a measured supply of propane gas or natural gas. Eternal flames are most often used as a symbol to acknowledge and remember a person or event of national significance, or a group of brave and noble people connected to some event, or even a laudable goal such as international peace.

The eternal flame commemorating U.S. President John F. Kennedy following his assassination in 1963 was the first time that an individual known person was given such an honor (as opposed to an Unknown Soldier). Henceforward, eternal flames would be designated more frequently around the world to honor the loss of persons of great significance, in addition to major tragic and momentous events.

Eternal flames exist in nature as well, as byproducts of natural gas deposits leaking through the ground.

Symbolic eternal flames around the world

Extinguished

The Sacred fire of Vesta in ancient Rome, which burned within the Temple of Vesta on the Roman forum
The Bible commands that "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out", regarding the altar of the Tabernacle. (Leviticus 6:13, KJV) Many churches (especially Catholic and Lutheran) feature an eternal flame on or hung above their altars. When a church is founded, the flame is passed from another church and the candles are regularly replaced to keep the original flame burning.
The Olympic Flame is a kind of eternal flame which is kept lit throughout the Olympic Games
The eternal flame that was kept burning in the inner hearth of the Temple of Delphic Apollo at Delphi in Greece
The eternal flame near the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn in Estonia was extinguished after the country gained independence from the USSR

Current

Europe

Paris, France, under the archway at the Arc de Triomphe, which has burned continuously since 1921, in memory of all who died in World War I
Moscow, Russia, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden to honor the dead of the Great Patriotic War
Saint Petersburg, Russia, has two eternal flames. The first is at the Field of Mars in memory of those who died during the Bolshevik Revolution. The second is at Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in memory of those who perished in World War II during the Siege of Leningrad
Budapest, Hungary, in Kossuth Square commemorating the revolutionaries of the 1956 uprising against control by the Soviet Union
Sofia, Bulgaria, at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier
The Hague, Netherlands, at the Peace Palace
Liverpool, England, at the Anfield stadium, in memorial to those who died in the Hillsborough disaster
Madonna del Ghisallo, Italy, near Lake Como, for all cyclists who have died
Rome, Italy, on the Altare della Patria, for the Unknown Soldier
Riga, Latvia, at Brothers' Cemetery
Warsaw, Poland, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Berlin, Germany, at the Theodor-Heuss-Platz
Munich, Germany, on the Square Of The Victims Of The National Socialism
Kaunas, Lithuania, at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier, in the Square of Unity
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, lit after World War II
Yerevan, Armenia, in the center of the Armenian Genocide Memorial
Oslo, Norway, inaugurated on June 9th 2001 at The Pier of Honour, Port of Oslo by Sri Chinmoy and installed permanently at the Aker Brygge complex in 2002.
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, at the Fossar de les Moreres (adjacent to the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar), honouring the Catalans buried there, who died defending Barcelona on the siege of 1714. The torch with the eternal flame was inaugurated in 2001.

North America

Canada

The Flame of Hope in London, Ontario, at 442 Adelaide Street, where Sir Frederick Banting did theoretical work leading to the discovery of human insulin
The Centennial Flame in Ottawa, Ontario, first lit in 1967, is in the spirit of an eternal flame; however, it is annually extinguished for cleaning and then relit. It commemorates the first hundred years of Canadian confederation as a Commonwealth realm.
The Centennial Flame on the grounds of the provincial legislature in Edmonton, Alberta commemorates the same milestone as its counterpart in Ottawa

United States

John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, lit by Jacqueline Kennedy on November 25, 1963 during the assassinated president's state funeral

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA to honor victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks
Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania, in memory of the dead of the American Civil War, first lit by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938
Decatur, Georgia at the square downtown, for the Korean War, World War II, and the Vietnam War
Atlanta, Georgia at the King Center, for assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
Washington, D.C., at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, first lit in 1993 by President Bill Clinton and noted Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel
New York City, New York, at Ground Zero, lit by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the financial district of the city. It is currently temporarily located at Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan under The Sphere, which is a sculpture that had been recovered from the World Trade Center site. The eternal flame will be relocated to the World Trade Center location when the memorial there is completed.
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to honor the crew and passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on 9/11 in their efforts to thwart the hijacking

Chicago, Illinois to honor those who perished in World War II
Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, atop the Prayer Tower, which represents the baptism of the Holy Spirit
Newport News Victory Arch in Virginia, commemorating American servicemen and women
Memphis, Tennessee at the grave of Elvis Presley at his home "Graceland"
University of California, Santa Barbara houses an eternal flame on its campus.
Bowman, South Carolina, lit in 1987 in honor and memory of the community's residents who died in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War
Washington Square (Philadelphia), site of the city's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Lynchburg, Virginia, gravesite of Jerry Falwell at Liberty University

Argentina

In the Flag Memorial in Rosario, Santa Fe

Australia

In the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Victoria
In the Shrine of Remembrance in ANZAC Square in Brisbane, Queensland
At the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
At the state War Memorial in Kings Park, Western Australia

Asia

Eternal Flame of Freedom, Corregidor, Philippines
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the Victory (Pobedy) Monument
Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier (from Soviet times)

India

New Delhi, India, at the Raj Ghat, in memory of Mahatma Gandhi at the site of his cremation. The date that this flame was first lit is not known at present.
New Delhi, India, at the India Gate, first lit in 1971 to honor 90,000 soldiers, including an Unknown Warrior, who died in World War I and later conflicts
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, to remember the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, unveiled in 2005

Israel

Tel Aviv, at Rabin Square, for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
In Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust-Memorial of Israel
Near Jerusalem at Yad Kennedy, Israel's memorial to U.S. President John F. Kennedy

Japan

At the Buddhist temple Daishō-in, at Mt. Misen, Itsukushima, where the flame has been burning since AD 806, for more than 1200 years
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, to remain lit until all nuclear weapons in the world are abolished

Africa

Accra, Ghana: the Eternal Flame of African Liberation

A mock Eternal Flame

Stephen Colbert created the World War III Eternal Flame on August 3, 2006 which will burn until World War III is over. The flame is a digital video of a fire framed by the fireplace on the set of The Colbert Report.

Spontaneous natural flames

The Eternal Flame Falls can be found in the Shale Creek Preserve in New York, United States.
There is an area producing natural spontaneous flames in Olympos National Park, Turkey.
There is an eternal flame in Guanziling, Taiwan, as a result of methane gas.
Flaming Geyser State Park in Washington, United States.
An eternal flame in Australia, fueled by a coal seam instead of natural gas. Called "Burning Mountain", it is claimed to be the world's longest burning fire, at 6,000 years old.