Olive branches have been important symbols for thousands of years. Brides getting married in ancient Greece used to wear or carry olive garlands, just as present-day ones carry orange blossom. Winners at the ancient Olympic Games used to be rewarded with a crown of olive too. The story goes that the goddess after whom Athens was named presented the city with an olive branch. It has been a mark of peace and plenty ever since.
Other parts of the ancient world thought olive branches were important too. In the story of the Flood, the first sign of life as the waters went down was an olive leaf. Noah let a dove out of the ark to see what it could find, and back it came with an olive leaf – a sign that God was restoring life to the drowned world.
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