BOSTON — Have you ever wondered why Boston Marathon winners are crowned with gold-painted wreaths made from olive branches? And do you know where those wreaths are made?Four wreaths will be used to crown the four winners (men’s and women’s open and wheelchair divisions) of the 130th Boston Marathon on April 20. The Boston Athletic Association formally received them on Thursday, April 16, during the 42nd annual wreath ceremony held at View Boston.The wreaths were presented by the Consulate General of Greece in Boston Symeon Tegos, with the support of the Alpha Omega Council and the 26.2 Foundation.

They're cut from the historic plains of Marathon, Greece, and symbolize victory, peace and the enduring ideals of freedom and democracy, according to Harry Vlachos, president of the Alpha Omega Council. Each wreath is inscribed with "2026 Boston Marathon Champion from the people of Greece in honor of 1946 Boston Marathon Champion Styliamos Kyriakides.”Boston Marathon's Greece originsAccording to the B.A.A., Greece conceived a 40-kilometer (about 24.85 miles) race following the route of the ancient Athenians to remember the Battle of Marathon during the first Olympic games in Athens in 1896. There was no official United States Olympic team in 1896, but there was a B.A.A. team that comprised the majority of the American delegation.The following year, on Patriots' Day, the B.A.A. established the first Boston Marathon.More: Visit one of these nine places to dine on the Boston Marathon courseHow the wreath ceremony tradition got its startGeorge Demeter, the first Greek-American to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, introduced the ancient Greek tradition of crowning marathon winners with laurel wreaths from 1933 to 1945, according to Vlachos.In 1984, Peter Agris, of the Alpha Omega Council, and Tim Kilduff, then race director of the Boston Marathon, with Gov.

Michael Dukakis, Lt. Gov. John Kerry, Boston Mayor Ray Flynn and the Consul General of Greece in Boston arranged for olive wreaths from Greece to be presented to the Boston Marathon winners.The wreath ceremony began that year.Arrival of the Boston Marathon wreathsThe wreaths arrived at the April 16 ceremony in the hands of four women dressed in white Goddess-like gowns. They are Maidens from the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon, a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of traditional Hellenic culture in New England.Marathon notables recognizedThis year's wreath ceremony commemorated the 80th anniversary of Stylianos Kyriakides, of Athens, Greece winning the Boston Marathon in 1946; as well as the 50th anniversary of the Alpha Omega Council.Also recognized during this year's wreath ceremony was Jack Fultz, winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon, who helped develop the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge program.This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: Wreaths presented to Boston Athletic Association for Marathon winners