LET THE GAMES BEGIN !!
Fireworks and festivities dazzled the world at the Olympic opening ceremonies.

An audience of 91,000 people packed in to the Olympic National Stadium in Beijing, China, today to watch an entertainment program including 30,000 fireworks and more than two hours of music at the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

China's opening ceremonies are reported to be the largest and most expensive of any in Olympic history.
The National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest for its unique design, came alive with excitement on the hot summer night. There were 2,008 drummers, to match this Olympic year on the calendar, rocking the stadium. Nearly two hours of music, specially composed for the event, filled the air. Twenty fairies fell from the night sky, or so it seemed as acrobats on wires descended into the stadium. A group of 56 children gathered around the Chinese flag. Participants wore 15,153 costumes that were created in 47 styles.
World leaders gathered to enjoy the spectacle, including United States President George W. Bush, who became the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics held in a foreign country.

The timing of the ceremony itself, which began at 8 p.m. on 8/8/08, is considered good luck in China, where eight is the luckiest number.
The opening ceremonies kicked off 17 days of Olympic events, stretching straight through to the closing ceremonies on August 24. More than 10,000 athletes from 205 countries are gearing up to compete at the top of their game.