This article is copied from the Welcome to Bavaria edition of The Bavarian News
and written by Trecia A. Wilson.
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Descendants of the small community of Oberammergau, Germany, located in Southern Bavaria, take their vows seriously. So seriously, in fact, that every 10 years the community puts on a performance of the famous "Passion Play," the life and death of Jesus Christ, for people worldwide.
What kind of vow could elicit such dedication?
In 1633, Germany was in the midst of the 30-year war and suffering from poverty and the Bubonic Plague. In terror and desperation, the villagers of Oberammergau gathered and prayed to God. They plead with him to protect them from these atrocities. Their vow, should he honor their plea, was to perform the Passion Play every 10 years for eternity.
They survived and, as a result, in 1634 put on their first production of the play, beginning a 400-year homage to their God.
The first play was performed on Whitsun, the seventh Sunday after Easter, also known as the Pentecost. It was performed open air on a stage built in the cemetery above the graves of the recent plague victims.
The uniqueness of this town's production of the Passion Play extends to more than its vow. Only Oberammergau descendants or persons who have lived within the community for 20 years or more are permitted to participate. Oberammergau descendants come from all over Germany, interrupting their normal lives, to honor this sacred pledge.
Members of the cast are not professional actors. Most have regular jobs; Jesus is a psychologist most days, only performing on stage for these decennial productions. The cast is all volunteers who dedicate one year of their time every 10 years to performing this homage.
This is no small production either. It takes more than 2,000 community members to produce. Rehearsals begin 10 months before opening night and in addition to the cast, there is a 60-member orchestra, which plays the show's musical score.
The score was composed in the 19th century by Rochus Dedler, again a resident of Oberammergau. This year, rearrangements and adaptations were made by music director Markus Zwink, who has also composed several new pieces to accompany scenes.
The show lasts five hours and is divided in half with a three-hour dinner break between. Attendees who want to thoroughly research the show before going since it is very popular and reservations are usually made months in advance…
Oberammergau, 62 miles south of Munich, is located in the Bavarian Alps on the River Ammer. It is home to approximately 5,300 inhabitants. The community is small and sits in the foothills above Garmisch. It is the quintessential Bavarian community complete homes with handcrafted wooden balconies often lined with flowers for as long as the weather permits. Elaborate frescoes, dating back to the 18th century, grace the sides of these homes and businesses and wood carving is a common tradition among local artisans. These frescoes are usually religious themes or scenes from fairytales and were painted on homes of those with wealth and status…
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We haven't been to Oberammergau yet, but I vividly remember going there as a child and seeing the painted houses and being so amazed! I will post pictures when we go there--probably this summer when we visit the castle that Disney modelled the Cinderella Castle after since they are very close to each other.
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