| Oberammergau Passion Play |
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The Origins of the Oberammergau Passion Play Amid the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War, the plague broke out in large parts of Europe, taking the lives of many more people than the war itself. The Black Death crept into the remote mountain valley at the foot of the Kofel where Oberammergau lies, in 1632. According to a chronicle of the time, the residents of the village set up a vigilant watch and for a time they succeeded in keeping out the plague. During the annual fair held to commemorate the dedication of the village church, a man named Kaspar Schisler, who had worked outside the village during the summer, slipped over the mountains to his house in the village. Within a few days he succumbed to the plague - as did a larger number of the people of Oberammergau.  In those days no one knew anything about germs, or the
terrible toll they have exacted on humanity through the ages. People therefore invented incredible stories
to explain the outbreak. They believed
that the plague was spread by a green and yellow cloud that descended at night,
or that Jews had poisoned the wells. And
if there were no Jews in the village, then there was little doubt that God
himself was sending the plague down from heaven to punish humanity for its
sins. Often the people saw only one
chance of survival: to pacify God's
fury.In 1633, devastated by the plague, the people of Oberammergau pledged to perform the Passion Play as a sign of their repentance and remorse over the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Such vows were common at the time in many areas of Bavaria and Austria. The chronicles relate further that from the day the people of Oberammergau gathered around the cross to swear their sacred vow, no further person died of the plague. The first Passion Play of Oberammergau was staged in 1634. In 1680 the performance was moved to the first year of each decade. Were it not for the prohibition imposed in 1770 by the church and the state on the staging of passion plays in any form, and had the date for the Passion Play of 1940 not fallen during World War II, then there would never have been any interruptions in the history of the Passion Play. (From: The Passion Play 2000 Oberammergau, edited by the Community of Oberammergau)  Oberammergau 2010Once again, in 2010, the familiar story of Jesus of Nazareth will be retold by the residents of Oberammergau. This is truly a community event as nearly half of the villagers will come together on the stage of the Passion Play. To many of them, the oath of their forefathers represents the beginning of a great theatrical tradition. To others, it is a legacy, a solemn duty. TourMagination invites you to register for one of the following tours and experience for yourself this great tradition and legacy. To hold your spot, please This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it TourMagination with the tour title and the number of travellers. A deposit of $300 per person is required to reserve your place on the tour. We will send you the tour brochure when it becomes available. TourMagination is holding space in Oberammergau at the beautiful Hotel Turmwirt. The hotel owner/operator, George Glas, has reserved first-class seats for the Passion Play for our tour participants. Each TourMagination tour will have a focus, either within Europe or other countries close by. The Passion Play will be integrated into the tour schedule. The play involves 1100 amateur actors drawn from the local population. It lasts an entire day. The tradition derives from a vow made by the inhabitants of Oberammergau in 1633, after a plague when their village was spared from death. Join one of TourMagination's tours to see the Oberammergau Passion Play. 2010 Tours which include Oberammergau May 6-17 Springtime in Holland , Belgium & Germany (12 days) May 8-19 Lutheran Holy Land Tour (12 days) June 1-14 European Heritage I (14 days) June 13-28 Spectacular Scandinavia & Its Fjords (16 days) June 19-July 2 Romania and Hungary (13 days) June 24-July 5 Israel/Palestine with Henry Paetkau (12 days) June 29-July 12 European Heritage II (14 days) July 7-17 Italy, Austria & Germany (11 days) July 23-August 4 England & Scotland (13 days) July 29-August 11 Swiss Glacier Express (14 days) September 5-18 European Heritage III (14 days) September 9-22 Seven Churches of Revelation with Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (14 days) September 16-29 Ireland (14 days) |
