Day 6 - The Passion Play
Today is performance day, and we make our way to the stage in
Oberammergau, where we are treated to Oberammergau's brilliant
Passion Play.
Detailing the death and resurrection of Christ during his final
days, this production is enormous in scale and a feat of
organization. The play is a source of great pride for the villagers
and local people, occurring, as it does, once every ten years. It
also attracts nearly half a million audience members over the
course of its run throughout the summer. Our top tier tickets
provide us with excellent seats at the front and near the center,
under the impressive dome which houses the stage.
The play's origins lie in the 17th century when Oberammergau was
hit by the bubonic plague which was being spread across the
country. History tells of a villager returning to the village for
Christmas and bringing the plague with him. The disease quickly
spread from house to house, and in an effort to save the village,
the townsfolk promised to God that if he spared them, then they
would organize a play every year, celebrating the Passion of
Christ.
After the first showing of the play, those with the plague were
cured and the village was supposedly saved. Since then, the play
has been shown every decade except during the Second World War,
making the Oberammergau Passion Play the longest running religious
play in the world.
The production we attend has two halves of three hours each with
a break halfway through the performance for us to enjoy a special
Passion Play dinner. Overnight Oberammergau.
*Tier 1 tickets are designated as category 1 or 2 seats, located
at the front & center of the theater.
Includes
