Every Decade for 388 Years, Nearly Half the People of a German Town Hold the Largest Passion Play in the World

A small German town has been performing a Passion Play every decade since the 17th century.

Oberammergau, with its 5,000 inhabitants, began performances after being hit by the bubonic plague in 1633, according to the tourism site Grand European Travel.

They vowed that if God spared their village, they would perform a “Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ” every 10 years.

After first being performed in 1634, the Passion Play still runs and is performed on a stage built above a gravesite for those who died during the plague.

Church records indicate that plague-related deaths ceased that year as well.

Trending:

Multiple Attorneys General Join Together to Sue Biden in Bid to Block His ‘Illegal Student Loan Plan’

The entire performance can span five to eight hours with an intermission for a meal. Almost half the town performs as the cast numbers 2,000.

By law, only those born in Oberammergau or residents of 20 years or more may participate.

Only children are exempt, and hundreds do perform.

This story was new to us – had you heard the story of the Oberammergau Passion Play before?

Although the play is entirely in German, translated scripts are given to audience members in multiple languages, according to a video on the Passionsspiele Oberammergau YouTube page.

While the play is a local production, it draws an international audience. Almost half of the 500,000 visitors who come to Oberammergau to see the play come from abroad.

The venue holds almost 5,000 spectators for a showing.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 postponed the 2020 production. Over 100 performances were planned that year with the cast and crew preparing for more than two years. The play finally was performed in 2022.

Related:

Hope or Doom? Shock Poll Finds High Percentage of Americans Believe Jesus Rose from Dead

With so much time dedicated to preparing, it shouldn’t come as a surprise the lengths the townspeople are willing to go. Actors grow their hair out and men grow their beards to better portray the time.

Director Christian Stückl described the evolution of his portrayal of Jesus in the play.

“When I directed the Passion Play for the first time I thought: ‘Jesus is loud! Jesus is strong! Jesus is revolutionary!’” he said, according to a translation in the video. “Of course, this had something to do with my own age. Today I think: ‘Perhaps it is much more important to show his consistency, his straightforwardness.’”

Oberammergau also has a Plague Play performed one year before the Passion Play in which the vow to perform the Passion Play is re-enacted.

The dedication of the town dating back several centuries is truly something spectacular when one considers the time, effort, and scale of the event.

The next Passion Play takes place in 2030.


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

“He is risen! He is risen indeed!”

 

Christians around the world will give that call and response this Sunday as we remind each other of Jesus Christ’s resurrection after his death on a cruel cross 2,000 years ago.

 

So why are you seeing that greeting in an email from a news and politics site? For two reasons. 

First, we’re one of the only news organizations in America that is completely closed on Easter Sunday, so we want to send you Easter greetings early.

 

Second, the Christian beliefs that compel us to close on Easter are the same Christian beliefs that Big Tech and others hate us for and are trying to put us out of business over.

 

In a very real way, you our readers are the only ones standing between us and their desire to silence us for defending objective truth, traditional American values and Judeo-Christian ethics.

 

Western Journal memberships literally enable us to continue covering news, politics and culture from a Christian worldview.

 

If you aren’t already a Western Journal member, I’m asking you to join this Easter weekend at the discounted price of just $1 for the first month. (Just use promo code easter24 at checkout.)

 

Even a discounted membership enables us to continue producing interesting, thoughtful and, most importantly, truthful coverage that stands against what’s happening in our country.

 

Also, since The Western Journal works from a Christian worldview, you will be supporting a site that works hard to be family-friendly, which is more than can be said for just about every other news site out there that lines its sidebars with scantily clad women and salacious headlines celebrating depravity.

 

On Easter Sunday 2,000 years ago, Jesus won the ultimate victory, and he charged us with tending to the world until he returns. That’s exactly what The Western Journal does on a daily basis, and that’s exactly why Big Tech and the media want to put us out of business.

 

Please help us to continue fulfilling that charge — help us stand strong against the world and for goodness, decency and most of all Truth.

 

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

 

P.S. Please use promo code easter24 to become a member for just $1 for your first month. This offer ends after Easter Sunday, so please take advantage now!

 

P.P.S. Join our faithful community for Easter and beyond!



Source link