What is a Passion Play?

A Passion Play is a type of medieval religious drama. Such dramas focus on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The earliest texts of such dramas are from 13th century Europe, and these texts were themselves a re-working of pre-existing liturgical plays. In the 15th and 16th Centuries, and especially in France and Germany, Passion Plays began to have very long scenes, spectacular staging, and intricately woven dramatic action. Some of these plays has many thousands of lines and needed several days to perform. It is these more intricate and spectacular dramas which have inspired a large number of later, modern passion plays, which are still regularly performed today.

The Passion Play at Oberammergau

Possibly the most famous Passion Play is the spectacular presentation at Oberammergau in Germany’s Bavarian Alps, which has occurred once every 10 years at the end of each decade since the 1630's. ( In fact, an additional season was put on in 1984, marking the 350th anniversary of the Play). As the well-known story tells us, a solemn promise was made by the inhabitants of the village, to create a play depicting the life, death and resurrection of Christ. This promise was made in 1633 during the Thirty Years' War, after a year of tragedy, where the Black Death plague had taken its toll on the village, in the same way as it had on towns and villages throughout Europe. The promise was kept and the first production went ahead in at Pentecost 1634, when the inhabitants of Oberammergau acted the Play on a stage which was built at the cemetery. Soon after which time it was reported that deaths from the plague reduced remarkably and substantially, reaffirming the validity of the promise and thus ensuring the promise would be kept in perpetuity.

Oberammergau 2010

In 2010 the Oberammergau Passion Play is to be performed four times a week between mid-May and the end of September. The performances start in the afternoon and continue through into the evening,, with a break for a meal. The current incarnation of the play commemorates the last week in the life of Christ, including the arrival in Jerusalem, the trials, the crucifixion and resurrection. The play is in the German language, but the story is told through spectacle, vision and music, and features a large choir and orchestra performing music specially composed for by a local teacher almost 200 years ago. A special theatre hosts the main event, which is played out against the backdrop of the Bavarian Alps. Remarkably, all the performers (up to 2000 of them) are amateurs and have been living in Oberammergau for at least 20 years. Thus, as part of the preparations and rehearsals, on Ash Wednesday 2009, a “Hair Decree" operational from this date affects all the men in Oberammergau taking part in the play, as they are asked to let the hair on their heads and faces grow to the traditional "look" of the European received idea of the style of Biblical times.

Tickets and packages are generally made available through appointed agents selling throughout the world, where the Oberammergau authorities allocate the limited supply of entrance tickets to qualifying travel companies. Spring 2008 sees the release of the details of the Oberammergau ticket allocation , from which time, interested groups and individuals can begin to confirm itineraries of Europe and / or Southern Germany, to include a performance of the play.

Jimi St. Pierre writes for several UK travel companies in the UK, including DERTOUR the UK-based Germany and European holiday specialist based in London. More information about Oberammergau Passion Play can be found on DERTOUR’s web site.