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…
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.
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.
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