History of the Passion Play

1633

In the beginning a solemn promise was made: After the War of 30 years the Black Death came to Oberammergau in the year 1632. In 1633 nearly every family lost one or more victims as a consequence of the Black Death. At the Cemetery the Black Death-invalids promised to act the history of Jesus Christ every ten years. The inhabitants of Oberammergau erected a Symbol for Jesus Christ. An etching of the artist Hans Schwaighofer from Oberammergau testifies this.

On Pentecost 1634 the inhabitants of Oberammergau act the Play on a stage which was built at the cemetery and constructed over the fresh graves of the Black Death victims.

Transcript of the oldsest Passion Lyrics document that could be saved. The majority of the 4902 verses emanates from two much older Passion Plays dating before 1634: A Middle Age Passion Play (Second half of the 15th century) whose manuscript was found at the benedictine monastery St Ulrich und Afra in Augsburg. The second text is the Passion-"Tragedi" of the singer Sebastian Wild from Augsburg dating from 1566.

The next Passion Play will take place in 2010.

The schedule is as follows:
* 2006: The Local Authority will make first decisions as to
production and organisation

* End of 2007: There will be more information about prices
for tickets and processing

* End of 2007: Estimated office-opening of the "Passion Play office"

* February 2009: No more hair and beard-cut will be
allowed ("Haar- und Barterlass")

* April 2009: Protagonists will be singled out

* May - September 2010: The 41th. Passion Play takes place.