Oberammergau is a little town in Germany with an amazing story. Many years ago, in 1632, Oberammergau was on the cusp the Black Plague. The people of Oberammergau made a vow to God that if he spared their town from the inevitable plague, they would regularly perform the Passion Play as a sign of repentance. After this pledge, incredibly, in fact miraculously, no one died.
So in 1634, the first Passion Play was staged in the town. Since 1680 the play has performed on the first year of each decade. Other than during WWII and in 1770, the Oberammergau Passion Play has performed uninterrupted every decade
The Oberammergau Passion Play transforms the whole village. In the last Passion Play in 2010, there were 2,000 adults and children involved. The stage, the costuming, the whole amphitheatre is transformed.
One fascinating part of the story is that only locals who have lived in the village for at least 20 years or have been born there can be in the play. The Passion Play in 2010 was sold out within days of tickets being released to wholesalers, so the tradition and popularity continues today. Many who have experienced it say it is an amazing ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience.
As you can imagine, the Passion Play experience is on many travellers bucket-list.
Selah has put together a variety of tour opportunities built around going to the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2020. To view the total range of tours below:
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