In a few weeks, I'm going to see a 5 hour passion play in the town of Oberammergau in Bavaria. The play only takes place every 10 years in this town from about May-Oct. It involves over 2000 actors, singers, instrumentalists and technicians. You can only be in the play if you are a residents of the village (there are only about 5,000 residents of the town). They must also be people of high moral and ethical principles. Villagers also make their own costumes. As no wigs are used, participants must grow their hair and beards for several months prior to the performances, beginning on Ash Wednesday 2009 according to the "Hair Decree."
The Oberammergau Passion Play was first performed in 1635 and is the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village that if God spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague then sweeping the region they would perform a passion play every ten years.
I'm so excited because I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity while I'm living over here- if I missed it this year, I'd have to wait until 2020. I'm lucky to have gotten a ticket because I think it's been sold out for a while- people were talking about getting their tickets last summer when I was here. I'm going with a big group of people I met from Club Beyond this past summer so that should be fun to catch up with them too.
