Oberammergau, a village lives its passion

Oberammergau is an idyllic village that seems straight out of a picture book. The balconies are overflowing with flowers. Frescoes decorate many facades, recounting scenes from the life of yesteryear, legends and tales.

These painted facades date back to the 18th century, when citizens and wealthy farmers had them decorated with religious motifs. Wood carvers have set up shop, in the restaurants conviviality is a must, and a vast network of hiking trails invites you to take a deep breath of fresh air in this smiling and green landscape.

Strolling through the streets, we come across people in traditional dress, dirndel and leather pants.

What is surprising is the number of children, women and men with long hair and, for the latter, neat beards.
The explanation: it is the season of the Passion Games, represented every 10 years and in which many villagers participate; provided they were born in Oberammergau or have lived there for at least 20 years. Sepp, a valiant nonagenarian, is in his 10th participation: "I was on stage in my mother's arms," he explains. It's part of our DNA, and there are several generations of the same family on stage. The oldest extra is almost a hundred years old! ". For many inhabitants, the Passion is a real passion. Moreover, there are even couples who form there!

Like his parents, the current mayor, Andreas Rödl, also participates. “As a chorister, he wishes to clarify. I'm not a good enough actor. The Passion Games are our heritage and it concerns the whole village. All the actors and extras, the choristers, the musicians, the costume designers, the decorators, the people who work behind the scenes…. All are part of our village community. And all of them agree to put their private and professional lives on hold for several months in order to ensure the continuity of the Games and the 100 performances which last until October”.

Actors, musicians, singers and….camels

The tradition goes back to the year 1634, when the plague epidemic decimated the populations. The inhabitants of Oberammergau then take an oath to play the Passion of Christ regularly if the plague spares their village where so many inhabitants had died already. Since that day, no one dies – at least not from the plague.
With the exception of rare interruptions due to political events or recently the Covid pandemic, the games take place every ten years. With spectators flocking from all over the world, a partially covered 4,000-seat open-air theater was built.

Several scenes from the life of Jesus are presented, his arrival in Jerusalem, the crucifixion, the resurrection.

In the background, a few fixed pictures recount scenes from the Old Testament.

The impressive performance of the choir and the orchestra (the music is inspired by works by the composer Rochus Dedler, 1179-1822) underline the poignant acting of the actors directed with great … passion by the stage manager Christian Stückl, director of the Munich Volkstheater, born in Oberammergau, of course. He knows the words of each dialogue, of each song. Under his direction, the show is extremely lively, poignant. To the point that even non-german speakers are won over by emotion. There is also a booklet of texts in english.

Oh yes, and there is even a whole bestiary on stage: goats, doves, chickens, donkeys, horses and… camels!

Jesus in our era

Wars, exodus, epidemics, struggle between rich and poor, reconciliation… The history of the Bible is strangely contemporary. In the context of the current pandemic, climate crisis, war in Ukraine, poverty and famine, Christian Stückl sees “his” Jesus as an energetic man with a strong voice. From 1990, the director profoundly modernized the Passion Games, giving more weight to women, removing all Christian anti-Judaism: Jesus was Jewish, and his crucifixion the result of conflicts within the Jewish community. He recevied the Isaiah Award for Exemplary Interreligious Leadershib by the American Jewish Committee (AJC.  For the first time, also two inhabitants of Muslim origin take a leading role.

On the evening of the last performance on October 2, the show continues after the show. This time in the local barber shops to shave the actors and extras! Only the Romans and the angels have not been obliged to wear beards and long hair... But on the night of October 2, fathers and grandfathers of very young children were not allowed to have their beards cut: babies could be traumatized by seeing them the next day!

 Here is a little preview during a rehearsal:

Abbeys and castles

The small town in its alpine setting is also the perfect starting point for discovering some of the jewels of this region in the north of the Alps. Among the must-sees, there are obviously the castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof of Ludwig II of Bavaria, the imposing rococo abbey of Ettal or the charming church of Wies.