In 1633 the citizens of the Bavarian town of Oberammergau in southern Germany and the nearby villages along the same valley made a vow to perform the Passion of Jesus if God spared them from the plague that was indiscriminately killing people throughout Germany. No one in the village died, and since that year, a Passion Play has been performed forty-one times, once roughly every ten years.
Set to begin this May, an announcement has been made that the Passion Play of Oberammergau has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic and has been rescheduled for 2022. This year was scheduled to see 103 performances from May to October with thousands of spectators from all over the world. This world renowned performance casts approximately 2,500 people.
This is not the first time the Passion Play has been cancelled. The three years it has been either cancelled or postponed are: 1770, 1920 and 1940.
With over 20,000 cases of coronavirus in the country, the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, is in quarantine after the doctor who vaccinated her recently against pneumonia tested positive for COVID-19. The country currently does not allow groups of three or more to gather in public unless they live in the same household or are connected by work.
The citizens of Oberammergau must be deeply disappointed that the Passion Play has been rescheduled, but there is no way to continue forward with the play this year. I will check once the pandemic ends if all the citizens of the town were spared from COVID-19.
Pictures are mine, all rights reserved. Bavaria, 2009
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