In Oberammergau/Allgäu/Southern Germany, time seems to have ..
In Oberammergau/Allgäu/Southern Germany, time seems to have stood still! Oberammergau is known worldwide for its Passion Play, which only takes place every ten years (most recently in 2022), as well as the local artisans with carvers of the Lord God and the houses decorated with paintings (special term: "Lüftlmalerei"). They often depict scenes from the Passion of Christ or from people's everyday lives.
Since the plague year of 1633, the Passion Plays have been performed regularly following a vow made by the population (to survive the plague). Today, the Oberammergau Passion Play takes place every ten years with the broad participation of the local population. They are the most famous passion plays in the world with over 500,000 visitors each year. Since 1990 (!), (married!) women have also been allowed to take part. The Passion Play is divided into approx. 11 acts (number varies), called a performance. You should take your time. The whole play lasts around 7.5 hours with a long break in between! The more than 2,000 participants in the Passion Play are recruited exclusively from the inhabitants of the municipality. Each leading role is cast twice. The cast is announced in the autumn of the year before the performance. Fun fact: In order to have an authentic hairstyle for the actors and not have to use wigs, there is a hair and beard decree one year before the next performance on Ash Wednesday, in which the mayor asks the performers to let their beards and hair grow. 😂 The musical part of the Passion Play comprises more than 4000 bars and is performed by around 12 soloists, 65 choir singers and 60 orchestral musicians (the number varies depending on the performance. Wow! 🤩 If you have the chance to get a ticket: ABSOLUTELY REALISE IT! Kisses 😘