The Chance of a Lifetime: Passion Play 2010
Trailer to the epic event of the decade:
It’s a timeless tale. When the humble Bavarian village of Oberammergau, Germany was infiltrated with bubonic plague in the 1600s, many of the townspeople fell victim to the widespread European pandemic. In 1634, the village performed a Passion Play, making a pact with God and asking their village be spared from The Black Death. As the legend goes, no villagers fell victim to the plague from that moment on. To this day, villagers perform the Passion of Christ once a decade, with 2010 marking the 41st performance (war and political clashes interrupted a few productions).
The play, performed between May 15th and October 3rd, re-enacts the life, death and resurrection of Christ. More than half of the local villagers perform; all amateur actors and many descendants of the original performers that took to the stage more than 375 years ago. As visitors from around the globe flock to this picturesque village to see the renowned play, participants rehearse for nearly a year to perfect the performance. Behind the scenes, seamstresses, costumers and organizers come together to ensure a smooth production. The score, performed by a 60-member orchestra, is more than 200 years old and known for being as powerful and moving as the play itself.
Set in the Ammer River valley, Oberammergau has hosted the play in the same theater since 1820, with the sweeping Ammergau Alps in the distance. Collette Vacations is delighted to offer 8 packages to Europe that feature this amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. See the play on a 10-day tour of Switzerland, Austria, and Bavaria, or in 12-day excursion throughout Italy’s historic cities of Rome, Florence and Venice. Other tours include exotic locales such as France, Croatia and Austria.
The time is now. This doesn’t happen everyday. (It doesn’t even happen every year).
posted by Travel Bug
Nicole Sullivan, Supervisor of Branding & Communications
Collette Vacations
Tags: Oberammergau & Passion Play, Video
