| | Oberammergau | | | This is intended to give you background on the 2010 Oberammergau Passion Play and how you can experience it on a European tour.First, the Passion Play. A play of life and death, promised in a moment of mortal threat - so began the history of the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1633. In the middle of the Thirty Years War, after months of suffering and death from the plague, the Oberammergauers swore an oath that they would perform the "Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years. At Pentecost 1634, they fulfilled their pledge for the first time on a stage they put up in the cemetery above the fresh graves of the plague victims. Subsequently, the plague largely passed them by. In the year 2000, the Community of Oberammergau performed the Passion Play they have preserved throughout the centuries with singular continuity for the 40th time. (Except in 1770 by order of the Ecclesiastical Council of the Elector in Bavaria, in 1920 due to the war – it was performed in 1922 instead, and in 1940 during World War 2.Now, more than 2,000 Oberammergauers, actors, singers, instrumentalists and stage technicians bring to the stage those events Christianity regards as its central source of life and hope in approximately six hours of playing time.The open air stage is big enough to hold 700 actors and the centurion’s horse, plus a fifty-voice choir. A shell covers the 5,000 seat auditorium so visitors are comfortably protected from the elements. There are 16 acts and 34 changes of scenery. Between the acts, there are still-life portrayals of Old Testament events. For example, a still life portrayal of the angel driving Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden precedes the live action of Christ driving the moneychangers out of the temple. There are 104 speaking parts and about 900 non-speaking parts, including 350 children. Another 400 or so work behind the scenes as ushers, electricians, ticket-takers, wardrobers, singers, and stagehands.Testament Tours incorporates The Passion Play into a tour of supportive religious significance. We have sent as many as nine busloads to each Passion Play in 1980, 1984 (a special 350th anniversary), 1990, 2000 and now we’re planning for 2010. The play is performed 5 days a week from May 15 to Oct 3, 2:30 pm to 10:30 pm with a dinner break from 5-8 pm.Second, you are accompanied by a host as a member of the group, who will be available to answer questions about Bible stories, religious & spiritual matters, and generally facilitate friendship among the participants.All the details like working with the driver on routing, hotel check in, luggage porterage, meal and sightseeing arrangements are looked after by the multilingual Tour Director/Manager whom we employ to be with the group from beginning to end, plus knowledgeable local guides that make their towns so interesting.A Passion Play tour results in new friendships that continue through the years. The year 2010 may seem a long way in the future, but based on our experience, it will sell out early in the new year. Inquire now! Contact abc@abc.ca or call toll-free in North America 1-800-267-8526.We currently offer a choice of tour dates in September 2010 that could travel to your choice of:“Eternal Italy” through Rome and Vatican City, Assisi, Florence, Venice and the Passion
Play (and including a number of other places of significance such as Montecassino, Siena,
Padua, Innsbruck, Munich) or
“The Heart of Europe”, visiting Paris, Heidelberg, Salzburg, munich, Bernkastel-Kues., Versailles, Worms and Giverny.
If this once in a lifetime transforming event is of interest to you, choose the tour that interests you the most and prepare for an unforgettable experience!
Lois & Don Harper | | |
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