Tradition in Oberammergau

Many traditions in Germany may seem quaint. But they are deeply rooted — connected to religious practice, beliefs and historic events that have shaped the country's culturally diverse regions. To visitors on package tours, the Oberammergau Passion Play is a stop between Rome and Prague. But to the villagers themselves, it's a promise to God, who they believe has been on their side since the Middle Ages.

When this provincial backwater near Garmisch-Partenkirchen was ravaged by the bubonic plague in 1633, the villagers swore to perform the Passion of Christ every ten years if only the dying would stop. It did, and they have kept their vow ever since.

Passion plays were widespread throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, but today you will find them only in Catholic Bavaria and Austria. Oberammergau is the biggest such play. More than 2,000 villagers, or about half the population, work on the production together for over a year every ten years, dedicating all of their free time after their day jobs to the project. The rules are clear: All participants must have been born in the town or have lived there for at least 20 years. A "hair and beard decree" says that the hairdresser is off-limits to the actors, and the men are not allowed to shave for more than a year before the performance. This demonstration of long-haired, bearded Bavarian Catholic piety in a town known for its religious wood carvers and crucifixes culminates in the five-hour musical play performed by more than 800 actors for five months, from May through October. This year it is directed by Christian Stückl, manager of the famous Volkstheater Munich. To the busloads of tourists it's no more than a show, a German Disneyland, and Protestant northern Germans think the Bavarians are a bit medieval, anyway. But to the villagers, it's their personal pilgrimage, an authentic tradition that guarantees their economic livelihood.

Can you describe the deeper meaning of old German traditions to a visitor? Try our exercise on the next page.

Anne Hodgson