The Oberammergau Passion Play 2020
18th Jan 2018 Travel
The world-famous Passion Play returns to the beautiful village of Oberammergau for its 42nd performance in 2020. Join Reader’s Digest for a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience this powerful “play of life and death” on the Austrian Delight nine-day guided tour of Bavaria and Austria.
Since 1634, the most famous Passion Play in the world has taken place in Oberammergau. The premier of the 42nd Passion Play will be on May 16, 2020 and will continue to run until the beginning of October. With five performances weekly, this five-hour epic is a tradition, maintained and experienced almost without interruption for over 380 years—it takes place every ten years and portrays the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. It’s regarded as the most important Passion Play in the world and around 500,000 people are expected to visit this beautiful village at the edge of the Bavarian Alps to experience the play in 2020.
THE PLAY
The play In the middle of the Thirty Years War, after months of suffering and death from the plague, the people of Oberammergau 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, and it’s been said that not a single person fell victim to the plague after this time.
"Due to a play law, everyone taking part must have been born in Oberammergau, or lived in the village for at least 20 years."
Today, the play is a polished production, but in its heart there remains a powerful act of worship symbolising an unwavering commitment to an ancestral vow that has continued throughout the centuries. Due to a play law, everyone taking part must have been born in Oberammergau, or lived in the village for at least 20 years. Altogether, there will be more than 2,000 Oberammergau villagers taking part. From Ash Wednesday 2019, all of the performers follow the age-old tradition where they have to stop cutting their hair and beards so they have an authentic biblical appearance.
THE TOUR
If you want a truly spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime experience then this is not to be missed. Tickets for the 2020 Passion Play are included in the Reader’s Digest nine-day Austrian Delight Guided tour. Our tour combines this unmissable performance with the opportunity to experience the breathtaking landscapes of Bavaria including Oberammergau and the Bavarian capital of Munich, and embrace the beauty of the Austrian Alps with quaint villages, pristine lakes and the fertile valleys of Innsbruck and Salzburg.
Tour prices start from £2,499 pp and include 13 meals. Not including flights.
Reader's Digest readers receive an exclusive 5% off this price.
You'll also get the opportunity to:
- Enjoy 3 nights in the imperial city of Innsbruck and the musical city of Salzburg.
- Visit Linderhof Palace, one of the most artistic and stylistically complex ensembles of the 19th century.
- Explore historic Salzburg, birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart, and location of the beloved film
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
To find out more call 0800 804 8373 or click here to visit our Guided Tours website.
