WATANI International
28 June 2009
In 1633 the Black plague rampaged through Europe, killing thousands. For months, the small village of Oberammergau managed to keep the dreaded disease at bay, mainly because of its remote location in the Bavarian Alps. Eventually the epidemic struck the nearby town of Ettal. Alas, late one evening a villager who had been away, home-sick for his family, stole back into the town and unknowingly brought the plague to his people. Within a few months 84 villagers had died.
The Oath
In July 1633 the survivors gathered and made a solemn oath to God: if He spared them from further deaths, they would perform every ten years a day-long play depicting Jesus’ death and Resurrection. According to the story passed down through the generations, God heard them and there were no more deaths. In 1634 the townspeople performed their Passion Play for the first time. Eventually their vow was adopted by their children and their descendants. To this day, the villagers of Oberammergau have kept their promise virtually unbroken—except during WWII, when it was not possible to perform.
Today, an enormous modern theatre has been built in the town centre where the Passion Plays continue to be performed every decade, rain or shine. Some half a million lucky tourists get to attend.
Apart from every 10th year when the play is on show, Oberammergau is a sleepy town with quiet streets, wonderful shops full of wood carvings and cuckoo clocks, and small inns where hearty Bavarian cooking is served up with friendly smiles and Bavarian tranquillity.
Promise kept
Drawing crowds from all over the world, the Passion Play of Oberammergau is a musical drama of epic dimensions. It is staged every 10 years from May to October and renowned as the longest running play in history.
The musical drama follows the life of Jesus from the time He entered Jerusalem through to the Resurrection. Most of the Passion Play is sung opera-style with a full orchestra and chorus providing a rich musical backdrop.
The modern play takes place on an open-air stage with a covered auditorium seating 4,700. With a total cast of one thousand, the play boasts 130 speaking parts and hundreds of smaller parts. To be eligible for a role, the person must have either been born in Oberammergau or lived there 20 years. Virtually everyone’s life is dominated by the play. More than 2,000 villagers are directly involved, both on and behind the stage. In addition to the performers there are 50 members each in the orchestra and chorus, and many who work as set and costume designers, electricians, stagehands, etc. Still others cater to the thousands of visitors who come to see the play.
Eyam village: an exercise in selflessness
The quiet village of Eyam in Derbyshire, England, also has a fascinating, yet tragic story to tell. At the end of August 1665 bubonic plague arrived at the house of the village tailor George Vicars, via a parcel of cloth from London. The cloth was damp and was hung out in front of the fire to dry thus releasing the plague-infested fleas. On 7 September 1665, George Vicars, the first plague victim, died of a raging fever. As the plague took hold and decimated the villagers it was decided to hold the church services outdoors at nearby Cucklett Delf and, on the advice of rector William Mompesson and the previous incumbent Thomas Stanley, villagers stayed within the confines of the village to minimise the spread of the disease.
To minimise cross infection, food and other supplies were left outside the village, at either the Boundary Stones, or at Mompesson’s Well, high above the village. The Earl of Devonshire, who lived at Chatsworth House, freely donated food and medical supplies.
On 25th August 1666 Catherine Mompesson, wife of the recently appointed rector William Mompesson, aged 28, died of the plague. She had loyally stayed with her husband and tended the sick, only to become a victim herself.
The Plague in Eyam raged for 14 months and claimed the lives of at least 260 villagers. By November 1666 it had run its course and claimed its last victim. Eyam’s selfless villagers, with their strong Christian convictions, had shown immense personal courage and self-sacrifice. They had prevented the plague from spreading to other parishes, but many paid the ultimate price for their commitment.
Today, almost 350 years later, a remembrance service is still held every Plague Sunday (the last Sunday in August) at Cucklett Delf, Eyam.