Hospitality perfected

The object of our search was indeed the famous Play, but to set out on such an endeavor is itself an adventure. It begins when the tickets are purchased (which in this case was a year in advance). It's not impossible to purchase just tickets to the play, but its far more practical and economical to purchase the package deal, which includes accommodations in one of the multitude of B&Bs in Oberammergau or its environs. Each of these has its own charm, and affords the locals a chance to welcome the travellers as pilgrims have been in these parts for the past (almost) 400 years.

In recent times, the Passion Play is performed every ten years (at the beginning of the decade, five times a week from mid-May through to the beginning of October. The cast and crew include some 2800 humans, and a variety of animals of various stripes (the donkey is real, as are the sheep, the camels and even the doves).

Since the play takes place with such frequency and before such crowds (there are about 4800 spectators at each performance, and they don't stick around for more than about 24 or 36 hours at a time), there are major questions about where to lodge them all (problem solved thanks to the cooperation of the townsfolk and those of neighbouring hamlets), and how to feed them (and this includes the evening meal when they arrive, as well as three meals the next day, and perhaps breakfast before they leave). Well, when you've done this stuff for so long, you learn how to do it and do it efficiently. Each guest is treated to hot meals (yes, all three of them per day) and all meals are served within a period of 90 minutes in order to permit guests to return to the theatre for the continuation of the spectacle.

In the off years, the villagers are also famous for wood carving, so these are other delicacies which must be viewed if not purchased while the pilgrim is within reach of such opportunities. The theatrical production is absolutely top notch, but it is evident that the tradtion continues. The aim of this endeavor is not Hollywood stardom, but the perpetuation of a vow which was made by the ancestors of those who call this Bavarian town home, one to be taken with utmost seriousness, to be venerated and to be shared with people from around the world.

What a fitting end to a most revealing pilgrimage!