Passion Plays and Their Touristic Utilisation: Authenticity or Commercialisation?
Tourism development and the economic benefits that come from tourism have led to the increase and revival of religious celebrations and festivals in the form of events and performances, especially during the Holy Week. Many events such as Passion Plays of Jesus, due to their enduring existence in ti...
| Authors: | ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
The international journal of religious tourism and pilgrimage
Year: 2024, Volume: 12, Issue: 2, Pages: 37-51 |
| Further subjects: | B
Oberammergau
B Passion plays B New Jerusalem B Sordevolo B staged authenticity B touristification B Škofja Loka B commercialisation |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Tourism development and the economic benefits that come from tourism have led to the increase and revival of religious celebrations and festivals in the form of events and performances, especially during the Holy Week. Many events such as Passion Plays of Jesus, due to their enduring existence in time, ‘authenticity’, particularities, originality and the emotions they evoke, capture the attention of both religious people and tourists. These Passion Plays are specific religious-cultural events that consist of depictions of scenes from Jesus Christ’s passion, following the biblical narrations (e.g. the Teaching, the Passion, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection). According to UNESCO (2014), Passion Plays combined with traditional beliefs and the ‘openness’ in the modern era allows for dialogue between generations, religious beliefs and representatives of Orthodoxy. The present study examines the organisation and management of four different Passion Plays that take place in the European and American continents. In particular, the Passion Plays in Oberammergau, Germany, in Sordevolo, Italy, in Škofja Loka, Slovenia, and in New Jerusalem, Brazil are studied. Answers are sought to questions concerning their function as a religious event or a tourist activity or a combination of both. Furthermore, the opinions of both religious people and secular visitors are explored, regarding whether the authentic character of the events is maintained or whether it tends to be turned into a ‘performance’, or ‘spectacle,’ aiming to attract the attention of tourists. |
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| ISSN: | 2009-7379 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The international journal of religious tourism and pilgrimage
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.21427/y2x1-a104 |
