NO /950.
SIXTY-SECOND YEAR.
Tyrolese Passion Plays Reach 6th Centenary Record Audiences Attend at Thiersee their task in the old established Tyrolese fashion as a sort of divine service. Origin and History.
Alois Kaindl, the Christus of the Thiersee Passion Play.
HIS year the picturesque village of Thiersee has celebrated the 600th. anniversary of the famous Tyrolese Passion Plays and the audiences, which have been exceptionally large, promise to exceed in the aggregate last year's figThe performure of 25,000. ances began in August and were continued each Sunday until the end of September.
The play of Thiersee has its origin in the . South Tyrolese Procession Plays of Bozen (now Bolzano), which were composed Katharina Juffinger, who takes the in the period from 1330 to 1340. part of Our Lady. In 1341 the citizens of Bozen made a vow that they would perform the religious play every From Bozen the religious play three years if. as is stated in the spread to other places in the documents, a severe locust pla- Tyrol, among them Thiersee. gue were ended. There the plays of "St. Nicholas," "The Arrant Rogue Anti041. 40. -4141.--040---.04.--41141.1411.---00-04. 1100-00.-41111.--• Christ," "St. Barbara." and "The Fall of the Angels" were famous.
Spanish Primate Thanks Irish
The principal players, as in Oberammergau, have for decades been members of old Thiersee families, but there is hardly one house that does not provide at leasi one of the 300 players required for the play. The character of the Saviour is played carpenter, Alois Kaindl. by Alois Kaindl has taken part in the pily since 1895, and since 1921 he has played the character of the Saviour. Three of his brothers prominent parts. Hereditary
enact
Talent.
The family of Juffinger furnishes the play with some prominent actors. The talent seems to be. hereditary in that family, for one of the ancestors, the peasant and poet, Josef Juffinger, notably played the Christus 50 years ago. Now it is Katharina Juffinger, who, in the role of the Mother of God, is greatly responsible for the impressiveness of the play. The 300 persons taking part in the play are simple peasants, wood-cutters, tradesmen, teachers, foresters. the daughters of peasants, and the children of Thiersee, all of whom consider
In 1799 a group of prominent r esidents of Thiersee promised in the name of the village that the Play of the Passion of the Lord would be regularly performed on certain dates. The vow was made in the face of the danger of war. When, in consequence of the wars of those times. Tvrol was transferred to Bavaria, the Bavarian Govt., \\- hich professed free-thinking. I rollibited all religious plays. A petition of the people of Thiersee to the King of Bavaria asking for a repeal of the prohibition was not granted. It was not until 1811 that it was possible, with the assistance of the Crown Prince of Bavaria, to obtain permission for a resumption of the plays.
When the Tyrol became Austrian territory again, the plays ot Thiersee 'were eagerly resumed. Shortly before the outbreak oi Cardinal Goma, Primate of the Great War, Abbot Jacobus Spain, has sent the following Reimer, 0.S.B., and the comtelegram to the secretary of the poser. Vincent Goller, gave the Irish Christian Front, Dublin: performance a new artistic "In this hour of suffering, the stamp. In 1927 Thiersee erectmessage of sympathetic union ed a large new play house, situwith us and the cause from the ated at a picturesque - lake and wonderful Irish Catholic people accommodating 1,200 persons. is a magnificent encouragement 1.41. .4.111.-.11411.+041. 1111.0-41,410. 411.40-411.1111. 111114110-4111140-41,410. for which the Hierarchy, priests and religious and all Spanish Catholics are profoundly grateful. Mav the blood of so many martyrs prove fruitful in a re -furnishing of religion and Christian virtues in our beloved country." H.E. CARDINAL GOMA Y TOMAS, Primate of Spain.
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