Biblical Volksfeste – the Lumbrein Passion Play

Passion plays used to have a long tradition in Graubünden, especially in Romansh-speaking, predominantly Catholic areas. The best-known today are probably the Passion plays of Lumbrein and Sumvitg – not least because one of them is said to have claimed a life.

But first, what exactly is a Passion play? Passion plays depict the suffering of Jesus – staged with considerable effort and, historically, with great public enthusiasm. In Lumbrein, for instance, almost the entire village took part in such performances during the 19th century, and likely already in the 18th. People travelled from far and wide to witness the portrayal of Christ’s suffering and death – including visitors from Sumvitg, where a Passion play was soon held as well. During one such performance, however, the actor playing Jesus was allegedly mistreated on the cross to such an extent that he actually died…

Whether true or not, the Passion plays remained firmly embedded in collective memory. The tradition continued in later open-air productions – for example in Vella in 2003 – and in Gion Deplazes’ 1964 novel Passiun. And on Porta Cultura, visitors can even view surviving photographs of the Lumbrein Passion plays.