The Pasca - Passion play

A few years back we were fortunate to visit an exotic place in Yercaud where our friends had built an equally exotic house. Of the four grounds  plot that has been sold, the purchase agreement says  one is allowed to build  just on one ground of land  allowing the rest for greenery! The seller was indeed a green lover!!

As we went  for an early morning around the 56 acre gated community and  verdant beauty we were introduced to the gardener whom  our friends thought was an enigma. Apart from tending the gardens with great care and love that son of the soil was a  medicine man par excellence. That particular day a man was celebrating the birth of a child after 14 years of marriage! He was thanking the gardener who was responsible for this miracle with his herbal medicine! We were overwhelmed! The gardener, Mr.  Mariannan was like a well chiseled sculpture with a baritone voice and as we were  congratulating him on his  wonder medicine our friend told him that we are Christians too. This made Mariannan very enthusiastic and turning to us he said; "Aha.... Sir then you should have witnessed a pasca (passion play) during the Lenten season". We replied in the positive and told him that even in our village it was customary to celebrate the washing of the feet on few Thursdays in the Lenten season by each family in remembrance of the last supper of Jesus and that two weeks back we took part in that ritual.

He said that  in the local pasca  he was  one among the  key actor which takes place in Yercaud on the 6th week of Lenten season every year. When we wanted to know the role he played in the show he informed us that he was John the Baptist who was the precursor  to Jesus. It seemed that the drama reached  its crescendo when Herodias, wife of Herod demanded John the Baptist’s head as her birthday present which was cut off and offered in a platter to her!! Such was his powerful performance that most of the audience would leave the place as if it was the end of the show and not the  crucifixion  of Jesus! Mariannan was laughing with pride when he shared this information with us.

As we walked along I remembered the first and Pasca I attended.  I was eight then and  went to my aunt's place in Michaelpatti a small village of our relatives. I got the fright of my life when the relatives came into the house to chat. Most of them had long beards and moustache! My aunt explained that were going to play various roles in the passion play. She also added that on these  40 days of the Lenten season peace prevailed over  the village since the actors fasted on all days and  most important they avoided booze and paan chewing.

The show started on Good Friday and went on through Easter Sunday. The whole village was in a festive mood with the sprouting  sweet meat shops with their pink and green offerings. Bangle shops  vied with one another to tempt the  ladies. The balloon man laughed along with the sticky sweet seller with his fare in a long wooden rod who could magically produce 'vibgyor' edible watches and bangles! With one anna and half an anna  gift from my various relatives I was indeed rich and my cousins lead me to these various shops where I became a provider. And as a sort of recompense to the Lord we made occasional visit to the church in between!!

The piety with which the Good Friday rites were conducted in our  house was totally lost in this festive mood.  We didn't attend any way of the cross. For a change I didn't mind and enjoyed the ambience with the guilt pushed to the outer most corner. But if only my mother had known these facts it was doubtful if mother would have allowed me this trip at all!

People running around to get ready for the show filled the village with anticipation. A stage was set up In the huge church ground and villagers  reserved their seats by sprinkling water and spreading the mats at the vantage points The show would go through the whole night and we children had the advantage  of  snoozing within five minutes unto the show  in the cold breeze from river Caveri!

Now back in the present at Yercaud, our friend was saying; " We haven't heard about such a show at all. May be this year we will go and witness Marianna's " our friends said

" Why don't you go to the village of Oberammergau in Germany  where the world's greatest passion show is happening?" I said

"Is it?"

" You know  the   villagers of Oberammergau  were  enacting the show from 1634.In the  year 1632 a bubonic plague was ravaging the region and the death rate among the adults rose. The villagers prayed  that if God spared them from this   they would produce a play thereafter for all the time depicting the life and death of Jesus. The death rate among adults slowly subsided. The villagers kept their part of the promise to the Lord . The whole village participated in the show. But what was once a village show had turned into an international show extending to 5 months once in 10 years ! And even in this international show the villagers are part and parcel of it."

" It would be interesting if  we all plan to go together."

" The next show is happening in the year 2020."

" God willing............ If not our Mariannan's show is available all the time... ha... ha....."

We continued the  walk.

" I also have an interesting anecdote in this regard." my husband went on with the passion talk.

 "This happened in a village near Dindugal. The passion play was at the climax when Jesus was to be nailed to the cross. The cross was laid on the stage and Jesus was  pushed  unto it by the Roman soldiers. One of soldier dramatically brought in big nails. The audience was in tears.  As the Roman soldier raised the hammer the spectators were literally crying. As the hammer went down with big thud into the cross ,a screaming Jesus jumped off the cross and pointing his bleeding finger at the Roman soldier he gave out a  ******* word  and shouted " Mind where you are putting the nail you son of a fool.......  never ever  on the finger but in between the fingers..... you******* idiot." So saying Jesus Christ went back , stretched his hands and laid himself on the cross!! The most passionate of  part of the show turned into laughing event! The funniest part was that the Roman soldier happened to be his own son and whether he  was sleepy or did it on purpose was questionable even to this day!

Our laughter continued till we finished our walk at the water falls!!