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Intangible cultural heritage

Traditions, knoweldge, craftsmanship techniques  
Photo: © UNESCO/James Muriuki

Laßnitz Folk Plays
Performing arts in Carinthia, Styria, inscribed 2016

The Laßnitz Folk Plays ("Laßnitzer Volksschauspiele") are performed at irregular, multi-year intervals in the village of Steirisch Laßnitz. No one knows when these plays originated or who created them. All of these plays are themed on local customs and medieval beliefs pertaining to the Christian liturgies for Easter and Christmas. Out of an originally large number of plays, only five have been preserved.

The origins of these lie in the Catholic liturgy and in Medieval mystery plays. The individual plays relate events and parables from the Bible, from legends about the saints, and from more general legends and folk stories. Today, there remain five plays to choose from that are staged approximately every three years: Das Spiel vom reichen Prasser und dem armen Lazarus [The Play about the Rich Wastrel and Poor Lazarus] is thought to be the oldest and is performed together with the Schäferspiel [Shepherd Play]. The Paradiesspiel [Paradise Play] portrays the creation of man, expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and forgiveness by the Son of God. The Hirtenspiel [Pastoral Play] portrays the birth of Christ beginning with the annunciation by the angel to Mary and ending with the escape of the Holy Family to Egypt, and the Genovevaspiel [Play of Genoveva] deals with the legend of the Countess Palatine Genoveva of Brabant. The texts are written in an antiquated version of the local dialect, are either prose or rhymed, and are frequently delivered as songs; the gestures and facial expressions to be used are to a large extent predetermined.

The Laßnitz Folk Plays were originally performed in the parlours of rural homes and later on at inns, as well. Today, the community’s cultural centre is used—with the backdrop consisting of a simple curtain. There is no stage scenery, and props are used only sparingly, for which reason the audience must use its imagination in receiving what happens onstage. The director is responsible for keeping the scripts, setting the performance date, and selecting the year’s play and players.

Contact

Raphael Bacher
8850 Murau
raphael.bacher@aon.at

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