Instead of the walk-in room, this year there is a film from the Georgsheim in Ehrenkirchen.
. So that the Easter garden in Ehrenkirchen does not have to fail for the second time in a row due to corona, those responsible have come up with an online version for this year. Two films for adults and children show the various stations, while speakers tell the story of Easter. You can currently see the children’s version on YouTube, the adult version will follow every day from Palm Sunday with a new sequence. Next year, the Easter garden should take place on site again if possible.
Last year, Corona thwarted the Ostergarten team – that shouldn’t happen again this year. “It was important to us that the Easter Garden continues to be present,” explains organizer Ralf Elmlinger. Last year, many were disappointed with the corona-related failure of the Easter garden, “it was clear that we had to do something this year”. An Easter garden film is the best alternative; visits via registration and fixed appointments would not have done justice to the large number of visitors.
“It’s kind of like normal tours,” says Elmlinger. A spokesman told the story in front of the respective scenes, in some cases scenic excerpts were to be seen such as feet walking over the clothes of the Jews when entering Jerusalem. “We wanted the Easter Garden to continue to be identical to the people who have been organizing it since 2004.”
For the shooting, helpers set up the scenery on the Georgsheim grounds. Overall, it was less work, reports construction worker Matthias Schlageter, who, together with his two sons, brought in muscle power from a household – a great advantage under corona conditions. Many helpers volunteered, but had to be turned away because the number of people was limited. “Otherwise there are around 50 people who run the Easter garden for three weeks,” says Elmlinger. “Now we were nine people including the film crew.”
Said film team mainly consisted of Pastor Fritz Breisacher and amateur filmmaker Matthias Frey. Both can now have some experience in the film business: During the first lockdown, the Protestant parish began to acquire the necessary equipment for its own video impulses.
The parish has the necessary film equipment
“We are now very well equipped and have also been trained in terms of being in front of the camera and the technology,” says Breisacher. Filming took two days, and it took him a week to edit the two versions. The film for children and young people is already online, “so that you can still use it in class,” explains Elmlinger. The approximately 20-minute version is intended to present the scenes of the Easter story, some of which are characterized by violence, in a way that is suitable for children and schools. The adult version is longer and is divided into six sequences from the entry into Jerusalem to the resurrection: each scene lasts between five and ten minutes. From Palm Sunday on, a sequence is to be activated every day, and at Easter you can watch the film in full.
Even if a virtual visit to the Easter garden lacks the community experience, Elmlinger even sees an important advantage: “In the past few years we had to keep turning people away because of the huge crowd. Nevertheless, he and Pastor Breisacher hope for a normal Easter garden in the coming year. “There is no interaction with the visitors,” explains Fritz Breisacher. “If it is possible again next year, we will certainly let the Easter Garden take place materially again.” In 2022 you would be back to the normal, biennial rhythm.
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