Püttbierfest
The Püttbierfest is a traditional festival in Jever in the district of Friesland and some surrounding places. It is celebrated every year on the Monday after the Epiphany (January 6th).
history
The tradition goes back to the Jever fountain regulation of 1756 , which the city authorities of Jever under Prince Friedrich August von Anhalt-Zerbst (1734–1793) issued on October 9, 1756. This ordinance regulates in detail how the Jeverans have to take care of their public (public) drinking water wells (Low German Pütten , from Latin puteus ).
Every public well has a püttacht , a delimited urban district originally consisting of 15 to 20 houses, which has to maintain and look after the well. On the Monday after the Epiphany, the members of each Püttacht elect their Püttmeister ( well master ). The incumbent Püttmeister hands over the Püttbuch and the well devices to his successor. The well equipment also includes the Söker , a hook for pulling out objects that have fallen into the well, which is a symbol of the dignity of the Püttmeister.
The annual income and expenses are recorded in the putt book , which are checked during the business part of the meeting by the members of each püttacht. After the accounts have been submitted, each member certified his agreement with his signature. This was followed by the cozy part with the celebration of the actual Püttbier festival.
At the expense of the new Püttmeister there is a celebration and Püttbier songs are sung. The oldest Püttbier songbook is the publication Sechs Jeversche Püttbier-Lieder by A. W. Cramer from 1820.
With the introduction of modern water pipes, the wells lost their function for supplying drinking water to the Jever population. As a neighborhood folk custom, the Püttbierfest continues to be celebrated.
literature
- Karl Fissen: Jever. Folklore from a small town and its landscape , Jever 1960, pp. 185–191
Web links
- Püttbier on Friesland-Jever, private website ( Memento from October 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive )