Timpkenfest
The Timpkenfest , also known as " Wittekindspende ", is celebrated in the East Westphalian town of Enger on January 6th, Epiphany. After the service, all visitors to the Timpken collegiate church receive (Timpken = little tip: quartered sweet rolls baked from white flour). This tradition probably goes back to the 12th century and was originally feeding the poor. In essence, the Wittekind donation is a "memorial foundation" typical of the Middle Ages in memory of the Saxon Duke Wittekind. He is said to be buried in the collegiate church in Enger and is thus closely linked to the history of the monastery. The exact year the Wittekind donation was founded is not known. The oldest known documentary mention can be found in the land register from 1550 in the form of a delivery obligation by the Vorwerk farm in Westerenger. Until 1842, the farm was obliged to deliver in kind for the donation. The oldest description of the actual festivity comes from Reinecke von Steinheim and was written in 1571.
Numerous stories and legends entwine around the Saxon Duke Wittekind and the Wittekind donation. According to legend, the Saxon Duke Widukind himself ordered the day of his death to support those in need with the distribution of timepieces. Since then, the distribution of the Timpken has been carried out by ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries of the city.
Web links
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- Herford Yearbook 1978-79 , Volume 19-20 - Contributions to the history of the monastery, the city and the Herford district, / Maximilian-Verlag Herford 1979 / ISBN 3-7869-0126-0 / Chapter: The Wittekind donation by Rudolf Härting p. 33 -89 (The appendix contains a comprehensive list of sources for historical and documentary mentions)
- Antje Schipporeit: A quarter of a mares is a Timpken , article in the Neue Westfälische No. 5, local section, on Friday, January 7, 2000
Coordinates: 52 ° 8 ′ 22.6 ″ N , 8 ° 33 ′ 32.4 ″ E