The history of the Oewerpetters

Already after the end of the war in 1945, "Aunt Herta" began to pass on and cultivate the songs and folk dances learned by her mother. In 1971 she founded a Wendland folk dance and costume group. The dances and songs are reminiscent of the Wenden, a Slavic ethnic group that led a life of its own in this area for a long time. Together with her daughter Undine, she founded the folk dance and costume group "De Öwerpetters" in 1976. This group was formed as a youth group with pupils between the ages of 13 and 18. The first performances took place in the same year in front of the parents of the young people and at village festivals. The first "great" performance was at the Harvest Festival in Schnega, the Vörgodendeelsdag. The Wendland singer Carla Lodders made her first television appearance in 1978. They travelled to Mainz to represent Lower Saxony during the English Queen's visit to Germany. Invitations to other groups extended the scope beyond the county boundaries and long-standing friendships developed. The participation in costume festivals resulted in further contacts. In 1981, "De Öwerpetters" celebrated its 5th anniversary with a parade on the multi-purpose square in Lüchow. In addition, an additional children's group was founded. At the age of 14, the children can then switch to the "big" Öwerpetters. A new highlight was the television appearance in 1982 in Lübeln and Hitzacker; for ZDF in the program "When the Music Comes", with stars such as Maria Hellwig, Helga Feddersen and Heino. This was followed by the live broadcast "Talk op platt" of the NDR in Hitzacker and the ZDF Sunday concert. In total, there were more than 26 television appearances up to 1996. Many more followed, however, until 2009. Although the management of the group has long since passed to her daughter Undine, Aunt Herta did not miss the task of playing the accordion herself on her 80th birthday in 1987. The songs, some of them traditional and partly composed by Aunt Herta, tell stories of Wendland's everyday life in the local Platt. Today, the group consists of members aged 5 to 75.