he Dechenbrueder, or Dechenverein as they are now known, is an association of some 500 people from Luegde who help organize and participate in the Osterraederlauf.
The origins of the Dechenbrueder are not really known, but it has been suggested that their name derives from Dechen, a term used by some crafts-guilds in the Middle-Ages.
In the past the Dechenbrueder were divided into three distinct groups, each of which rolled their easter-wheels down separate slopes around Luegde. Today they are united into a single organization and only one slope, the Osterberg, remains accessible for the Osterraederlauf. [See the Modern History page for more details]
The combustible material used in the Easter wheels is a special kind of threshed rye straw, chosen for its exceptional length. It used to be provided to the Dechenbrueder by the local farmers. However, modern farming methods and machinery no longer make straw that is long enough to be tied into the wheels. In order to obtain straw of the right quality and length the Dechenbrueder have to harvest it themselves, using an old-fashioned harvester and a 50 year old threshing machine, bundling the sheaves by hand.
To prepare the straw for the wheels it is separated into small handfuls and tied together with hazel-wood switches. These switches must be twisted several times to make them pliable and elastic enough to hold the straw together and attach it firmly into the wheel.
Much care is taken in this task as it is essential that the straw does not come loose as the wheels make their bumpy descent down the hill. It takes a total of four Dechenbrueder 45 minutes to fill just one wheel with almost 250 lbs (120 kg) of the specially prepared rye straw.
According to tradition, the wheels are hand-made from seasoned oak wood fashioned by a cartwright; now, however, it is necessary to rely upon the skills of a carpenter as the profession of cartwright has died out.
Each wheel is approximately 5'-7" (1.7 m) in diameter, almost 11" (28 cm) thick, and weighing 595 lbs (270 kg). The circumference of each wheel consists of 48 separate pieces of wood fastened together in four layers by steel bolts. Two wooden cross-members form the wheel-spokes, with a fist-sized hole located at their intersection. A long pole, 13 feet long (4.5 m) is inserted through the center hole; this helps balance the wheel and stops it from falling over as it rolls down the Osterberg slope.
Before each Osterraederlauf the wheels are thrown into the River Emmer to soak the wood and make them less susceptible to burning.
Each wheel bears a unique inscription carved into it's rim. In the past the wheels often bore a Christian message, such as the example that read "Praise that bought you into the light, Herr Jesus Christ, I am running today into the Mariental, and also into the future".
In more recent years some of the wheels have also borne poignant social and political messages, giving voice to the spirit of the times. An inscription in 1951 read " Six years after the war - sorrow - still times without peace", in 1954 "Run for Germany's unity, sufficiently long it has been divided", and in 1968 "People of the world, struggle against hate and envy, then there will be peace for all time".
Eventually the wheels need replacing, and the old wheels are sometimes donated to various museums in Germany, including the museum at Kiel, Museum fur Deutsche Volkskunde Berlin, Heimatmuseum Hannover, Freilichtmuseum Detmold, Hildesheim, and the Heimatmuseum in Luegde itself.
