The large percentage of people’s knowledge of the Amish is limited to erroneous cultural references and television myths rather than actual Amish facts. The Amish, on the other hand, have a captivating cultural value worth learning about. Knowing some Amish facts will help you better understand what the Amish have to offer. Here’s a list of interesting Amish facts and tidbits that you probably didn’t even know but should have. Continue reading to find out more!
Interesting Facts About Amish People That Most People Do Not Know
They Never Use Cars
You won’t find many drivers in Amish cultures. Several Amish people would travel by horse and buggy, as they are known for their aversion to modern technology. The use of technology is prohibited by religious rules, which explains this pattern. The Amish are allowed to travel in modern automobiles, but not to drive them.
They Never Use Cars
Beards Are A Lot Common
Although an older Amish man with a long beard is not exactly unusual, mustaches are uncommon. Mustaches are frowned upon, but beards are acceptable because men in the Bible sported them frequently. As a result, seeing an Amish man with a large beard isn’t surprising.
Beards Are A Lot Common
Believer’s Baptism
“Believer’s baptism,” which is plainly a baptism for people approaching adulthood, is observed by traditional Amish people. A believer’s baptism is also regarded to as adult baptism because it is assumed that faith cannot exist before the age of accountability. If a child is old enough to earnestly confess their faith, they are frequently baptized as believers. This belief arose from the Christian movement of Anabaptism.
Believer’s Baptism
Ordnung
The Ordnung is a set of rules that govern the social elements that are forbidden. The Ordnung laws govern everything from clothing to technology to education. The word “order” or “discipline” is derived from a German word. Because there is no central church government among the Amish, each assembly is autonomous and governs itself.
Ordnung
No Central Church Government
As stated previously, the Amish have no main church government, so each local church is free to alter the Ordnung as it sees fit. As a result, depending on the Amish culture, certain laws may differ. In other words, some Amish communities are more laid-back than others.
No Central Church Government
Experiencing Rumspringa
When Amish kids reach puberty, they usually participate in Rumspringa, a rite of passage that allows them to experience the modern world. Some Amish teenagers are allowed to leave their communities to partake in activities that are usually forbidden at home.
Experiencing Rumspringa
They Don’t Arrange Marriages
Contrary to popular belief, arranged marriages do not exist in the Amish culture. The large proportion of Amish weddings are formed through society’s traditional dating and courtship procedures. When it comes to selecting a marital partner, there are no forced marriages by family members or other mediators. Young people who just want to be baptized into a particular Amish affiliation (usually the one in which they grew up) must marry within that community.
They Don’t Arrange Marriages
Most Can Speak Over Three Languages
English, German, and Pennsylvania Dutch are the three languages taught in Amish schools and spoken in their homes (or Pennsylvania German). Visitors to an Amish community are likely to hear all three languages, so familiarize yourself with them before going.
Most Can Speak Over Three Languages
Weddings Typically Occur In Fall
After the harvesting season as well as communions, which usually take place in October, the majority of Amish weddings take place. As a result, the majority of weddings take place in November and December, late in the fall season. That isn’t a particularly long wedding season.
Weddings Typically Occur In Fall
Healthy People
The prohibitions of the Amish culture, such as no smoking and also no drinking, have a serious health benefit. The Amish, according to legend, have a cancer rate up to 40% lower than the general public. As a result, following Amish customs can help people live healthier lives.
Healthy People
Simple Fashion
Because of the constraints and emphasis on modesty, clothing shopping for the Amish must be relatively easy. Their outfits are mostly plain colors and designs from the 1700s, and they don’t wear bold colors or patterns. Making it easy to mix and match any of their clothing!
Simple Fashion
Their Origins Date Back To The 1600s
In 1693, the first Amish families arrived in America, fleeing religious persecution. They chose Pennsylvania as their home because of the tolerance to religious rights that already existed there. This is a good choice, for to this day, they are still around and freely exercising their beliefs!
Their Origins Date Back To The 1600s
Couples Can Literally Sleep Together Before Marriage
Prior to marriage, it is encouraged for couples to sleep in the same bed. Couples must, however, be fully dressed and converse when in bed with each other. The Amish see it as a way to strengthen relationships prior to marriage.
Couples Can Literally Sleep Together Before Marriage
They Also Pay Taxes
The Amish, it turns out, are also subject to the same federal and state taxation as the rest of the country. On the other hand, the Amish is said to not pay Social Security taxes and therefore do not earn Social Security benefits.
They Also Pay Taxes
The Largest Amish Population Isn’t In Pennsylvania
Though most people think of Pennsylvania as having the country’s largest Amish population, it turns out that their western neighbors have an advantage. According to the most recent U.S. Census estimates, Ohio has the country’s largest Amish population, but Pennsylvania is just a few hundred people behind them.
The Largest Amish Population Isn’t In Pennsylvania
Finishing Their Studies At A Younger Age
The Amish are well-known for their educational methods. The majority of Amish children attend one- or two-room private schools. Amish children and obtaining their education in most private institutions typically drop out of school after the eighth grade. Some of them immediately join the workforce after their last year of high school.
Finishing Their Studies At A Younger Age
They Can Vote, But Not All Do
The Amish do vote in national elections, although this is not a common practice. According to one report, only about 15% of registered Amish voters cast ballots in presidential elections. So, although it isn’t commonly practiced, some Amish do engage in politics.
They Can Vote, But Not All Do
Pacifists
The Amish faith is largely pacifist, avoiding violence and emphasizing repentance above all else. On religious grounds, the Amish do not participate in the military or accept the death penalty. The Amish are pacifists, claiming to follow Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies. The Amish despise all types of aggression.
Pacifists
Children Are Given Faceless Dolls
Young Amish children are sometimes given faceless dolls as a toy. Pride and vanity are discouraged by the expressionless, blank faces. According to a 2007 sociological study, the dolls are faceless since “all are alike in God’s view,” and the absence of facial features complies with the Bible’s prohibition against graven photos. The majority of Amish doll makers remained anonymous.
Children Are Given Faceless Dolls
They Do Not Play Instruments
Amish people do not play musical instruments because they believe it is a form of self-expression that would lead to feelings of superiority and pride. The Ausbund, a High German songbook with no musical notes, is where Amish church songs come from.
They Do Not Play Instruments
A Computer Specifically For The Amish
Believe it or not, there was a computer designed especially for Amish groups. The Deskmate word processor lacked internet connectivity, as well as video and music playback. Basic word processing, spreadsheets, and accounting are all possible with the computer. Since some (but not all) Amish use tools that can only be used for industry, the Deskmate does not break any long-standing customs.
A Computer Specifically For The Amish
Their Numbers Are Growing Larger
There were about 5,000 Amish in the United States in 1920. Today, the figure is equivalent to 300,000. Furthermore, all of the development had happened in the last three decades, when there were just 84,000 Amish in 1984. The rise is due to the assumption that God needs larger families and the more practical issue of growing their farm workforce.
Their Numbers Are Growing Larger
Strict Rules Regarding Clothing
Amish clothing is, by definition, simple. The majority of sects dress in black and white, though some allow muted colors. Buttons, zippers, and velcro, in addition to color, are commonly frowned upon and avoided due to the potential for ostentation and decoration. Instead, pins or hook-and-eye closures are widely used.
Strict Rules Regarding Clothing
Excommunication Is A Thing
Following their Rumspringa experience, Amish youth must decide whether or not to remain in the church. While joining the modern world may seem to outsiders to be a simple option, a teen who leaves would be permanently cut off from their family and community. That helps to understand why so many people (over 90%) want to stay in the church.
Excommunication Is A Thing
Exceptions Regarding Technology
Although the majority of Amish families have strict technology laws, some are more lenient than others. Tractors, electric refrigerators, running water bathtubs, and propane gas, for example, are allowed by the Kalona Amish. Cell phones are also permitted in some communities.
Exceptions Regarding Technology
No Rings
Personal jewelry is forbidden, so there is no conventional engagement ring when an Amish courtship reaches the point of the proposal. Since there are no engagement bells, this often applies to the actual wedding. As the following slides illustrate, the absence of rings is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strange Amish wedding rituals.
No Rings
Engagements Are Mostly Kept Secret
In the Amish community, engagements are usually held very private. They typically take place in the spring, and the engaged couple often hides the news of their engagement from their own families until the summer. The family, in exchange, keeps quiet until October, when they attend a traditional church service.
Engagements Are Mostly Kept Secret
Wedding Dresses
Instead of white, Amish brides choose to wear blue (or, on rare occasions, purple or green). This dress and the dresses for her bridesmaids known as “newehockers” are usually created by the bride herself. This dress becomes the woman’s main church garment after the wedding, and it’s normally what she’s buried in when she dies. And speaking of weddings…
Wedding Dresses
Symbolic Food
At an Amish wedding, celery is one of the most symbolically significant foods. It’s used to make soup and a variety of other dishes and decorate vases and tables in place of flowers. In reality, celery is used so often in wedding ceremonies that a family is starting to develop. Some are often taken as a sign that they are planning a wedding before the engagement has been made public.
Symbolic Food
The Elderly Are Active
There is no set retirement age; instead, people begin to slow down between the ages of 50 and 70, depending on their physical condition. Many people transfer to a Grossdaadi Haus (grandparents’ house) on the family’s property at this stage. The elderly will usually continue to operate around the family home as long as their health allows and will be cared for by the family’s women as they get older.
The Elderly Are Active
Meidung
Excommunication is reserved for the Amish culture’s most severe offenses, but temporary shunning is usually successful for less severe offenses. Shunning, also known as “meidung,” is reserved for those who violate religious rules and is used to shame the offender. This means that once the shunned individual has repented, no one in the group can eat, sleep with, or accept gifts from them.
Meidung
No Pictures Allowed
While many Amish people are used to visitors taking photographs of them, this does not mean they are entirely comfortable with it. In reality, a photograph is considered a “graven image,” which is expressly forbidden in the Ten Commandments. To avoid this, some Amish people choose to cover their faces when shot, while others prefer to be photographed only in natural settings (i.e., not posing).
No Pictures Allowed
A Limited Dating Pool
If you’re over 30 and think your dating options are limited, wait until you learn that the Amish are not permitted to marry outside of their religion or even within their communities. That means a prospective partner must first embrace the religion by being baptized. If no appropriate bachelors or bachelorettes are available after that, you might be out of luck for the time being!
A Limited Dating Pool
At Risk Of Rare Disorders
While Amish cancer rates are 40% lower than the national average, the population is still at risk for a number of other diseases. They have a greater incidence of atypical illnesses, for example, since the faith can be traced back to the same group of 200 founding members. As a result of the rarity of the diseases in the population, children have higher mortality rates.
At Risk Of Rare Disorders
No Physical Churches
Given the importance of faith in the Amish culture, it can come as a surprise to hear that the Amish do not traditionally have physical church buildings. Instead, they tend to worship in their houses, surrounded by friends and neighbors, making them feel more connected to God and their society. The more you know, the better!
No Physical Churches