Amish Paradise

by Al Yankovic

Lyrics:

AsI walk through the valley where I harvest my grain

I take a look at my wife and realize she's very plain
But that's just perfect for an Amish like me
You know,I shun fancy things like electricity
At 4:30 in the morning I'm milkin' cows
Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows... fool
AndI've been milkin' and plowin' so long that
Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone
I'm a manoftheland,I'm into discipline
Got a Bible in my hand and a beard on mychin
Butif I finish all of my chores and youfinish thine
Then tonight we're gonnaparty like it's 1699

Webeen spending mostourlives

Living in an Amish paradise
I've churned butter once or twice
Living in an Amish paradise
It's hard work andsacrifice
Living in an Amish paradise
Wesell quilts at discount price
Living in an Amish paradise

A local boy kicked mein the butt last week

I just smiled at him andI turned the other cheek
I really don't care, in fact I wish him well
‘Cause I'll be laughing my head off when he's burningin hell
But I ain't never puncheda tourist even if he deservedit
An Amish with a 'tude? You know that's unheard of
I never wear buttons but I got a cool hat
And my homiesall I agree I look goodin black... fool
If you cometo visit, you'll be bored to tears
Wehaven't even paid the phonebill in 300 years
But weain't really quaint, so please don't point and stare
We're just technologically impaired

There's no phone,no lights, no motorcar

Nota single luxury
Like Robinson Caruso
It's as primitave as can be

Webeen spending mostourlives

Living in an Amish paradise
We're just plain and simple guys
Living in an Amish paradise
There's no time for sin and vice
Living in an Amish paradise
Wedon't fight, we all play nice
Living in an Amish paradise

Hitchin' up the buggy, churnin'lots of butter

Raised a barn on Monday,soonI'll raise another
Think you're really rightous? Think you're pure in heart?
Well, I know I'm a million times as humbleasthouart
I'm the pious guythelittle Amlettes wannabelike
On my knees day andnight scorin' points for the afterlife
So don't be vain and don't be whiny
Orelse, my brother, I might just have to get medieval on your heinie

Webeen spending mostourlives

Living in an Amish paradise
We're all crazy Mennonites
Living in an Amish paradise
There's no copsortraffic lights
Living in an Amish paradise
But you'd probably thinkit bites
Living in an Amish paradise

Yuck

http:/Awww. youtube.com/watch?v=GsfVw9xxoNY&mode=related&search=

Hyberlink where you can see the musicvideo

 Worksheet 20b |

More about the Amish

can retell it to the group.
Read the text carefully so that you

Tourism and the future

(0,8 ns)

sh
s’ starring Harrison Ford, the Ami
Not least after the film ‘The Witnes
ple bec ame a pop ula r tou ris t attr action. A whole industry has grown
peo
r
Lan cas ter Cou nty wit h gui ded tours anda lot of shops. Every yea
up in
sh
era l mil lio n tour ists visi t Lan cas ter County fascinated by the Ami
sev
y are a nuisance. They have meant
wayof living, but to the Amish the
main problem for the Amishis the
more traffic, more accidents. But the
no longer afford to buy land for the
increasing price of land. They can
this
ples have had to move away from
young ones, so a lot of young cou
ish communities or start new ones.
area — move west either to other Ain
to makea living byselling to the
Some do not move, however, andtry
of their lanes or through big tourist
tourists from small stalls at the end
dethings like jam, bread, quilts
shops. They produce a lot of homema
have things they want to have
and wooden articles and if people
the traditional way. They are also
restored they know howtodoit in
ey
ir training. So they can make mon
knownfor their fine horses and the
like
this way, but do they wantto live
serving the tourists and surviving
d
the map you can see where you fin
this or move to another area? On
Amish families in the States.

GYLDENDAL
132
Blue Cat — engelsk for niende
 Worksheet 20b

More about the Amish

Read the text carefully so that youcan retell it to the group.

Amish barn raising

(0,7 ns)

The Amish are well-knownfor their willingness to help one another, for
example when a barn is being raised.
Being made of wood barns burn down easily when struck by
lightning and as the Amish do not believe in insurance they would
have a problem if they did not help each other. But the communityis
there to help. First the land is cleared. Experienced people help out and
in a numberof weeks everything is organized for the big day. One
morningright after breakfast, people from the community start arriving
in their buggies, the men with their tools - a hammer or a saw — and
the women with food. The numberof helpers could be as manyas 700.
With that many able men aroundit’s possible to raise a barn in a day.
But imagine the organization required with so many workers and the
amountof food that has to be provided by the women!
Non-Amish neighbours often join in and help, too. The Amish them-
selves are always willing to help a neighbour. They believe that is better
than having society pay for you.

Blue Cat — engelsk for niende 133 GYLDENDAL

 eee

Worksheet 20c

More about the Amish

l it to the group.
Read the text carefully so that you can retel

Young people and shunning

(1,2 ns)
Berns

3
tise: Vane ens
IRL SRehCobenie wath ne pitts ocements

ety that young people are

There is an unwritten law in an Amish soci
n you marry you can not
given more freedom than older people. Whe
young people are allowed vary
break anyofthe rules. The liberties the
means just turning up the
from group to group. To some showing off
on your horse with rings.
brim of your hat or dressing up the harness
to the movies or mixing with
To others it may mean driving cars, going
outsiders - they call them the ‘englisch’.
day evenings to sing. They
The young Amish will get together on Sun

oa . 8 124 GYLDENDAL
 Worksheet 20c

meet at the homeof one of them and enjoy being together. A girl will
start attending singing when sheis 15-16 years old and a boy will
usually be 16-17. First they will be together as a group or a gang as they
call it. That group will more or less control what you do and where you
go. After some time a boy might wantto date girl. In order not to feel
embarrassed on his first date he may askhis sister to ask a certain girl if
hecan take her homein his buggy.
Amish girls very rarely plan for an independent career. They are
expected to get married and will try to collect what they need for their
future home.
While the young men work in the fields they have a lot of time to
think about what they want and discuss it with others. Do they want to
join the Amish or do they wantto join a church that allows cars, radios
and telephones? It's the decision the young people have to make them-
selves. If they do and later on leave they will be excommunicated and
shunned by the Amish as they will have broken a vow. The shunning:
may take different forms according to howstrict the community is. In
its most severe form it can mean being completely banned from the
community, but it can also mean not being allowed to eat at the same.
table, to visit or do business with the Amish.
Although quite a number of young people leave the Amish to seek
more personal freedom the Amish are growing rapidly in numbers.

Blue Cat — engelsk for niende 135 8) GYLDENDAL

 Worksheet 20d

More about the Amish

Read the text carefully so that you can retell it to the group.

The Amish school

(1,2 ns)
SATEUTE

Pe:
ELS
sea!
Setters SAMEREED

Bu
a
L
.
i
2 i
bi vf
An Amish school has only one room whereall the children from first
gradetill eighth are assembled with only one, usually, female teacher.
The school daylasts from 8.30 till 3.30.
The Amish wanttheir children to be able to learn basics such as
reading, writing and math. Atfirst they accepted public schools where
there wasverylittle worldly influence, but when unnecessary subjects
like athletics were added they wanted their own schools.
To the Amish, schools are only part of the learning necessary to grow
up. They believe that wisdom and understanding are more important
than knowledge and facts. They pay public school taxes and pay for
their own schools.
In 1972 a Supreme Court decision ruled that Amish and related

Blue Cat — engelsk for niende 136 GYLDENDAL

 Worksheet 20d

groups can leave school after the 8th grade. Chief Justice Warre
n Burger
wrote, ‘Amish objection to formal education beyond theeighth
gradeis
firmly groundedin central religiousbeliefs. They object to the high
school and the higher education generally because the values it
teaches
are not according to Amish values and the Amish wayof life.
The high
school tends to emphasize intellectual and scientific accomplish
ments,
self-distinction, competitiveness, worldly success and social
life with
other students. Amish society emphasizes informal learning-throug
h-
doing, a life of goodness, rather than a life of intellect; wisdo
m rather
than technological knowledge; community welfare, rather than
com-
petition; and separation, rather than integration with contempora
ry
world society.’
Whenthechildren finish eighth grade they attend school each week
for three hours and have to keep a journal of the homemaking
and
farm work they dotherest of the time. The government allows them
to
do this till they arefifteen.
Some of the more progressive Amish groups, however, do believe
in
education and sendtheir children to private high schools, but the
num-
beris less than half the people.

Blue Cat — engelsk for niende 137 GYLDENDAL

 Worksheet 20e

More about the Amish

Read the text carefully so that youcan retell it to the group.

Women and children

(0,7 ns)

Right from whenthey are

small the Amish children are
brought up to help with the
running of the farm. As soon as
they are able to carry a bucket
into the chicken house they
get thechore of collecting the
eggs every day, and gradually
as. they grow up they get more
and more responsibilities.
Whenthe father works in the
fields he will bring along his’
boys, and sometimes girls, and
make them learn from watching him and making them imitate. The’
mother will make the girls help with as much as possible and they have
to look after their sisters and brothers.
There is not much timefor play for the children, but the Amish have
some toys which are usually homemade or sewn.
The children are brought up with verystrict rules that have to be
obeyed or they are punished, sometimes even beaten. The women
attend to their families and have enough to do with a big household.
The Amish womenare famous for their beautiful quilts which they use
as blankets or sell to make money.
There is no question of women’sliberation for those girls who
choose to remain Amish. They accept that the man is the one who
decides.

138 GYLDENDAL
Blue Cat — engelsk for niende
 Worksheet 20f

More about the Amish

Readthe text carefully so that you can retell it to the group.

An Amish Sunday
(0,8 ns)

The Amish do not have a

church. They take it in turns
to hold church in their homes.
That means that every second
Sunday there will be a get
together somewhere in the
community. The homethat
has to housetheservice will
be very busy all day Saturday
cleaning indoors and cooking,
and in the barnsa lot of clean-
ing takes place, too. A special
wagon transports benches
from house to houseto seatall the visitors. An Amish homewill have a
big clock set half an hour ahead of time. That is because they want to
be ready in plenty of time. Summer daylight saving, however, creates a
problem as some homes changetheir clocks, others don’t.
On Sunday morning the families arrive in their buggies and the
women and children go inside to help, while the men unhitch the
horse, take it to the barn, and comeoutside again through the milk par-
lor where they will stand visiting till its time to go in. The men will
hang their hats on nails on the walls before sitting down. The young
ones who will be seated in the back of the room, will be more interested
in looking at the women in the kitchen. Men and womenare not in the
same room during the service which might take up to four hours. The
ministers will preach and there’s a lot of singing, but no music.

Blue Cat — engelsk for niende 139 GYLDENDAL

 More about the Amish — Questions

What can the tourists experience?

What do the Amish tell about the tourists and what is the main problem?

What do theysell/do for the tourists?

What do theydo if they have to raise a barn?

Is it only the Amish people who helps?

What is the unwritten law?

Do all Amish youngsters share the same kind of freedom?

When do the young Amish get together and what do they do?

At what age do theystart attending?

10. How about when they want to date?

11. What does it mean to be shunned?

12: Whatdo theybelieve in regards to schooling?

13. What happened in 1972?

14. What do they do after the 8" grade?

15. What is the first kind of chore they get?

16. Do they have toys — tell about it

17. Regarding an Amish Sunday — how often do they get together and where?

18. What happens when a family has to host the others for church?

19. Tell about what happens during the time of church — for men and for women
 Worksheet 17

8) Who are the Amish?

(2,4 ns)

I'm going to talk about the Amish people to give you some
background
information about their history to make you understand
why they want
to live a life that is very different to the life other Americans
live.
Butfirst where do the Amish come from? Wehave to go back
to
Europe, to Switzerland during the reformation in the 16th centu
ry. A
group of people believed that baptism was for adults and
wanted the
state and the church to be separate. They became known as
the Menno-
rrr

nites named after their leader Menno Simons, who wasa Catho
lic priest
from Holland. In the late 17th century some of the Mennonites
eles ane

felt that
Bag

the church wastoo slack aboutits discipline. They allowed too

many
Uae oye PTE

modern things. The leaderfor the people, who wanted the

RR

church to be
CRUSE coir” GENTS NS

strict, was Jacob Amman who gave name to the Amish

. One of the
emnenennn tara minn arne ate es eal

things he decided was that you should Stay away from peopl
e who were
expelled from the church. Theycalled this shunning. This shun
ning
still exists today.
SEs Fy

The Amishrefused to carry weaponsand take part in wars and

believ-
ie a ee eer

ed that it should be your own decision if you wanted to be bapti

zed.
Therefore they were prosecuted by thestate and first driven north
into
Germany. But why did they move on to the USA? Well, when
they
heard aboutreligious tolerance and rich farmland in the new world
=

they decided to move on to the USA. In fact they were invited by

William Penn to settle in Lancaster County.
They speak two, well some speak - three languages, their old
lan-
guage, called Pennsylvania Dutch, whichis a kind of German and
Eng-
lish, and some speak High German. By the end of the 20th centu
ry the
Amish people have grown to some 75,000 people scattered
through 20
states and provinces in North America. In fact the Amish popul
ERE AESAOSMad Sey

ation
nearly doubles every 20 years. All over the world there are more
than
halt a million Amish and Mennonite people. They seem to grow
not only
because they have big families but also because people from the
outside

Blue Cat — engelsk for niende 123

>
GYLDENDAL
 Worksheet 17

world wantto join them to get away from thestress in our modern society.
Whenthe Amish came to Lancaster Country in 1727 to settle they
had to clear'the forest away to be able to build their farms and plant the
fertile soil. The Amish have a saying, "The Family that plows together
stays together.’ And that also means keeping yourreligion. The Amish
view the landas thebasis of their living and take care to get as much
outofit as possible. It would be unthinkable not to grow field because
the government would pay you notto.
And howis an Amish farm run? The Amish work hard ontheir farms
from early morningtill late at night using the daylight in the fields and
perhapsa lantern in the barns when milking the cows before dawn. In
many families even the school-age children have to get up between four
and five in the morning. An Amish farmis run ecologically. They use
the natural manure and straw from the animalsas fertilizers and are
very much aware of the fact that they should not destroy their water
reserves and their soil. They use mills to bring water into the houses or
to an outside pump.
The Amish are best known for what we’dcall their old-fashioned way
of living. An Amishman will only accept a newinventionif it’s clear
that it will not change his wayoflife or threaten his community or
make him a slave of what other people call progress. If his churchal-
lows him the use of a piece of machinery he will outfit it with his own
kind of wheels minus rubbertires. Why no rubbertires? Well, if you can
movefast you will lead a life which is too hectic and too modern. There-
fore you will see tractors but only with steel wheels. A modern farm
today can be run by one man only. An Amish farm gives work to all the
family. They say that work, under the right circumstances, is as enjoy-
able as play. If you share workit is like a spare time activity. By slowing
the pace down the Amish also provide jobs for their older people,so it’s
not an unusual sight to see three generations workingside byside.

Blue Cat — engelsk for niende 124 GYLDENDAL

 Christmas in the Amish Home
http://www.theamishquilt.com/

Christmas is the most important holiday that is celebrated by the Amish people. In fact, Christmas
is so important in the Amish communitythat it is celebrated over the course of two days. December
a5is always reserved for fasting, meditations, scripture readings, and other religiousactivities that
focus on the solemn celebration ofthe birth of Christ. December26", or Second Christmas,is
meant for celebrating the season with family and friends with gatherings, feasts, and gift giving.
This is not to say that these Amish activities are the sameas the traditional Christmas celebrations
that are observed by most Americans becausethey are quite different in many ways.

Amish Christmas celebrations vary depending on what part of the country the Amish family is
located and howstrict that particular Amish community is. While no Amish community practices
the tradition of Santa Claus, some Amish families may decorate a tree with candles or send out
Christmas cards, while other Amish families consider these practices too extravagant and
unnecessary. It really depends on the beliefs of that particular Amish community as to what types
of Christmastraditions they may or may notfollow.

Amish communities in the Midwesttend to be stricter and more traditional in their Christmas
celebrations and do notparticipate in manyofthe traditions that other more liberal Amish
communities do. The Amish families wholive in the Pennsylvania Dutch areas of the country have
been greatly influenced by German Christmastraditions and are readily practiced in many Amish
households. These traditions often include lighting candles and placing them in the windows
throughout the Amish home meant to symbolize the birth of the Christ child. Multi-pointedstars,
angels, and greenery are also popular decorations used at Christmastime in many Amish homes.
Stars and angels might be cut out and strung on stings around the Amish house with popcorn,or
live greenery might be used to decorate hearths or over doorways and windows.

Decorating the Amish church is also a custom that is often practiced by Amish parishioners. This
usually involves building a nativity scene or "putz" outside of the church or creating ones for
display outside various Amish homes in the community. These nativity scenes are often put
together by the Amish children in orderto better understand the story of the baby Jesus and might
consist of woodenor clay figures. They are often made into quite elaborate scenes with painted
backgrounds, live plants, and even running water. The entire Amish community or family will
often get together to build the church or homenativity scenes which are meant to evoke quiet
contemplation and focus on the meaning of the season.

| 1 &
 Contrary to popular belief, Amish families do exchange gifts on Christmas. Most Amish families
usually pick names out of a hat and are only required to give one Christmasgift to one family
membereach year. These gifts are usually handmadeor useful in nature. Younger Amish children
will receive handmade clothes, rag dolls, wooden toys, or books. Older Amish girls might receive
household items that they can add to their hope chests for use later in life when they are married and
have children, such as china, quilts, and other house wares. Older Amish boys mightreceive tools
for use on the farm or other useful projects. Amish wives typically receive cooking or sewing
implements and Amish husbands might get a tool or something for the horses.

The traditional Christmas dinneris usually the highlight of the Christmas celebration in the Amish
home. These meals are generally very elaborate and similar in nature to the Amish wedding dinners
which might include roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, salads, fruits, breads,
cakes, cookies, pies, and candies. Just about every Amish family holds some sort of Christmas
meal and gathering. Because of this, many of the Christmas celebrations continue on well into
February since it would be impossible to go toall of the gatherings in just two short days.

At the Amish schoolhouse, a Christmas program is usually planned andit is one of the most
anticipated events of the year. Amish children may spend weeks, months, or even the entire year in
preparation for the annual Christmas program that will be presented to the entire Amish
community. The Amish children will make decorations, sing songs,tell stories, read poems, and
put on stage plays in order to celebrate the meaning of Christmas. Many times these presentations
are humorousin nature and are one of the few times that they are allowed to "perform"in front of
an audience. Special Amish cookies and candies might be made, served, and exchanged. Gifts
such as specially made Amish quilts, toys, or other wooden crafts might be exchanged between the
children or the teacher.

Outdoor gamesare usually enjoyed by the Amish children during this time of year. In areas where
it snows, the children will race downthe hills on their sleds or saucers. Ice skating, ice hockey, and
volleyball are popular activities amongst Amish children. Snowball fights and snowman building
are common winter activities this time of year in the Amish communities. Most Amish children
continue going to school throughout the Christmas season because they are usually let out earlier
than non-Amish children in preparation for the coming spring harvest.

Non-Amishvisitors might also be invited to join in on the Amish Christmas celebrations as well.
While the Amish shun modernsociety, this does not mean they don’t have non-Amishor "English"

…— 2 _ ce
 friends and acquaintances. Many Amish families work at non-Amish companies or conduct
business with those not involved in the Amish faith and community. They are often considered
good friends andare invited to the Christmas program at the Amish schoolor for a mealat their
homes. If the Amish community practices the exchange of Christmascards,it is usually for their
non-Amish friends. These cards are always made by hand andare often put together by the whole
family. Gifts of specially made cookies or candies are often given to friends and acquaintances
outside the Amish community.

Overall, the main focus of the Christmas season in the Amish homeis to honor andcelebrate the
Christ child. While muchtime is devoted to prayer and scripture, spending time with the family in
relaxation and laughteris just as important to the Amish community.

History of the Amish Quilt

The origin of the Amish quilt has a long andinteresting history that can gives usa better
understanding of the Amish people themselves. The Amish, as most people know, shun modern
society in order to live a simplerlife focused on god and family. As the fast-paced world carries on
around them, the Amish chooseto live quietly and peacefully off the land withlittle to no help from
the outside world. What this meansis noelectricity, no phones, no automobiles, andaslittle
contact with the world that goes on around them as possible. Anything to do with the outside world
is shunned by the Amish, includingart.

Art, for the sake of art, is looked down upon by the Amish people becauseit serves noreal
purpose. However,the art of Amish quilting was able to develop within the Amish community
because the quilt itself served a purpose, so adding decorative elements to it was considered
acceptable. The art of Amish quilting, however, didn’t becomea tradition in Amish homesuntil the
late 1800s. Originally brought to America by British Quakers, the idea of quilting did not catch on
quickly within the Amish communities. At the time, the Amish used simple coverings for their
beds, muchlike their neighboring Mennonites and Pennsylvania Germans. While quilting caught
on with these other groups, the Amish originally rejected the idea of quilting for art and didn’t take
on the practice until it was no longer considered fashionable by the local Mennonites and Germans.

Once the Amish did beginning quilting, they slowly began to makeit their own with Amish inspired
patterns that were unique and simple, yet beautiful. Between 1850 and 1870, the Amish of
Pennsylvania began developing their signature quilt designs from simple one color whole cloth
quilts to piecing togethercolored pieces of cloth into a variety of patterns. The earliest Amish

_f3| a
 designs were basic squares and rectangles, which slowly evolved into more colorful and bold
patterns, such as Amish style baskets, flowers, and grapevines. These patterns began to develop
slowly over time, first showing up in just the corners and the borders and eventually working their
way to the centers and focal points of the Amish quilts. You can easily tell how old an Amish quilt
is simply by how prominentthe designs are within it. The less the embellishments, the older the
Amish quilt.

Many of the Amish quilters of the time worked on their quilts alone during the cold winter months,
but then got together with the other Amish quilters of the town to form Quilting Bees in the spring
and summer months. These quilting gatherings gave the Amish women the opportunity to catch up
on all the town news while finishing the assembly oftheir specially designed Amishquilts. Initially
Amish quilts were crafted for dowry purposesorto be presented to important peopleas gifts.
Eventually the Amish began selling their Amish quilts for profit.

Around the 1970s, the beauty of the Amish quilt became a must-have item for fashionable, young
city folk. Amish quilts were suddenly being appreciated as worksofart due to their similarities to
the "popart" styles of the time. This created an interesting problem for the Amish people due to
their intense desire for separation from the modern world. As more people wanted to own one of
the handmade Amish worksofart, the Amish would often find that their own Amish quilts were
being stolen right off their own clotheslines.

Asaresult, the Amish began making their quilts for the purpose of selling them at the local
markets. While they greatly enjoy their privacy andsolitude, the Amish people seemedto find a
nice balance betweentheir desire to live a separate and simplerlife, yet still benefit through
commercebyselling their handmade Amish wares to the modern buyers who desired their work.
This balance between simplicity and consumerism has changed Amish quilt makingin a variety of
ways. In orderto attract the eye ofa visiting outside, the Amish women began departing from the
traditional Amish quilt patterns for more updated colors and styles. Brighter colors, unique
patterns, and more elaborate techniques have developed in the Amish quilting world in an effort to
attract more customers by offering more updatedstyles.

Theattraction to these beautiful Amish quilts has always been rooted in the desire to look back at
our history and to appreciate all the handmade andtraditional things of the past. While the Amish
quilt makersretain their relative solitary existence, they have greatly impacted the way the world
views quilt making. So too, in a subtle way, has the world impacted the way the Amish make their
quilts. The current trends and fashions from around the world have impacted the different Amish

[4| . _.. _.
 styles and patterns that the Amish quilter makes. While the old Amish traditions of hand sewing
and creating each piecestill remain the cornerstone of the Amish quilt, its partnership with the
world as a whole has somehow madetherelationships between the Amish and the modern
communities closer rather than farther apart.

While the simplicity, variety, colors, and designs may have changed overthe past hundred or so
years, the basic workmanship and subtleness of the Amish quilt still remains the same today.
Amishquilts are so rich and full oflife, yet have a history and sentimentality to them that makes
you want to treasure one for years to come and eventually pass it on to a loved one near and dearto
your heart. An Amish quilt is the essence of what it means to be an American today. It expresses
the hard work and determination that all Americans, Amish and non-Amish alike, have shown
throughouthistory.

Preparing an Amish Wedding

Marriage and family are the cornerstones of any Amish community. Deeply rootedin religious
faith and traditional values, the Amish wedding is an important part of every Amish member’s life
and allows the community to continue to grow asit has for hundreds of years. However, an Amish
weddingis not the sameas a traditional American wedding and Amish boysandgirls begin
preparing for the day they will wed whentheyarestill teenagers.

Finding a mate and starting a family is the most important decision an Amish person must make in
order to keep the Amish community strong. All Amish children are expected to find a spouse,start
a family, and begin contributing to the Amish community as a whole bythe time they are in their
early twenties. Amish children are not baptized into the Amish church until they are young adults
because they are required to make the decision to stay in the Amish community and follow the
Amishrules on their own. Once an Amish boyorgirl decides to stay with the Amish community,
they are baptized into the Amish church and are then expected to marry and begin living their lives
as adults.

Once an Amish couple has been dating for a while and finally decides that they should get married,
there is no engagementring or party. Duringthis time of dating and engagement, everythingis kept
very secret in the Amish community, even from the engaged couples’ own parents andsiblings.
This is a commonpractice in Amish households and official announcementto the families of their
intention to marry are usually made around July or August. The Amish community itself will not
be told of the pending union until a month before the wedding will take place when the engagement
is announced in church or published in the Amish community newspaper. Some Amish
communities have a specific Sunday set aside in October where the church deacon announcesall
the Amish couples who plan to marry and the fathers’ of the brides announce the dates that have
been chosen for the ceremonies. Most Amish weddings take place in Novemberor December, after

5 |
 the harvesting season is over, and Tuesdays or Thursdays are popular days of the weekto get
married because a full day before and after are needed to prepare for the Amish wedding andthis
can never include a Sunday.

An Amish bride will usually make her own wedding dress out of blue or sometimes purple fabric.
The Amish bride chooses two attendants who will also make their dresses out of the same cloth of
fabric. All three women will wear Amish prayer capes and aprons. It is also general practice that
an Amish womanwill be dressed in her wedding dress, cape, and apron once she dies. The Amish
groom and his two attendants will wear black suits, white shirts, black brimmedhats, black high-
topped boots, and black bow ties. There are no weddingrings, flowers, or veils during the Amish
wedding ceremony.

St. NS ses
The day before the Amish weddingis performed, married couples in the Amish community assist
the bride in preparing the food for the wedding celebration. This is one of the few days where the
Amish menassist the womenin the kitchen. On the day of the Amish wedding, everyone gathersat
the bride’s homeand an early morning churchservice is held where the couple will exchange their
vows. Divorce is not allowed in an Amish community, so the importance of the union and the
ceremony is madeveryclear to the parties involved. The Amish wedding ceremony usually
involves the church minister counseling the young couple, making sure they understand the
permanenceof the ceremony, hymnals are sung,scriptures are read, and a long sermonis usually
conducted. The Amish couple is then asked to make their vows, the couple is blessed, and a final
prayeris said to end the ceremony.

After the ceremony, around noontime,the party and feasting begins. Typical Amish wedding day
meals include roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, salads, creamed celery, cheese, bologna,
bread, butter, honey,jelly, fruits, pudding, cakes, pies, and ice cream. Tables are set up around the
perimeterof the largest room in the Amish homeand specialtable, called an Eck,is set up in the
comer for the bridal party. The Amishbridesits to the left of her Amish groom, symbolizing where
she will sit in their marriage buggy. The single Amish womenof the community will sit on the
bride’s side of the room and the single Amish menwill sit on the groom’s side. The couples’
parents andsiblings will typically sit together in the kitchen.

Afterthis first meal, the rest of the afternoon will usually involve talking, singing, and game
playing. Sometimes an Amish wedding celebration is used as an opportunity for matchmaking
between teenagers whoare overthe age of 16 and are assigned specific seats before the evening
mealin order to bring them closer together. Very few gifts are given to a newly married Amish

Joe L
 couple at their wedding. Usually just the closest family membersor friends provide the couple with
practical gifts, such as Amish quilts, tablecloths, canned foods, or farming tools. A second meal is
served around sundown wherethe bride, groom, and their parents nowsit in the middle of the room
at the main table and the sametype of food is served again. Most Amish wedding celebrations
usually go on late into the night.

The newlywed Amish couple will then spend their first night in the bride’s homein orderto help
with the cleanup the next morning. The Amish do not go on honeymoons,but they do spendthe
next several months spending the night or weekend with different Amish family members on both
sides of the family in order to get to know each other. It is during this time that the Amish couple
mayreceive gifts, such as dishes, cookware, or other household items that will be useful to them in
their new lives together. The couple then will live with the Amish bride’s family forthe rest of the
winter and will begin setting up their new marital homein the spring. The Amish bride’s family
will usually provide the new couple a dowry which might include majorappliances and the
household furnishings. Other items will be given to them over the winter by other family members
and all of the acquired household items will be used to furnish the Amish couple’s new home.

How Do Amish Women Make Money?

Hard work andself-sufficiency are very important aspects of living in an Amish community. In
order to be successful and able to take care of themselves with no outside help whatsoever, every
memberof the family works in some capacity to help the Amish family and the Amish community
itself survives and thrives. Every member of an Amish family helps to provide somesort of income
for the Amish community at large the best they can. Even the Amish children, from a very early
age, learn the value of hard workand the importance of productivity. Amish men usually provide
incomefor the family through farming, building, furniture making, woodworking, and selling other
handmadewaresto the otherlocals and tourists. Sometimes Amish men even take jobs outside the
Amish community to provide for the family.

Amish women play a very important part in the success of the Amish community and provide much
needed income througha variety of different business ventures. In an Amish community, the
womenare solely responsible for tending to the home, working in the yard, keeping the garden,
cooking, sewing and washing the clothes, and raising the children. Many Amish women have
found their particular household skills quite useful in providing a significant incometo the family
and Amish community at large. Many Amish families set up shops andstoresto sell their
handmade goodsand waresto tourists. While the men sell Amish made beds, hope chests, wooden

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 toys, picnic baskets, tools, and the fresh produce they grow from their.crops, the Amish women
have found successselling handmade Amishquilts, canned goods,floral arrangements, toys, and
baked goods. Some Amish women even work as midwives, in non-Amish birthing centers, or as
teachers in Amish schools.

Probably the most lucrative business for Amish womenis the Amish quilting business. People
travel from around the world to visit these tiny Amish communities to buy oneoftheir beautifully
handcrafted Amish quilts. Knownfortheir simplicity, the Amish quilt is one of the few waysthat
Amish womencan truly express themselvesartistically. While the Amish pride themselves on
shunning society and using their time to focus on what is necessary, the Amish quilt is somewhat of
an exception. Most Amish communities wear only dark colored clothes and do not decorate their
homesin any sort of ostentatious way because to do otherwise would be useless since it doesn’t
serve God in any sort of meaningful way. However, because the quilt itself serves the purpose of
warmth, the Amish womengradually used more designs and more colors to create the Amish quilt
patterns of today. As a result, many Amish quilts fetch prices in excess of $1,000 fora single quilt!
This is due to the fact that in today’s manufactured world, finding something of beauty thatis truly
made by handis difficult at best. The Amish quilt has become famousforits simplistic, yet
colorful designs that consist of a wide range of patterns, including stars, flowers, baskets, and
geometric designs.

Amish women usetheir sewing talents in other ways to make moneyfor their families as well.
Most Amish womenare responsible for making the clothing that their children, husbands, and even
they wear throughout the year. So, Amish women are usually quite talented when it comesto
sewing everything from pants to dresses to the signature bonnets that every Amish girl wears.
While most people outside the Amish community are not in the market for Amish clothing, they are
interested in buying some of their handmade Amish dolls. Faceless dolls are given to Amish
children to play with because the Amish believe in rejecting the graven image out of modesty.
These faceless Amish dolls and clothes are hand sewn for the children of the Amish community, but
have also becomequite popular with tourists alike.

ap Argsbuunher sont
In addition to the Amish quilt, many Amish women make their money by canningfruits and
vegetables or making jams andjellies from their own gardens. After setting aside enough of their
crops for their own personal use, Amish women often can their homegrownfruits and vegetables in
order to sell them to the public. These cannedtreats are often highly sought after due to the fact
that the Amish use no chemicals in the growing of their produce. Again, this type of natural

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product is difficult to come by in the modern world and provides a nice bit of incomefor the Amish
woman.

Since Amish womenare taught to cook from a very early age, many oftheir skills and talents lie in
what they can produce in the kitchen. Baking homemadebreads, pies, cakes, cookies, candies,
donuts, and even noodles are a wonderful way for Amish women to make money while still
adheringto the old fashioned values of the Amish community. Using their own homegrownfruits
and grains, the Amish women cook using gas ovens and stoves in order to produce fresh baked
goodsthatare big sellers within the local communities. Many of these goodsare soldto local
restaurants and other bakeries because oftheir high quality and uniquely fresh taste.

Other entrepreneurial ventures that Amish women often pursue include growingfreshflowers,
arranging flowers, or drying flowers for wreaths or other crafts and adornments. Again, these
flowers are usually grown by the Amish woman herself and then turned into something a consumer
would want to purchase. Many ofthese businesses that Amish women havestartedare run in
conjunction with their Amish husband’s business. It’s not unusual to find an Amish man making
handmadepicnictables, while his wife sells Amish quilts, and the children work aslittle salesmen
calling in customersor helping them in the shops. It’s this Amish belief in hard work,
entrepreneurial endeavors, and the desire for self-sufficiency that makes the Amish community so
interesting and uniqueto the outside observer. While they remain separated from the worldatlarge,
the Amish have managedto learn to work with the surrounding communities in orderto form a
balance between the growing modern world andtheir simple and plain traditional world.
Fortunately, Amish womenare allowed to express themselves and use their talents in a variety of
waysin order to help support their families while providing the non-Amish world a hint ofthe
older, simpler pleasures oflife.

Other links: http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/SO0000062.shtm! (should be rather useful,

though not checked out by me)
Questions for the text: ”Christmas in the Amish home”

Which holyday is the most important one for the Amish?

The celebrate Christmas for two days. Which days and what takes place during those days?

Do they celebrate Christmas the same way as we do? Tell us aboutit

Explain the “nativity scene” and whythey haveit? It is the re-enactmentof the story of baby Jesus.

Do the Amish exchange Christmas gifts?

Do they do something special for Christmas in the schools?

Why were the Amish allowedto do the art of quilting when they look down on “normal” art?

How did the quilts look like in the beginning and how did they evolve?

Whydid they start selling their quilts?

10. “An Amish quilt is the essence of what it means to be an American today”. Explain what they mean
by that?

11, Whatis the most important decision an Amish person must make and why?

12. Whatis expected of all Amish children?

13, When are they baptized and whyatthis point in time?

14. Is it publicly known to everyone when two Amish people are dating?

15. When do most Amish weddingstake place and why?.

16. Whydo they often get married on Tuesdays or Thursdays?

17. From where does an Amish girl get her wedding dress and whatdoesit look like?.

18. Whatwill the groom wear?

19. What takes place during the ceremony?.

20. Where doesthe couple live and when dothey get their own home?

21. In an Amish family each memberhas certain jobs. What do the man and the woman haveto do?

22. Whydothe dolls not have faces?