AMISH COMMUNITY AND THEIR LIFESTYLE

The Amish is a group of traditionalist Christians that rely on simple living, plain dress and refuse to
adapt to modern technology. The history of the Amish started in Switzerland in 1693 led by Jakob
Amman. Today majority of the traditional descendants of the Amish live in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
There are around 200,000 members of the Amish in which come from more than 20 states. In fact, the
Amish community has been growing. Every 20 years the population doubles.
Family and school
Family In an average Amish family it consist of, a mother, father with an average of 7 children. Their
grandparents play a vital part of the family because once they pass; the children inherit their land,
property and wisdom. The father of the family is the bread winner. Many Amish men seek jobs in
areas such as: Bakery, Furniture shop, Saw Mill, Engine Repair ship, Dry goods store etc. The mother
in the family is in charge of running the household; she is in charge of the cooking and the gardening
because most Amish food is home grown. The children only go to school until eighth grade, because
by then they have enough knowledge to live the Amish way.
Rumpsringa - period of freedom
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of Amish culture is Rumpsringa, a term that literally
means “running around.” This period begins when the Amish youth turn sixteen and is designed for
teens to explore freedom, socialize with their peers, and, most importantly, find a spouse. They are
freed from the Amish way of life and are able to “taste” life in a different way. For teens today, this
means cars, alcohol, drugs, partying, sex, pornography, dancing, and television. Rumspringa can last
for several years and ends once the individual chooses to come back into the community and accept
full responsibility of following the Amish way of life. Usually 90% of these children return and
become part of the community.
Rules
They try to avoid many of the features of modern society, by developing practices and behaviors
which isolate themselves from American culture. The Amish people avoid the modern technologies,
these includes, the home telephones, they used propane in cooking instead of gas. They believe that
electricity has endanger for leading people to God. The Amish do not dislike technology, and are not
opposed to its use in exceptional cases. They might accept a ride in a car, if they had urgent travel
needs, for instance getting to a doctor. Another example is the phone, an Amish family may have a
phone in their home, but they wouldn’t use it like the average American. It would be there to make
important calls, like to make orders for the farm, or to notify distant family members of a possible
illness or death in the family. When it comes to using modern health care, the Amish embrace a
similar set of beliefs. They are less likely to seek modern medical treatment. Amish used the
Homeopathic remedies as a first line of defense for the treatment such as herbs, minerals, or animal
products.They usually depend on the community funds when someone is sick.
Clothing
Amish women wear a traditional head covering, white coverings are for the married women, and the
unmarried women wear black coverings. There is also a black hat that is more of a bonnet, and it is
worn over the covering when in public. The Amish now purchase a few things that they do not
manufacture at home. These include such things as hats, socks, under garments, work gloves, and
things along those lines. Men’s Sunday suits are usually purchased and specially made by an Amish
tailor, who makes his living sewing for the Amish community. Some stores sell traditional Amish
clothing, which are also sewn by Amish seamstresses and placed in the stores for sale.
beliefs and values
The Amish have a lot of beliefs and values. They follow the basic beliefs of Christian faith, focusing
mainly on adult baptism, simplicity, community, and separation from everyone else. Amish are taught
to be selfless and put Jesus and the community first, yourself last, and others in between. Obedience,
humility, and simplicity are what the Amish express. If they disobey someone, it is considered
dangerous to them. They take no pride in what they do because they don’t want to stick out to others.
Interesting facts
•Kids Have To Play With Creepy Faceless Dolls
• They are not allowed to divorce
• They are not allowed to play musical instrumentes
•Amish Kids Are Not Allowed To Contact Anyone Outside Of The Community
• Amish people speak two languages: English and Pennsylvania-Deutsch
•The Amish don’t take pictures