What’s happening in this photo?

Reader Ed C sent in the following photo, taken a few years ago in Lancaster County.  What’s happening here?

Photo Amish Ed

In an unrelated note, apologies if you could not access yesterday’s post (about Amish and child labor violations) via the email subscriber or Facebook links.  The post is available under a new url here.

Update: Nothing tricky about this photo.  Lattice was the first to guess correctly below.

There were a few suggestions that these might be buggies traveling to church service.  It’s a reasonable guess, but it is more common for buggies to come and leave in singles and smaller groupings.  I don’t know of any reason that a group of ten buggies would travel together in close formation to arrive at or leave church.

However you may see buggy bunches on certain roads on busy Sundays, both before church and later in the day when youth travel.

Linda has shared a relevant video in the comments which I’ve posted here.  This is from Claudia Myers of Weiler Mansion B-n-B in the Big Valley area of central PA. The video shows buggy traffic on Sunday morning.  You can identify buggies from two of the different Amish groups found in the valley.

Here is more on Amish funeral customs, plus two more photos.

Amish Hearse
An Amish hearse crossing Old Philadelphia Pike (340) in Lancaster County
Amish Burial
Funeral procession arriving at the cemetery

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    46 Comments

    1. Lattice

      Going to a funeral?

    2. Funeral Procession?

      That’s what it looks like to me.

    3. speedysmed

      Going to church or wedding at a neighboring Amish farm.

    4. Lisa Cregan

      On the way to Church?

    5. Juanita Cook

      Maybe Church, or a wedding or even maybe a funeral.

    6. Lester Mast

      FUNERAL

      Most likely a funeral procession. I have participtated in a few of these with the passing of grandparents on my Mother’s side of the family. In fact when my Grandmother died, all of the immediate family, who all had left Amish, where given buggies to drive and ride to the grave side services. Us grandsons where also pallbearers which is was a first as well since none of us were Amish. We also dug the grave for her as well since it was in the Spring.

    7. Linda Lewis

      Looks like a funeral procession to me.

    8. Terry Berger

      Just my thoughts

      I would say either a funeral procession or a supper gang going to a volleyball game?

    9. Witness?

      Are they filming the funeral scene in Witness?

    10. Adair

      Funeral or wedding, I would think.

    11. carebear57

      Amish traffic jam?

      1. Katrina

        To carebear57

        Great comment! Thank you for making me laugh.

    12. Randy Adams

      Maybe it’s an Amish Gran Prix race?

    13. Linda

      Amish Church Sunday

      This reminds me of a one-minute video from Weiler Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Belleville, PA, April 14, 2013, of Amish Church Sunday. There is more space between buggies in the video.
      https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151396819665835&set=vb.88702750834&type=2&theater

    14. Nancy
    15. New York State of Mind

      Maybe is is a group of young folks going or coming from singing on a Sunday night.

    16. Sharon Gerstman

      What is happening here?

      Looks like a funeral procession.

    17. Debbie H

      I guessed a funeral. It would be the same for English except they would be cars in tight formation.

    18. Monica

      It looks like a funeral procession to me as well

    19. I’ve updated the post above with the answer, and some more photos. Thanks to Ed C for sharing, and to you for your comments, a lot of people knew this one.

    20. Slightly-handled-Order-man

      Is something a miss on Amish Amish America

      I’m curious about what is happening with this entry. In the first place I tried to view the blog entry and only saw Erik’s original post and picture, yet there where no posts, and for me at least the name, email, and website spaces are blank. Am I the only one?
      For the photo entry on the main page it’s reported that there is about 19 replies and yet there was none until Lattice replied (I’d guess the same thing, going to a funeral). Is something a miss? (no, I did not intend that play on words, although it is a favorite of mine). Anyone else notice this with Thursday’s post?

      1. Linda

        Shom,
        Something similar has happened to me when I used a different computer than usual, although it was on a different day. I don’t know if the computer has a different version of Internet Explorer, or if it’s because I never made a comment using that computer and the “Leave a reply” part is blank, but sometimes it’s wacky. It seems like it doesn’t automatically refresh with the newest comments.

      2. Lattice

        SHOM? Are you trying to say you really don’t think I am the “winner?” 😉

      3. Cached version of page?

        Shom thanks for letting me know, see my comment below to you and Al about this. I’ve never had this issue of comments not showing when they are there. Different computers or browsers may be the issue though.

        The second issue where name, email and website spaces are blank, sounds like you may be using a different browser or computer from normal (does not “remember” settings as it normally would). Or possibly something caused it to clear that data out. This happens to me sometimes when using different computers.

        It sounds like the main page you saw, where it said 19 replies, was probably the up-to-date content. But when you visited the post, and saw no comments, for some reason you may have been served an older version of the page.

        I’m really not sure if that is the issue, but in my experience sometimes caching, where the browser or sometimes website serves a previously-saved, older version of a page, may be an issue if the content you see is “stale”. Let me know if you think this might be the issue.

        Here’s all about web caching if you are interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_cache

        And here’s how to clear the cache of various popular browsers. Simple operations, usually just involves clicking something in the history menu: http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache

        Also, did anyone else reading this come across a similar issue on this or other posts?

        1. Naomi Wilson

          me too

          I’ve been having problems all week. At first I thought it was a problem on my end. I have two macs, one is an old laptop, and the other an even older desk top. Your current post wasn’t showing up on my laptop at all (via google search), but on my other computer, the email link was taking me to the recent post just fine. Even there, though, I wasn’t always seeing the most recent comments. Now I’m on the laptop and everything seems to be okay. Very confusing….

          1. Naomi I’ve been looking at it today and there may have been something else going on with a plugin. I think I have fixed it, hopefully that will do the trick but let me know if it continues. Thanks!

          2. Naomi Wilson

            also

            I always reset after any google search, just out of habit, so I’m pretty sure I’m clearing the cache frequently, fwiw.

    21. Al in Ky

      Looks like a funeral procession.

    22. Monica

      Erik, thank you for updating the post above, and more photos

    23. Al in Ky

      Still something amiss?

      I agree with SHOM as he mentioned in his comments. I read today’s posting a few minutes ago at about 20:05, responded at 20:11 and
      had a very similar experience as SHOM. There were no responses
      yet to the question and I couldn’t imagine with all of the knowledgeable Amish America followers that no one knew this was
      a funeral procession. So, now I see there were many correct
      responses!

      1. Shom, Al, thanks for letting me know. I’ve been digging into it to see if there is an explanation.

        I am not a pro at this but I thought it may have to do with you needing to clear your browser cache for some reason (your browser may be serving an older version of the page before comments were made…then you make a comment and forces the browser to refresh, showing you all the previously-made comments…?). That may be wrong, but that is one theory.

        Has this ever happened before? Using a different computer or browser possibly?

    24. OldKat

      What IS THAT?

      What is that in the bottom left foreground of the picture: “Funeral procession arriving at the cemetery”?

      Can’t quite make it out.

      1. Lattice

        I’m pretty sure it’s a small gorilla (going for another win)! 🙂

        1. OldKat

          Could be ...

          I was thinking a brown lamb, a dog or a tree stump!

        2. OldKat

          I see it!

          You know, now that I study it, that kinda DOES look like a small gorilla or ape of some sort … except where is its head? OR, are we looking at, ahhh, the “other” end of it? lol

          1. Lattice

            Gee, OldKat, I think you don’t get any more sleep than I do!

            (Yes, the small gorilla seems to be walking TOWARD the buggies. Clearly, he’s content in Lancaster County.)

            1. Slightly-handled-Order-man

              Lanc, the Lancaster Gorilla

              Maybe we’ll start a tourist attraction to soothe the pressure off of the Amish for a while, but that does look like something else, maybe a little more grave in nature.
              Imagine the big bucks to be had in t-shirts with Lanc the Lancaster gorilla etc on it. I wish I lived there, that would be a golden opportunity.

    25. Monica

      I was also thinking a brown lamb or a dog

    26. Ray D Miller

      Funeral Procession

      This is a funeral procession. The funeral is over and they are taking the body to the cemetery for burial. Amish funerals usually have 400+ friends and family attending to show their support for the family.
      The first buggy will be made like a pickup and will have the casket on it.
      I am an Amish minister and have been a part of processions like this many a time.

      1. Don Curtis

        Amish minister?

        I mentioned to my son, Mark, who joined the Amish that an Amish minister has posted to the site. He was curious as to what community and church you are a part of that allows internet use of the computer?

        1. Good that Amish have knowledge of the internet

          I don’t know where Ray is from but there are a number of communities where Amish people may have access to computers/internet.

          The internet may be accessed at a non-Amish workplace (in fact, some Amish have jobs where they need to have an email account, to contact customers for instance).

          Also of course there is smartphone access. I imagine Ray is well aware of the issues around internet usage, especially being an Amish minister.

          I tend to think it is a good thing that Amish parents and leaders be more familiar with the internet, to the extent that they know what may be going on with their youth online. Trying to shut it out completely or ignore it may not be the best course.

          For many Amish the internet is mysterious and/or intimidating, which makes sense since most don’t use it.

          However with smartphones many of their children may be using the internet, like it or not.

          Thanks Ray for your comment, it is nice to hear your perspective. I hope you’ll comment again if you feel like it.

    27. Terry Berger

      Just curious

      Erik,
      I’m very curious about the hearse. Is this relatively new in Lancaster? It has been some years since I attended an Old Order funeral, however, the last one used a regular black buckboard to transport the coffin. Any thoughts?

      Terry

      1. Terry I happen to have a couple of Amish friends from Lancaster visiting me in NC right now so I passed your question right to them.

        They say that the closed design is the way it is in their community today. They don’t remember seeing open transport for coffins however they are in their 20s and things may have changed. They actually don’t use the term buckboard in their community (I believe spring wagon is the equivalent).

    28. Don Curtis

      Amish hearse

      I asked my son, Mark about this. He said that just the other day he had a close up look at Belle Center’s Amish hearse. He said that that it is basically on the chasis of the Amish hack with the cab in front. But the cargo part of the hack has been totally enclosed with double doors in the back. I’ve never seen it myself.

    29. Alice Mary

      Late again...

      Babysitting had me tied up, but my first thought, when seeing the photos, was “funeral”.

      Yes, I (for the first time,I’m pretty sure) had a similar problem (experience) this week with some weird glitch (same as SHOM & Al). The computer I used (at work) is one I often use for checking Amish America & leaving comments. (Maybe it has something to do with the phase of the moon? You never know!)

      Impressive looking hearse. Who would “keep”/maintain that type of specialized vehicle in an Amish community? Just curious…

      Alice Mary

    30. Terry Berger

      Well...

      Erik,
      I probably should have used the more appropriate term of blutzwaeggli but spring wagon will do as well. Given your friends’ age, it would have been their parents’ generation that I knew better. That tells me that this has come about probably in the last 15 to 20 years then. I’ve never seen one in use, that’s why I asked. Interesting…..

      Terry